Articles

The relationships between doṣas and dūṣyas: A study on the meaning(s) of the root murch-/mūrch

Authors

  • Jan Meulenbeld

Abstract

Intimate knowledge of āyurvedic theory is in my view an absolute requirement for any serious research on texts relating to Indian medicine. Viewed against this background the paucity of studies on theoretical concepts is astonishing. By far the larger majority of writings on Indian medicine, in particular those by Indian authors, are concerned with practice and its justification, not with its theoretical basis. Studies on philosophical concepts that form an integral part of medical thought form an exception.

This state of the art, though regrettable, is easily understandable. The theory of āyurveda is intricate, the differences of opinion on all kinds of topics are numerous and the basic concepts together with the ways in which they are interconnected are far from transparent.

Published

2012-06-12

Issue

Section

Articles