The age-old tenets of Ayurveda have a universal appeal and seekers
from all over globe have sailed towards India since time immemorial searching
for them, for health and well-being. The Ayurvedic treatises carry the wisdom
keys that are contained in cryptic Sanskrit verses. At every phase
in history attempts have been made to translate them, not just to a different
language, but also to an applied form suitable to different times and places.
The secret of the unbroken continuity of Ayurveda is its strong and stable
foundational principles that remain unchanged and the flexible nature of its
application that got transformed as the time changed. This is why Ayurveda
continues to be puraanam (ancient) and punarnavam (renewed;
contemporaneous) at the same time and at all times.
In the book 'Everyday
Ayurveda', Dr. Bhaswati does the translation as expected and as needed - it
helps the principles of Ayurveda to traverse the gap that separates the
knowledge and the learner. She is known to us for more than a decade and
is understood as someone with strong roots in the tradition and a willingness
to branch out to the modern world - an apt requirement to speak on Ayurveda,
something that is clearly evident in her writings.
'Vidya' is the sanskrit term
for both science and philosophy. Dr. Bhaswati reflects both these in her book
making it precious like any true 'Vidya.
- Dr. PR Krishnakumar, managing director, Arya Vaidya Pharmacy-Coimbatore,
Padma Shree recipient
