Waterscapes in Āyurveda: Mapping Health and Disease Through Hydrology.

Presenter:

---

Abstract

Waterscapes have a probably unexpected significance in Āyurveda, because the quality and characteristics of water differ depending on its source. While some kinds of water have the potential to improve health and to heal diseases, others can be harmful or even life-threatening. For this reason all the main compendia of ancient Āyurveda contain a section on water, discussing inter alia the specific characteristics of certain bodies of water. If these are small, they are said to be dependent on the environment surrounding them. In contrast, the characteristics of rivers are determined by several conditions, like origin, direction, flow velocity etc. Apart from that, the classical Samhitās are a bit stingy with information. However, the extant commentaries on these foundational works provide us with a much clearer picture of the aesthetic, topographical and dietetic characteristics of water bodies and their vital content. Furthermore, it is possible to distill from them eco-historical information about their origin (are they man-made or natural?), about their aquatic flora and fauna, their medical significance and about geography of disease. The real meanings of the Sanskrit words for water bodies as well as their characteristics are still poorly studied and the dictionaries contain meager and often misleading information. The examination of the relevant material in classical and medieval Āyurvedic literature, presented in this paper, provides surprising insights into morphological, socio-cultural, ecological and medical significance of water and closes several gaps in our knowledge about various water bodies.