ЁЯМ┐ *Who Is the True Founder of Ayurveda — Buddha or Dhanvantari?* (A Research-Based Article)
✍️ *Dr. Milind Jiwane “Shakya”*
National President, Civil Rights Protection Cell
Ex–Visiting Professor, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University of Social Sciences, Mhow (M.P.)
Former Medical Officer / House Surgeon
International Conference Research Paper Evaluator
Mob. No. 9370984138 / 922522692
English Translation: *Adv. Anil Vaidya* (Ex Judge)
ЁЯФ╣ *In My Student Life :*
During our student days, we were taught that “Dhanvantari” was the founder of Ayurveda — and that Dhanvantari was considered an “incarnation of Vishnu.” We were told that the origin of Ayurveda lay in the mythological story of “Samudra Manthan” (the churning of the ocean). However, during my student life, I came across a book titled *"Bharatache Pranacharya”* (The Life-Givers of India) in which the originator of Ayurveda was mentioned as *“Avalokiteshvara”*— meaning “the one who looks upon the world with compassion.” At that time, I was serving as the President of the *"Dr. Ambedkar Ayurvedic Medicos Association"*. The Association regularly organized statewide essay competitions that received overwhelming participation. Later, I published a souvenir titled *“Avalokiteshvara,”* compiling the prize-winning essays. Recently, after listening to *Dr. Rajendra Prasad Singh’s* enlightening lecture *“Buddha is the Real Baidyanath (Bhaisajya Guru),”* those old memories resurfaced in my mind.
ЁЯФ╣ *The Need for Surgery on False History :*
For centuries, false historical narratives have been deeply implanted in our minds. Mere lectures or discourses cannot easily remove these distortions. In medical terms, I would call this condition *“mental paralysis.”* Now, the time has come to perform “historical surgery” to remove the infection of falsehood from our collective consciousness. *"Dhanvantari or Buddha?* Two Opposing Traditions
The ideas that “Dhanvantari is the founder of Ayurveda” and that “Ayurveda emerged from the Samudra Manthan” both originate from Brahmanical texts.
On the other hand, Ayurveda is described as an *“Upaveda of the Atharvaveda.”* If we consider this claim, it implies that the *"Vedic period"* occurred between the 11th and 14th centuries CE.
ЁЯФ╣ *The four Vedic monastic seats (Mathas) established are as follows :*
1. Shringeri Peetha – *Yajurveda* (Kerala)
2. Sharada Peetha – *Samaveda* (Gujarat)
3. Jyotirmath Peetha – *Atharvaveda* (Uttarakhand)
4. Govardhan Peetha – *Rigveda* (Odisha)
These Vedas are written on *"paper, not on palm leaves, copper plates, or stone inscriptions."* Yet, paper was invented in **China only around the 10th century CE"*. This fact itself raises serious doubts about the authenticity of the so-called *"Vedic origin of Ayurveda."*
ЁЯФ╣ *If we look at human history* — from the Stone Age to the Bronze and Iron Ages — people then lived in primitive conditions, often *"unclothed / uncultured."* How, then, could there have existed a gold-adorned Vishnu or Dhanvantari in such a period ? This question alone reveals the mythological nature of these claims. *Buddha’s Era* — A Historical Context *"Modern carbon dating"* has confirmed that Lord Buddha was born in *623 BCE (not 563 BCE).* At that time, there were distinct lineage-based communities — Shakya, Koliya, Haryaka, Maurya, etc. The spoken language of Buddha’s era was *"Pali language"*, and the script was *"Brahmi Script."* In the 1st century BCE, Buddhism split into *"Hinayana and Mahayana traditions."* The Mahayana Buddhists refined Pali and developed what later became *"Hibru Sanskrit."* Today Sanskrit is **Classical Sanskrit "* and script is *"Deonagri."* In the 9th century CE *(around 850 CE), Adi Shankaracharya* was born — a *“crypto-Buddhist”* who later established the *"four monastic Peethas"* and gradually took control over *"Mahayana Buddhist monasteries."* It was during this era that Buddhism declined and the *"Brahmanical / Vedic religion"* rose to prominence (11th–14th centuries CE). Medical Science in the Buddhist Period During the time of the Buddha, great universities such as *"Taxila, Nalanda, Vikramshila, Pushpagiri, Vallabhi, and Odantapuri"* flourished. These centers imparted education in medicine, surgery, nursing, gynecology, obstetrics, and pharmacology. Famous students of that period included Jivaka, Bimbisara, Ajatashatru, and Vasubandhu. Historical evidence from the *"Boer Manuscripts"* discovered in the Kucha region of China mentions Charaka and Sushruta. Both Emperor Ashoka and Emperor Jayavardhana of Cambodia established numerous hospitals and dispensaries for public welfare.
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