The philosophies of India mainly divided in to two, Astika (Orthodox or Theistic) and Nastika (Unorthodox or Atheistic). Asthika School of philosophies are accepting the authority of Vedas and nasthika School of philosophies are not accepting Vedas. Veda are four Rigveda,Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda. Each one divided in to four parts known as Samhita, Brahmana, Araynaka and Upanishad. The first two parts are rituals and the third aranyakas are the shift from ritual to theology and its finds culmination in Upanishads. Asthika is also known as sanatana dharma. Six schools of philosophies are coming in to it. These are
Among these first four do not derive its philosophical principles from the statement of Vedas. It’s based on the philosophical views of individual persons like sages. But it admits the authority of Vedas. The last two were based on the statement of Vedas.
Three schools of philosophies are coming in Nasthika. These are
The Indian medical system (Ayurveda) is based on the orthodox theistic philosophy Samkhya. The meaning of this word is “to know the truth”. Ayurveda evolved through a meditative path near Himalayas. The first form of Ayurveda was the teaching transmitted orally from the sages to their disciplines. Later it set down in Sanskrit poetry. Many of these texts have been lost over time. One of the basic principles of Ayurveda is Pancha Mahabhuta theory (Five elements theory). According to Smkhya philosophy the beginning of the universe in an unmanifested state of consciousness. From that form the subtle vibrations of the cosmic soundless sound “aum” manifested. From that vibration the first ether element appeared. This element began to move and that movements created Air which is Ether in action. The movement of Ether produced friction, and through that friction heat was generated. Particles of heat-energy combined to form intense light and from this light the Fire element manifested. Thus, Ether manifested into Air, and it was the same Ether that further manifested into Fire. Through the heat of the Fire, certain ethereal elements dissolved and liquefied, manifesting the Water element, and then solidified to Form the molecules of Earth. In this way, Ether manifested into the four elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth. From Earth, all organic living bodies, including those in the vegetable kingdom such as herbs and grains, and those in the animal kingdom, including man, are created. Thus, energy and matter are one. The five elements manifest in the functioning of the five senses of man. as well as in certain functions of his physiology. Thus, the five elements are directly related to human beings ability to perceive the external environment in which he lives. They are also related, through the senses, to five actions expressing the functions of the sensory organs. The basic elements, Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth, are related to hearing, touch, vision, taste and smell respectively. Ether is the medium through which sound is transmitted. Thus, the ethereal element is related to the hearing function. The ear, the organ of hearing, expresses action through the organ of speech, which creates meaningful human sound. Air is related to the sense of touch: the sensory organ of touch is the skin. The organ of action for the sense of touch is the hand. The skin of the hand is especially sensitive, and the hand is responsible for the actions of holding, giving and receiving. Fire, which manifests as light, heat and color, is related to vision. The eye, the organ of sight, governs the action of walking and is thus related to the feet. A blind man can walk, but that walking has no definite direction. Eyes give direction to the action of walking. Water is related to the organ of taste: without water the tongue cannot taste. The tongue is closely related in function to the action of the genitals (penis and clitoris). In Ayurveda, the penis or clitoris is considered the lower tongue, while the tongue in the mouth is the upper tongue. The person who controls the upper tongue naturally controls the lower tongue.
The Earth element is related to the sense of smell. The nose, the sensory organ of smell, is related in function to the action of the anus, excretion. This relationship is demonstrated by the person who has constipation or an unclean colon: he experiences bad breath and his sense of smell becomes dull. Ayurveda regards the human body and its sensory experiences as manifestations of cosmic energy expressed in the five basic elements. The ancient rishis perceived that these elements sprang from pure Cosmic Consciousness. Ayurveda aims to enable each individual to bring his body into a perfect harmonious relationship with that Consciousness.