The story of Ayurveda, the science of life ,transcending time and teller ,healing the teller and soothing the listener, is a story with no ending ,but multiple beginnings, opening up into infinite possibilities .

The thread of this tale runs right through the very fabric and texture of Indian life. Dividing in to the vast sea of knowledge, let us try to separate the various stands of narrative in the history –seeking the mythological and the scientific , touching the abstract and the divine, studying the concrete and the material.

In India, knowledge is believed to be sacred ,for all knowledge originates from the Gods. According to the Hindu mythologies, the rhapsody of the Universe is maintained by Trimurtis – "Bahma" the Creator , "Vishnu" the Preserver and "Siva" the Destroyer. At the time of creation, Ayurveda dawned as a ray of enlightenment in the cosmic consciousness of "Brahma" the Eternal Creator.

Brahma, the Self-Existent and the Creator Composed Ayurveda as a branch of Atharva Veda. A hundred thousand verses in a thousand chapters Divided by him into eight limbs or parts.

Brahma then imparted the knowledge to his disciple Daksha Prajapati, who passed it on the Aswins, the twin Gods, who in turn conferred it to Indra, the king of gods.

But while all this happened in the heavens, humanity was still plagued by pains and illness. Great seers continued to meditate upon a panacea or all maladies but in vain. It was decided that the great sage Dhanwantari reincarnated as Divodasa and the sages Bharadwaja and Kashyapa be deputed with the task of going to heaven and learning to the Divine Science of healing directly from Indra. Thus it was that Ayurveda traversed the skies and come down to the plains of mortal suffering .

The three illustrious sages, pioneer students of Ayurveda, had in turn eminent pupils. Divodasa Dhanwantari and his disciples specialized in Salyachikitsa (Surgery) and formed the school of surgery. His important students included Sushruta, Aupadhenava,Vaitarana, Aurabhadra,Pushkalavada, Nimi, Kara, karaveerya, Gopurarakshita, Bhoja, Kankayana, Galava and Gargava.

Punarvasu Artreya, who was the disciple of Bharadwaja had seven pupils – Agnivesa, Charaka, Bhela, Jatukarna, Parasara, Hareeta and Ksharapaani. They were called the Artreya School (General Medicine). The Kashyapa School specialized in Kumarabhurutya (Paediatrics). Foremost among Kashyapa’s students was Vruddha Jeevaka who wrote Kashyapa Samhita. His other disciples were Vasishta, Atri, Bhrigu, Jeevaka, Parvataka and Bandhaka.

The history of native Indian medical science is probably as old as the Indus Valley Civilization dating back to 3000 BC. The meticulously planned cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro are pointers of not only India’s rich cultural heritage but also its advanced systems of hygiene and health care. The remains of deep antler and bitumen found in Harappa bear evidence to the existence of a medical science . It was between 1200 and 700 BC, subsequent to the Aryan invasion , that the four sacred Vedas were composed .References to diseases ,herbs and herbal cures can be seen in all the four Vedas especially in the Rig Veda.

Atharva Veda has many hymns eulogizing herbs. Many plants were worshipped as deities and invoked by incantations. There were also many mantras to combat jaundice, consumption, heredity diseases and so on. The Atharvan hymns chanted for the cure of diseases were known as Bhaishajyams and those for attaining longevity and prosperity were called Ayushyams. These hymns, especially Ayushyams are considered as the foundation of later medical advancements.