Ayurveda is a practice that encompasses body, mind, and soul. Today I want to talk to you about the soul or spiritual side of this practice. I want to include not only science related to the human body, but the philosophy that brought it into being. The spiritual side of Ayurveda which is the Samkhya philosophy. This too comes from the Sanskrit – sat – meaning truth and khya – meaning to know.
This philosophy states that the source of all existence is the Cosmic Consciousness that manifests itself throughout the universe as masculine energy (Purusha) and feminine energy (Prakruti). The two energies are unending, immeasureable, outside of space and time. They are present in everything, all objects, animate or inanimate. We recognize this as we consider this 3rd density as polarized. Good, bad, high, low, black, white. Male, female. Each one the opposite end in the same spectrum of being.
Purusha is the energy of the pure passive consciousness. It has no structure. It exists in the simplest form. The purest form. No cause and effect, no active manifestation. Not participating in creation, but witnessing it silently. It’s the force that causes creation. Like a ripple effect. The stone dropped into the water that causes ripples to expand beyond the energy that displaced the water to cause the movement that set the ripples in motion. It witnesses all.
Prakruti is the active opposite. It is the manifestor, the decision making energy. This that mainfests color and form. It is the divine creator energy. She, the feminine is the creator, the One who becomes many. She is the Divine Mother of the Universe. Prakruti energy is also that which drives us in the form of ego. Ahamkar, that which divides itself into three fundamental energies that we call Gunas: those being Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. We’ll talk about those in another post.
So in Ayurveda the Samkhya cosmology explains how the Universe was formed according to the revelations of the Rishis. In the beginning there was a cosmic consciousness (what some might call God, or universe, or creator) which began to vibrate. As the vibration continued and propagated in the first element, the Aether, creating sound. The vibration of sound moved which manifested air out of the movement. When the air moved, it created friction which created a spark, manifesting fire, the third element. The fire created heat causing the particles of the aether to liquify becoming water, element number four. Which solidified and became earth element number five. This makes aether the fundamental element from which the remaining four were born. Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. Everything in the universe is comprised of these elements in different proportions, to a lesser extent. These fundamental energies are products of the vibrating energy produced by Cosmic Consciousness. They form all existing matter, making all matter energy. Including the human body.
Each of us sees the world through the eyes we were born with, influenced by our peers, society and our family. This is one aspect of the creation story. It is not for anyone to judge or ridicule. Or discount. We are who we are. And I’m hoping were all moving toward love, the ultimate vibration.
So read this post, or don’t. Take from it what resonates with you and set aside the rest. Either way, I hope you have a wonderful day.