Mrityunjay Mission is a Foundation for Vedic Medical Sciences. What are Vedic Medical Sciences? Mrityunjay literally means victory over death. This may be some ultimate aspect and aspiration of medical science, restoring of life in untimely death. However, death is also all forms of morbidity, or loss of vitality, which in Ayurveda, is the basis of disease. Restoring of vitality is principal to restoring of health.
Various medical systems arose out of the Vedas and subsequent texts based on them, the most well-known being Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, Vagbhatta Samhita, along with sections in the Brahmanas, Puranas and Upanishads. These medical sciences are also associated with the knowledge of the rishis like Maharshis Sushruta, Charaka, Vagbhatta, Kanad, Nagarjuna, Galava, Agastya and Pulastya.
Medical science of those times, — Vedic medical sciences — did not have the contours of present day medicine. It was much more deeply related to Nature and its movements, both physical and spiritual, both within us and outside us. These days the word for this kind of approach is holistic, a somewhat insufficient description of the ancient vision.
These ancient medical sciences deal with the well-being of body, mind and spirit and its relationship with daily lifestyle and social and natural environment. The science of yoga can also be called a medical science, in this sense. Ayurveda, including Panchakarma therapies of oil massage and purification are well-known Vedic Medical Sciences. Other Vedic medical sciences and therapies like Jal Chikitsa and Surya Chikitsa were also known.
Surgery was also a Vedic Science and included the use of implements as well as medicated threads, anesthesia, and other para-surgical methods of blood-letting and leach application. Some branches of Vedic surgery are still practiced (Dr Joshi being himself a surgeon). Marma therapy for neurological and neurosurgical lesions, Kshar-Sutra treatment for ano-rectal diseases, Karna-Vedhan for bronchial asthma and inguionosecrotal swelling. Other ancient branches of surgery include Madhu Vidya, Pravargya Vidya, Snajivani Vidya, Panchamahabhoota Chikitsa and deal with restorative and reconstructive surgery, including organ transplant, hetero-grafting and reviving of dead organs including the brain. Madhu Vidya comprises of reconstructive surgery and preservation of injured organs of the body along with the use of medicament. Pravargya Vidya is the technique of preserving of severed organs , cross-grafting or hetero-grafting. We have mention of this in ancient texts. Sanjivani Vidya deals with reviving of dead organs. It also refers to reviving of persons already in state of morbidity, that is reviving of a dead person. Panchamahabhoota Vidya deals with treatment and transformation of basic elements of the body, from one into another, for the purpose of reviving different organs including the brain.
Marma Science is also an ancient medical science and remained hidden, gupta vidya, for a long time, known only to kings and as methods for warfare. But it was also the basis for many religious practices and a healing art. This aspect was lost in antiquity and though known in modern times to some practitioners in a limited way, its full scope for healing and scientific basis remained unknown. However, prolonged research yielded a major breakthrough in Marma Science and provided a powerful therapy for Mrityujay Mission’s work.
Marma Science is based on the Sushruta Samhita and the 107 vital points in the body, which can be anatomically located in the five constituents of ligament, blood vessel, nerve, muscle and bone. Energising these vital points through pressure from trained therapists and follow-up by others can stimulate the brain centres that control organs and limbs and set right diseases as well as relieve pain. Like Yogic practice, regular self-marma therapy / practice can maintain health in a healthy individual and gradually awaken spiritual centres.
This is a very brief sketch of the Vedic Medical Sciences that Mrityunjay Mission stands for and would like to practice and spread for the benefit of humanity