Ayurveda is a perfect science: Morarji Desai

On 25 June 1977, Prime Minister Morarji Desai addressed a conference in New Delhi where he urged Ayurveda practitioners to adopt a missionary spirit.

File photo of Morarji Desai | US Embassy New Delhi | Flickr

I am very glad that this Conference is today being held here to consider questions relating to the indigenous systems of medicine and homoeopathy. Of course, homoeopathy is not indigenous, but it is a science which is more easily available to the people, and therefore, it is also a science which requires to be considered here. In this conference, we are not considering the modern science of allopathy. We cannot forget that allopathy has the lion’s share amongst all the systems of medicine at present. Government is spending 99 per cent of its money on allopathy and I suppose one per cent on the others. That must be the proportion as far as I can see it. But that also is because government is run also by people who are caught up by the modem craze. Even when millions of rupees are spent on allopathy, 90 per cent of our people living in villages are not able to get advantage of it. City people do get it.

At the outset, I must give you my view that it is an unfortunate thing that all these different systems of medicines are warring amongst themselves. These are all different sciences of healing and health and they have their own utility There could be preferences for people and there are bound to be preferences and it is the faith on a particular system which is more useful than even the knowledge of the doctor. We have, therefore, to educate the people about the utility of all the sciences. Let them choose whatever they want.

But one thing stands out very prominently. The modern science of allopathy though it has made great strides in surgery, medicine itself I do not know whether it has made such progress as the other sciences. It is still experimental but more than that it is very expensive. A poor country like ours will find it very difficult to provide these facilities everywhere in the country. An allopathy hospital requires crores and also huge expenditure for maintenance. I do not know how these facilities are going to come to all the people. It is not practicable.

But the indigenous sciences of Ayurveda, Unani and homoeopathy and naturopathy could be readily available to people because they are much less expensive. Naturopathy is the cheapest though that is also made more costly now-a-days by its practitioners. I do not know why people have a craze of making everything expensive in modern times. Simplicity seems to be shunned at something which is not good for man. I personally believe in naturopathy because it is most natural to man. But I do not want to make a propaganda for it in this conference. I only want you to have a dispassionate consideration of all the sciences so that we can derive maximum benefit from it and from all of them.

I know also that while naturopathy is good for everybody and will be a very inexpensive method of preserving the health and regaining it when it is spoiled, I doubt if most of the people will take to it. Unless it is accepted by the person, it is no use forcing it on him because that does not do any good and government ought to pay more attention to its propagation for the education of the people about it.

The systems of medicine, which are known as Ayurveda and Unani, are very similar. Ayurveda is the most ancient science of medicine. But it got neglected after the British government came in here, because they were more for allopathy and they were used to it and as government gave patronage to allopathy, Ayurveda practitioners also lost the zest they should have had in the faith. They should have a missionary spirit which a doctor should have. Therefore, Ayurveda began to decline. But nobody can destroy it. That has its vitality. It is more close to naturopathy in my view because it looks more to food than even medicines. Even when medicine is given along with prescription, proper food is also indicated. It is also very cheap; but there too I have a complaint that Ayurveda practitioners and those who prepare medicines, they are also making it more expensive. There seems to be competition. There is a craze for amassing wealth. And doctors and Vaids are not free from it. I am afraid that is very disastrous. 

But that is not a matter where one can make a law or a rule which will remove this passion for wealth. But leaders of society can certainly by their example set the pace. Therefore, top Ayurvedic practitioners—there are many who have done a great deal for Ayurveda—can set an example in this matter. If they do that, Ayurveda will get its place without any difficulty in my view. But, when deterioration began to come in, I found that some of the practitioners began to get mixed up with allopathic methods also and when we tried to take up this matter in Bombay soon after freedom, a mixed system of Ayurveda came in. Now all mixtures are there in medicines, more in allopathy than anywhere else. Ayurveda and allopathy are quite different. So is homoeopathy different. So is naturopathy. The diagnosis is quite different and therefore the treatment is also different. 

The medicines are also bound to be different. How can they be mixed up I do not know. When I find an Ayurveda practitioner using injections and taking resort to modern methods of diagnosis through X-ray and through blood examination, through other examinations and say that this is modem method of making Ayurveda better, I feel very unhappy about it. I cannot use a stronger word; they are real enemies of Ayurveda. In Bombay, therefore, we ultimately came to a conclusion that this mixture must be stopped. But those who got in before persisted in their own methods.

I find that those students who go to Ayurveda many a time go there only because they do not get admission to medical colleges and they get mixed up in this kind of things and ultimately they become allopathic practitioners rather than Ayurvedic practitioners, though they call themselves Ayurvedic practitioners. They are really giving only allopathic medicines and treatment. Now this ought to be stopped. 

Even research in Ayurveda has to be made in the Ayurvedic means and not by allopathic means. I cannot understand how research can be made in that way in Ayurveda and yet this is what is going on. I would suggest that the Health Ministry should not allow allopathy to have influence over Ayurveda or every other system of medicines. Let them have their own system, let them have preferences, give them more facilities. But I do not know by what right they have to meddle in other systems. Government allows them because they have a larger say. This should not be done.

The indigenous system of medicines must have their own Councils which I think they have and yet they have got mixed up with other people which should not be done. That is what I would plead for and if that is done, then it will come to its own. But much depends on the Ayurvedic practitioners themselves than even on the government. It is wrong to look on government for everything. This is another craze which has taken place in this country. That is why government becomes also irresponsible sometimes.

Ayurveda in my view is a perfect science. That does not mean those who are practising today know it perfectly. That is the tragedy of it. I do not believe in saying that everything ancient is good and everything modern is wrong. I won’t say that. But if there is something which is ancient and which is good, then simply because it is ancient, we should not say well it requires some modifications in getting modernised.

You are going to consider how any indigenous methods could be modernised. Human system is same from the time it was created until today and it will remain the same as longer the whole human race lasts.

There is also another system. I find that because there should be five years for learning for being an MBBS; five years should also be taken for learning Ayurvedic or homoeopathy. I do not know why this kind of competition goes on. The courses should be prescribed according to their requirements; not by competition with each other. But the treatment of all of them must be the same.

But I have seen doctors when they get into difficulties with their own bodies. They do not hesitate to go to Ayurvedic people and Ayurvedic people do not hesitate to go to allopathic people. It is not one way. I once saw an eminent surgeon and doctor, when he got ill, going to a Bua and taking a Mantra. So this is what happens to human being. Therefore we must have those who are practising these medicines in different ways. They must not carry prejudices against each other. You may say that I consider my system better. That is all right. That everybody can say but to run down other systems is not right. I hope in this Conference at any rate you will not try to run down allopathy or other systems.

This is part of ThePrint’s Great Speeches series. It features speeches and debates that shaped modern India.