Vaidya Bhagwan Dash
Happiness in the Context of Ayurveda
Happiness is the eternal desire
of all living creatures including human beings, animals and
plants. Because of well manifested and developed mental as well
as intellectual faculties human beings can achieve happiness
independently. But because of moha that is illusion or ignorance
they land themselves in upadha or unwholesome desires which
give rise to three types of unhappiness, viz., adhyatmika or
unhappiness caused by the interior of the body, adhibautika
or unhappiness caused by external trauma and adhidaivika or
unhappiness caused by divine displeasure. These three types
of unhappiness can be corrected in two different ways, viz.,
by medication, etc., whose effects are temporary as well as
partial, and by spiritual means which include realization of
ultimate reality.
Ayurveda describes both the types of measures to overcome unhappiness
leading to phenomenal and eternal happiness.