OVERVIEW OF AYURVEDA

PRAKRITI INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS PRAKRITI ?
The word Prakriti is composed of two basionyms:
Pra, which means primary or first, and
Kriti, which means formation or creation or manifestation.
So the term Prakriti logically stands for the prototype
representing the basic formative distinction in each
manifestation.

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PRAKRITI INTRODUCTION

IS THE PRAKRITI OF PURUSHA AND PRAKRITI OF HUMANS ONE

AND SAME TERM ?
The answer is yes and no.
The Prakriti of Purusha is the creative energy which is
responsible for manifestation of the cosmos.
Prakriti of an individual is described as his constitution, his
basic combination of Doshas, which mark his physiological,
physical and mental attributes.
To simplify further
Purusha-Prakriti contains the genotype or prototype of the
entire manifestation of cosmos. Purusha-Prakriti creates each
manifestation in the universe with a unique combination of its
qualities [SATVA, RAJA and TAMA].
We have already learnt through Shrushti Utpati lesson that these
qualities create the Mahabhutas and the Mahabhutas create the
Doshas and all the manifestations in the universe contain a
unique combination of all these factors.
The Prakriti of an individual or human can be seen as an
advanced prototype of the omnipotent Purusha-Prakriti. So the
Purusha-Prakriti has manifested humankind with its unique
combination of Gunas and Mahabhutas and Doshas.
However within humankind, each individual is again formed with
its own unique combination of the gunas, mahabhutas and
doshas. This unique combination in each human is called his or
her Prakriti, their exclusive genotype.
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PRAKRITI INTRODUCTION

This genotype has been derived from a parent genotype of all

humans. The genotype of all humans must be derived from
another parent genotype, and so it can traced all the way back
to the ultimate omnipresent genotype of Purusha-Prakriti.
So from the Ayurveda point of view, which pertains just to the
health of an individual, the Individual Prakriti can be considered
different from the Purusha-Prakriti.
On a holistic scale however, it is one and the same creative
force, just as the Atman is considered unique to each individual
while treating him/her yet on a holistic view it is considered to
be one and same as Purusha.

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PRAKRITI INTRODUCTION

HOW IS THE PRAKRITI OF AN INDIVIDUAL DECIDED ?

The concepts of Ayurveda are very clear. If we recollect the
definition of Prakriti, it means first manifestation.
This definition does not change even at the micro levels. The
Prakriti of an individual is developed with the first manifestation
of life in the womb of his mother. Sushrut samhita tells us that,
the moment the sperm fertilizes the egg, the jiva or soul enters
the bond and activates its creative energy or Prakriti with its
unique combination of Gunas, Mahabhutas and Doshas.
SO IS THE PRAKRITI COMBINATION INFLUENCED BY OUTSIDE
FACTORS ?
Yes very much. Ayurveda tells us that Prakriti or constitution is
influenced by season, time, food of parents (which determine
the quality of egg and sperm) and Nakshatras [stellar]. Each
manifestation of the universe has its own Prakriti or Dosha
predominance and their relation during the creation of a new
manifestation in turn influences its Prakriti.

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PRAKRITI INTRODUCTION

TYPES OF PRAKRITI
Prakriti denotes a collection of unique attributes and it has been
classified into different types through various Ayurveda
literature with relation to surroundings, geographical location,
etc .
However as mentioned earlier, Prakriti is divided into 3
fundamental types for application purposes.
GUNATMAK Prakriti is made up from a unique combination of
the three universal qualities of Satva, Rajas and Tamas. By
knowing this quotient, an individuals mental and spiritual
makeup can be assessed.
BHAUTIK PrakrIti is assessed by analyzing the unique
combination of the Panchamahabhutas to find the dominant
mahabhuta or element. This Prakriti is of 5 types [AAKASH,
VAYU, AAPAHA, AGNI, PRITHVI]. This kind of Prakriti evaluation
is generally used for therapeutic purposes.

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DOSHAJ Prakriti looks at the unique dosha ratio in each

individual.
There are
One-dosha combinations:
VATA
PITTA
KAPHA
Two-dosha combinations:
VATA - PITTA
PITTA - KAPHA
VATA - KAPHA
Three-dosha combination:
VATA - PITTA - KAPHA (or Sama doshaja prakriti)
Totaling 7 basic Doshaj Prakriti types.
Doshaja prakriti is useful in understanding the entire makeup of
an individual.

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So the question arises, if Prakriti is of 3 different types, then

why is usually the Dosha Prakriti given importance for the
individual ?
While describing Shrusti -Utapati [Cosmology] we understood
that the doshas are derived from the Panchamahabhutas [5
ELEMENTS], which are in turn derived from the Tri gunas
[SATVA, RAJA, TAMA]. So by knowing the Doshas, we can know
the quantification of all its parent hierarchies.
Prakriti is evaluated through the doshas, however as we will see
in upcoming videos, for therapeutic purposes and deep
evaluation of an individual, all three Prakritis are studied.

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APPLICATIONS OF PRAKRITI
Prakriti is a fundamental tool to understand the life of an
individual. Once formed, Prakriti remains constant for each
individual throughout his or her lifetime. Prakriti can be seen as
a micro-map of an individual to understand how one would
absorb, assimilate and excrete various entities [food, thoughts,
opportunities] till they reach their final destination of physical
death.
Starting from their Dosha Prakriti, each individual continually
tries to establish an equilibrium with their surroundings. Since
the surroundings themselves change due to the influence of
their Dosha combination, it is obvious that in each individual the
Doshas will be influenced by the increase or decrease of their
properties in the surroundings.
For example, during monsoon season, when Vata is predominant
in the surroundings, it will similarly influence the Vata in an
individual to be dominant. If the basic constitution of the
individual is Vata, it may cause illness by disrupting the balance
of Dosha constitution of an individual.
If the current proportion of doshas differs significantly from our
constitutional proportion, it indicates imbalances, which in turn
can lead to illness. This deviation from Prakrti is called VIKRITI.
The farther a person's Vikrti is from his or her Prakrti, the more
prone they are to illness.

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PRAKRITI INTRODUCTION

Prakriti is the root of the physical, mental and spiritual

attributes of an individual. Hence by knowing Prakriti we can
assess the multitude possibilities of an individual character such
as
1. Approximate life span
2. Likely disorders and illnesses
3. Effective treatments
4. Lifestyle changes to maintain health
5. Diet according to metabolic capabilities
6. Choosing a life partner
7. Mental evaluation
8. Spiritual quotient
The list is endless, but to summarize, Prakriti opens the door for
an individual to decode his life and influence his choices. From a
therapeutic point of view, Prakriti evaluation empowers an
Ayurveda physician to offer a personalized treatment and health
care solution to an individual.

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