An Integrated View of Health and Well-being by Antonio Morandi & A.N.Narayanan Nambi

Author:Antonio Morandi & A.N.Narayanan Nambi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht

7.3 Co-evolution and Sharing Among Knowledge Traditions

Whereas there are two distinct knowledge streams such as the local health traditions (loka) and the codified knowledge systems (śāstra, which are codified and institutionalized), they share many of the concepts and practices in common and have a complementary relationship. These are reflected in several of the cardinal concepts and essential principles of these knowledge traditions. For instance, the loka-puruṣa or the microcosm and macrocosm relationship as mentioned in Āyurveda is also a central dimension in the local health traditions. Similarly underlying theoretical aspects such as pañcamahā bhūta theory (theory of composition of matter) and tridoṣa theory (theory of causation of health and disease) are also shared in various ways by these systems. Though such classifications may not be obvious in folk expressions, this can be deduced from the usage of several technical terms such as uṣṇa, sīta, guru, laghu, vāta, pitta and kapha by the folk knowledge carriers (Balasubramanian 2003, 2006). There is also a huge overlap of the medicinal resources used by these knowledge streams. Some of the other aspects shared are the focus on systemic understanding of health and diseases; multicausality approach; a circular method of cause-effect reasoning; subjective, qualitative, individualized and personalized management; preventive focus; attribution of importance to physician’s wisdom; and so on. Another unique shared feature is that knowledge generation is mostly through subtle observations and experiences within the context, i.e. an individual or the nature (Payyappallimana 2010). Such interactions and exchanges are core elements in health knowledge production in the subcontinent. Such continuum and complementarities are found also between Siddha medicine and current folk perceptions of food and nutrition, health, illnesses and their management in Tamilnadu. Often the outcomes of these exchanges are more complex and layered than a mere dichotomy such as ‘folk’ or ‘classical’ systems (Sujatha 2007).

There are two dominant views related to the generation and codification of knowledge in Indian health traditions. First, according to Ayurvedic classical literature, the preceptor (brahma) ‘remembered’ the knowledge of life which was passed on to the disciple prajāpati who in turn successively transferred this to Aswini kumaras, then to Indra and his disciples who codified the knowledge in present form. The second view is that local, oral health knowledge perceptions and practices (prākṛit) have been collated, theorized and codified into textual traditions such as Āyurveda. In such a view, forests and related communities are bestowed with abundant knowledge and resources. Both positions receive equal attention right from the time of earliest codified medical text, i.e. Ćaraka Saṃhitā. A passage in Ćaraka Saṃhitā says: shepherds, cowherds, and those living in the forest are knowledgeable about medicinal materials both by name and form (Ćaraka Saṃhitā, Sūtra Sthāna, 1, 120 in Sharma and Dash 2001)

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