Abstract

CRITICAL REVIEW ON AYUSHKAMIYA ADHYAYA IN THE PURVIEW OF VYAKHYASARA – A COMMENTARY ON ASHTANGA HRUDAYA

Dr. Jiji U. Nair*, Prof. Mahesh Vyas, Dr. Anirban Dash, Dr Shinitha P. V.

Abstract

Critical Review on Ayushkamiya Adhyaya in the Purview of Vyakhyasara – A Commentary on Ashtanga Hrudaya The opening chapter of the Ashtanga Hrudaya, Ayushkamiya Adhyaya, has long been acknowledged as foundational; yet its interpretation has largely relied on dominant northern commentaries, leaving Kerala exegetical traditions comparatively underexplored. In particular, the distinctive readings of Vyakhyasara remain insufficiently examined in contemporary scholarship. The present review addresses this gap by analyzing Ayushkamiya through the doctrinal lens of Vyakhyasara and situating its insights alongside earlier authorities. Drawing on manuscript sources of Vyakhyasara and cross-referencing them with the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita, author has conducted a qualitative, textual analysis focused on key constructs: Ragadaya, Prakruti, Vyadhi, and Chikitsa Pada Chatushtaya. Attention was given to hermeneutic strategies, psychosomatic formulations, and prognostic reasoning. The findings indicate that Vyakhyasara frames Raga and allied mental afflictions as primary pathogenic forces, establishing a clear psychosomatic sequence from mental disturbance to doshic imbalance and tissue pathology. Prakruti is defined as stable constitutional identity, distinct from Vikruti, thereby safeguarding individualized therapeutics. Prognosis, moreover, is linked not solely to disease severity but to the discernment and steadiness of the physician. Ayushkamiya thus emerges not as a preliminary chapter but as a clinical orientation. By foregrounding mental causation, ethical discipline, and constitutional reasoning, Vyakhyasara offers an interpretive model that strengthens contemporary discussions on psychosomatic medicine and Ayurvedic pedagogy.

Keywords: Vyakhyasara, Ashtanga Hrudaya, Ayushkamiya.