Saptadhatu

                  Ayurveda is one of the most ancient sciences of the world, about 5000 years old. It’s an Upveda of Atharvaveda ,the 3^rd Ved of Vaidik Sanskriti, though many references can be found in other Vedas too.

                  About it’s origin it is said in sacred books of Ayurveda that, Ayurveda was memorized by Bramhadev; not told or taught ,which means it is eternal. Later onwards it was spread for the wellbeing of mankind.

                 The word Ayurveda literally means knowledge of human life. It aims at demonstration of characteristics of healthy and diseased body along with magnitude of Ayu (life).

                 Ayurveda is not just about several medicines and herbs, but it is a science which has passed over centuries illustrating the ways of living healthy life through day to day routine (viz.Dincharya and Rutucharya).

                It has described many important principles regarding human body. About origin of body, Prakriti-Purush siddhant (principle) is (recited which is originally of Samkhyashastra) the foremost and important of all of them. Prakriti means nature and Purush means human body. Every element of the nature has a strong impact on body and body too responds to all nature’s changes. The micro environment of body shows close resemblance to nature.

                 Ayurveda has described human body as Purush which is defined in several manners.

          Chetanadhatu (consciousness) is considered as a Purush i.e.Ekdhatvatmak Purush (1 principle), although for treatment purpose, it is defined as

          Chetanadhatu(consciousness) with Panchmahabhut i.e.five great elements of universe, which are

                               Prithvi (earth),

                               Aap (water),

                               Tej (heat),

                               Vayu (air) and

                               Akash (space)

            i.e.Shaddhatvatmak Purush (6 principles).

       Further, it is described in the form of Chaturvinshatidhatvatmak Purush (24 principles) which is

                      Pancha Dnyanendriya (five sense organs ;

nose,tongue,eyes,ears,skin)

                      Pancha Karmendriya (five organ of action ;

hands, legs, anus, urethra, tongue to spell)

                     Panchamahabhut (five great elements)

                     Prakriti

                     Mahat (appeared as Buddhi i.e.intellect)

                     Ahankar (self importance)

                     Man (mind)

                     Panchtanmatra ; Gandha (smell),         

                                                   Ras (taste)

                                                   Rup (vision)

                                                   Shabda (sound)

                                                   Sparsha (touch).

This 24 principle Purush is considered mainly for the ease of understanding the fundamental aspects of treatment in various diseases and abnormalities.