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Tag: ancient Indian knowledge

Are We Overstimulating Our Senses? What Ayurveda Says About the Five Senses

Think about how you started your day today.   Did you reach for your phone the moment you woke up? Did you listen to music while getting ready, check your messages while having breakfast, and spend the rest of the morning looking at one screen or another?   By the time the day is over, you’ve probably seen hundreds of images, heard countless sounds, tasted different things, touched dozens of objects and taken in more information than you can remember.   We don’t usually think twice about any of this. Our senses are constantly working, and we’ve become so accustomed to stimulation that silence or doing absolutely nothing can sometimes feel uncomfortable.   But have you ever wondered whether the way we use our senses has anything to do with our health?   Interestingly, Ayurveda explored this question through a concept called Asatmya Indriyartha Samyoga.   It refers to how the way we interact and perceive things with our sense organs affects our overall health. It also discusses what happens when we use them too little or in the wrong way.   Let’s understand this.   What is Asatmya Indriyartha Samyoga?   The term is made up of four words: Asatmya: Unsuitable or incompatible Indriya: Sense organs Artha: Objects or subjects of perception Samyoga: Contact or association   Together, Asatmya Indriyartha Samyoga refers to an unsuitable or improper interaction between our sense organs and their respective objects.   In Charaka Samhita, Acharya Charaka discusses this in the eleventh chapter of Sutrasthana, where he identifies it as one of the three fundamental causes of disease.   But what makes this concept particularly interesting is that it is divided into three forms:   Atiyoga: Excessive use Ayoga: Insufficient or lack of use Mithyayoga: Improper use   Let’s look at what each of these means.   Atiyoga: When we use our senses excessively   Atiyoga refers to excessive use of our sense organs.   And honestly, this is something we can relate to quite easily today.   Think about your eyes.   Most of us spend a considerable part of our day looking at screens. We move from our laptops to our phones, from our phones to televisions, and sometimes back to our laptops again.   It is clearly an example of Atiyoga of the eyes.   Similarly, listening to excessively loud sounds and repeatedly exposing the sense of smell to very strong odours are described as forms of excessive sensory use.   The idea is that even something our senses are naturally meant to experience can become unsuitable when the exposure is excessive.   It isn’t necessarily about avoiding these experiences altogether. It is about recognising that our senses also have limits.   Ayoga: When we don’t use our senses enough   Now, this is something we don’t usually think about.   Ayoga refers to insufficient use or the complete absence of appropriate engagement with the sense organs.   For instance, Charaka describes not seeing anything at all as an example of Ayoga of the sense of vision. Similarly, not hearing or smelling anything represents insufficient engagement with those respective senses.   Think about how different our experiences would be if we completely stopped engaging with the world around us.   We need our senses to interact with our surroundings, recognise things, experience our environment and respond to what is happening around us.   So the discussion isn’t simply about reducing sensory stimulation.   It is about maintaining an appropriate relationship with the things our senses are meant to experience.   Mithyayoga: When we use our senses improperly   This is perhaps the most interesting of the three.   Mithyayoga refers to the improper or unsuitable use of the sense organs.   It isn’t necessarily about using them too much or too little. It is about the nature of the experience itself.   For the eyes, looking at objects that are excessively close or far away, or repeatedly exposing oneself to disturbing and frightening sights, are discussed as improper sensory experiences.   For hearing, listening to harsh, frightening or unpleasant sounds is described as Mithyayoga.   Similarly, exposure to unpleasant or harmful smells is discussed under the improper use of the sense of smell.   When you look at these examples, you realise that Ayurveda wasn’t only concerned with how much sensory stimulation we experience. It also considered what kind of stimulation we expose ourselves to.   What about taste and touch?   Of course, Ayurveda doesn’t stop with sight, sound and smell.   It also discusses the senses of taste and touch.   Food isn’t just something we consume to satisfy hunger. Taste is one of the ways we experience it. And Ayurveda considers the relationship between taste, food and the individual an important part of understanding nourishment.   Then comes touch.   Charaka discusses excessive exposure to extremely hot or cold sensations as Atiyoga, while inappropriate contact with objects or environments is considered Mithyayoga.   So, when you look at all five senses together, the underlying idea becomes clearer.   Ayurveda considers not just what we experience through our senses, but also the frequency, intensity and nature of that experience.   Why does this matter today?   We live in a world where constant stimulation has become completely normal.   There is always something to watch, something to listen to, something to read or something to respond to.   Even when we are eating, travelling or simply sitting alone, we often look for something to occupy our attention.   Think about the last time you sat in a room without music, television or your phone. Did you feel comfortable, or did you immediately feel the need to reach for something?   We rarely give ourselves the opportunity to experience our surroundings without constantly adding something to them.   Are we constantly exposing our eyes to intense stimulation? Do we ever give ourselves a break from noise? Are we mindful of the sounds, sights and experiences we allow into our… Continue reading Are We Overstimulating Our Senses? What Ayurveda Says About the Five Senses

How Ayurveda Describes Different Types of Intelligence

Have you ever noticed how some people are exceptionally good at remembering things, while others are naturally good at understanding complicated ideas?   Some people can read something once and remember it almost perfectly. Others may take a little longer to understand a concept, but are incredibly good at applying that knowledge in real-life situations.   And then there are people who seem to have an entirely different ability. They can observe something, connect different ideas and arrive at conclusions that others might not immediately see.   We usually group all of these abilities under one word: intelligence.   But is intelligence really just one thing?   Interestingly, Ayurveda approached this question in a much broader way. Instead of looking at intelligence as a single ability, the texts describe several faculties of the mind that work together to help us perceive, understand, learn and remember.   Let’s take a look at what these different faculties mean.   Is intelligence just Buddhi?   In Ayurveda, one of the terms commonly used to describe intelligence is Buddhi.   Buddhi refers to the intellect, particularly the ability to understand, discriminate, form conclusions and arrive at decisions.   But the interesting part is that the classical texts don’t restrict the functioning of the intellect to one faculty. They discuss several related concepts, including Dhi, Medha, Smriti, Dhriti and Prajna.   While these terms are closely connected, they highlight different aspects of how the mind functions.   Let’s understand them individually.   Dhi: The ability to understand   Dhi refers to the ability of understanding and comprehension.   It is what allows you to grasp an idea, understand what you’re reading and distinguish between different things.   Think about learning something completely new.   You might read a paragraph several times, but there is a particular moment when the concept finally makes sense. You aren’t simply recognising the words anymore. You actually understand what they mean.   That ability to comprehend is what Dhi points towards. It is also associated with discrimination, the ability to recognise differences and understand the nature of something.   In simple terms, Dhi is about understanding what something means, rather than merely receiving information.   Medha: The ability to grasp and retain knowledge   Now, understanding something and being able to retain it are not necessarily the same thing.   You might understand an entire chapter while studying, but how much of it do you actually remember a few days later?   This brings us to Medha.   Medha is associated with the ability to grasp, retain and assimilate knowledge.   Think about a student preparing for an examination. Two students might understand a particular concept equally well, but one may be able to retain the information more easily and recall it during the examination.   It is not simply about being able to understand something in the moment. It also concerns how well knowledge is absorbed and retained.   Smriti: The ability to remember   Smriti refers to memory, particularly the ability to recall something that has already been experienced, learned or understood.   Think about the last time you visited a place you hadn’t been to in years.   You might suddenly remember the streets, the people you met, the conversations you had or even the smallest details of that experience.   That ability to bring something from the past into your present awareness is Smriti.   In Charaka Samhita, Smriti is explained as the recollection of previously experienced things.   What’s interesting is that memory isn’t simply about storing information. It allows us to connect our present experiences with what we have already learned.   Without memory, even the process of learning something new would become difficult because we constantly rely on previous experiences to make sense of new information.   Dhriti: The ability to regulate and sustain the mind   This is a particularly interesting concept because it goes beyond learning and remembering.   Dhriti refers to restraint, firmness and the ability to regulate the mind.   Think about trying to study for an examination. You understand the subject, you have your books ready, and you know exactly what needs to be completed. But every few minutes, your attention shifts somewhere else.   You check your phone, start thinking about something unrelated or simply give in to the temptation to do something more entertaining.   The ability to remain steady and regulate these impulses is associated with Dhriti.   It helps the mind remain directed towards what it needs to do rather than constantly following every passing desire or distraction.   In this sense, intelligence isn’t only about how much information we can process. It is also about how well we can direct our mental faculties.   Prajna: A broader understanding of knowledge and wisdom   And finally, we come to Prajna.   Prajna is a broader concept associated with higher understanding, discernment and wisdom.It is often discussed in connection with Buddhi and its different faculties.   Think about the difference between knowing something and knowing how to use that knowledge.   You might know everything there is to know about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You understand nutrition, exercise, sleep and the importance of managing stress.   But being able to bring all that understanding together, recognise what is relevant in a particular situation and act accordingly requires something beyond simply remembering information.   It requires judgement and discernment.   This is the broader territory that Prajna points towards.   It is also important to understand that these terms aren’t five completely separate types of intelligence. They are overlapping faculties that contribute to the functioning of the intellect.   So, why did Ayurveda look at intelligence this way?   When you put these concepts together, something becomes clear.   Understanding, retaining, remembering, regulating and applying knowledge are different mental processes.   You can be good at one and struggle with another.   If we measure all using just one definition of intelligence, we miss a… Continue reading How Ayurveda Describes Different Types of Intelligence