Siddha Medicine - Evolution and Development

Photo Source: Flickr under creative commons lisence.

InTamil Nadu/India, a Siddha refer to a person, who has attained physical as well as spiritual excellence or enlightenment. The ultimate evidence of this is that Siddhas alledgedly attained physical immortality. Thus Siddha, (Siddhar or Chitthar) refers to a person who has realised the goal of a type of Sadhana (practice) and become a perfected human being. They wrote their discoveries, in the form of poems in Tamil language, on palm leaf which are gathered and stored in what are identified today as Palm leaf manuscript, today still owned by private families in Tamil Nadu and handed down through the generations, as well as public organizations such as Universities the world over (India, Germany, Great Britain, U.S.A.).

Primordial men supposed that evil spirits or paranormal force was mainly blamable for all diseases and they possess remedies of the domestic nature. So the Witch Doctor or medical men constitutes the earliest competent class in the evolution of society. We can study in its modern equivalent by taking samples from the methods practiced by the ancient men of modern times e.g., 'Tribes of India'. These people thought and accredited diseases to hostile magic or evil spirits of demons which could be smashed by the Witch Doctor. It is a form of 'faith cure' which was practiced in Sangam age and even today among the Hill Tribes and also in the remote villages of India and some other parts of the world.

Another significant aspect of treatment is with herbs and domestic remedies. The aborigines of India used several herbs for their ailments. They know how to store the milk for three months with the help of certain herbs. The herbs and medicines used by this equivalent of primitive people of other countries are similar to that of Siddha System of Medicine.

The human body is a composite of three humors and seven physical mechanisms. The Food is considered to be fundamental building material of human body, which gets administered into humors, tissues and wastes. The evenness of humors, body tissues and waste products is studied as health and its commotion or imbalance leads to disease or pathologic state. This system also deals with the thought of immortality and salvation in this life. The exponents of this system believe that achievement of this state is possible by controlled diet, medicine and processing of mind by yogic or spiritual exercises like meditation and yoga.

Siddhas defined 96 principles as the constituents of Human Being. They comprise Physical, Physiological, Mental and Intellectual mechanisms of a person. They are nothing but the materializations of the "Five Basic Elements ".

Disease: Disease is a condition in which there is inequity in the "Five Elements, which alters the "Three Humours" which is also reproduced in the seven physical constituents. The change interrupts the equilibrium and cause disease.

The recent study on the ideology of Indian Philosophical system indicated that the Sankya Philosophy was the oldest one which is founded by Siddhas. Separate diseases due to change in mental and physical faculties and Leprosy with it signs and symptoms were mentioned and known to them. The character of Good medicine was also stated and this might have become the basis for the appropriate description of medicine by Thirumoolar in his discourse Thirumoolar 8000. The concept of resistance was also elementary and it was known to the Physicians of Sangam Age (2000 BC to 200 AD) even before Chinese and English Physicians.

The normal herbs and parts of trees were used mainly as medicines there was no reference of using metals and non metals as medicines. The fundamental principles and methods of Surgery like Incision, Excision, Separation, Suturing application of Bandage, Amputation were known and practiced by the Siddha Surgeons.

Even though they knew the parts of the body, the mutual association of the organs was not made out. The philosophy of respiration, of speech and voice production and phonetics were mentioned and also the changes in the body to the various kinds of emotions were known to them long before the modern Physiologists discovered. Religion has played a very little part in medicine during the period of Sangam Age as it was not given much reflection or importance. Though there was no talk about the name of system of medicine which was practiced, it is supposed that a system indigenous to the land might have been known and practiced by the physicians and that must be of Siddhas. At the same time they used amulets and spells in the practice of medicine. So the medicine in that period was founded concurrently upon their knowledge and upon magical tradition and also some extent coherent.

Siddha medicine was not produced at any time out of nothing, but there was always a permanence of the science of life. The attitude and philosophy of Yoga and Alchemy is the characteristic attribute of Siddha System. It is not measured to be merely a compendium of therapeutics based on herbal, animal and mineral property. It is claimed to be a philosophy of life and living. Its entity is an indenture in balance of three indispensable ailments i.e., VADAM, PITHAM, KABAM.

Bohar was measured to be a Chinese Philosopher was come to South India and learnt medicine. As also travelled widely. It is also stated that one foor Fohi went to China to proliferate Buddism in 1st century AD, The Pharmacognosy is the best out of his other discourse of Yoga, Alchemy, Medical glossary etc. He was the follower of Kalanginathar. Karuvoorar, Pulipani, Idaikadar and Konganavar are supposed to his followers. Therayar one of the eighteen siddhars was a follower of Dharma Sowmiyar. He lived in the 15th century AD. Even though he has written several books in medicines, the materia medica, the examination of urine for clinical investigation and the precautionary medicine are supposed to be the best.

Thirumoolar is universally acknowledged as the greatest mystic or spiritual philosopher that the Tamil region of India has so far produced. He is regarded as the supreme preceptor and originator of the exoteric school of SIDDHAS . He lived, some believe, 3000 years ago but modern scholars opine that he is more likely to have lived between the third and fifth century AD.

His teachings, despite being ancient appear amazingly convincing in the context of today's scientific temper. He believed that the human body was real and was the medium through which to find and reach the LORD. The body, he taught, is the temple of God who dwells in it and it should be developed to good health in every way. Any service of offering to this body is service and offering to God. Thus he said, there is no need to search for him in places of worship or through all sorts of rituals. The way to reach God is to discover and enter into the self through the hidden trapdoors which only a great preceptor can guide. Therefore, the most important and really necessary knowledge is the knowledge of self. He proclaimed that all religions reach the same goal through several approaches. It is foolish to compare and contrast them he felt as the key to success is real devotion.

THIRU MOOLAR'S book of 3000 verses, entitled THIRU MANTHIRAM , sets the goal of human life to be the realisation of God and merging with him. As a Shiva worshipper but a confirmed monist, to him God and real love were identical. He was the first Indian saint to reconcile the yogic approach with the tantric way. He did not advocate the suppression of the behavior of senses and the body including sex which led to inhibition but advocate that they be circumscribed and sublimated. In his description of the mechanism by which this state can be achieved, he suggested that the mind both conscious and sub conscious, should be treated in such a way that an effective disjunction between the mind and the senses is brought about and thus the mind is brought under control.

Thiru Moolar is still regarded as a Thapaswi with meditative posers par excellence from the school, known as the SIDDHA system. His school of thought denounced caste and untouchability and preached equality among all men and meditation on the indwelling God as a means of self realisation. He recommended different types of Yoga under the complete guidance of a proven teacher. His book contains thirty stanzas devoted to a detailed instruction on how to leave one's own body, enter another body and return his own body. The greatest contribution of this philosopher is that his teachings continue to be of contemporary relevance in the emphasis of the quintessence of life and spiritually and the side tracking of the destructiveness denominational religions. Thiru Moolar was indeed aeons ahead of his times.