Rationale of Ayurvedic Psychiatry: Foundational Concepts, Traditional Practices and Recent Advances

by Dr. A.R.V. Murthy

Psychiatry as a branch of specialty has been accepted by Ayurveda. Most of the Ayurvedic psychiatry is dealt under the head “Bhautavidya” or Gratia cikitsa that is counted among the eight branches of Ayurveda. The expression Bhutavidya refers to abnormal behavior of an individual and has nothing to do with demonology as commonly believed Carakas concept of kaya” deals adequately with physio pathological states of mind prevailing in the society at large. A virtual scan through the Ayurvedic and allied literature depicts that there are rich descriptions regarding mental ailments, their etio pathological considerations and therapeutic procedures.

The book RATIONALE OF AVJJRVEDIC PSYCHIATRY dwells in to psycho philosophical concepts. Traditional psychiatric therapeutic practices and current scientific advances under three distinct parts as the title suggests.

Dr. A. R. V. Murthy currently working as Principal and Superintendent of G.J. Pate! Ayurveda College and S.GJ.Patel Ayurveda Hospital, New Vidyanagar, Anand, Gujarat, since June 2006 was born in 1961, in Karnataka. He worked earlier as Principal Superintendent of Gomantak Ayurveda College and Hospital Shiroda, Goa from March 2003 to June 2006 and atT. T. D. run S. V. Ayurveda College, Tirupati as Assistant Professor of Kayachikitsa from 1987 to 2003. He was graduated from Udupi Ayurveda College, Udupi, in 1983, got his Postgraduate degree, M.D. in Kayachikitsa, from the prestigious Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi in 1987 and Ph.D. from Rashtriya SanskritVidyapeetha, Tirupati in 1999. He worked as Ayurveda consultant to SVIMS-Tirupati, a modem Super Specialty Hospital to take up collaborative research work from 1995 2002. He was also involved in literary research on Vedic sciences in relation to Ayurveda atRashtriya SanskritVidyapeetha,Tirupati. Dr. Murthy visited Japan in Oct. 2000 as an invited speaker in the International conference on Ayurveda held at Tokyo and delivered a series of guest lectures in different cities of Japan. He also has extensively traveled in India and delivered over 200 guest lecturers in different parts of the country. He has published around 60 Research Papers in listed Journals and participated in about 65 Seminars--both national and International. He was amember of C.C.I.M, Chairman, B.O.S., Goa University and Member B.O.S, B.H.U. and R.S.V. Tirupati. Dr. Murthy secured First Rank in Final B.A.M.S. Examinations and won Gold medal and a state Award for his meritorious performance. He is the recipient of Nambiar Memorial award and MV. Shastry memorial award. The book Rationale of Avurvedjc Psychiatry is authors third book on Ancient Indian Psychology series. The second book Mind in Ayurveda and other Indian Traditions’ in 2004. His first work Sanskrit “Ayurvede Monovijnanasya sameeksh nakamadhyayanm’ published in 2002.