Nadi - Vigyan
Ayurveda is an ancient
system of medicine, which originated in the Vedic times in India, which is a
highly specialized system and branch of ancient knowledge and wisdom. Within
this knowledge system, Nadi-Vigyan, which when translated into English is
roughly equivalent to ‘Science of pulse-diagnosis’, though, is a much more
intricate, detailed and applied, yet simplistic diagnostic system, within
Ayurvedic system of wellness. Nadi-Pariksha or Pulse-diagnosis, is based
primarily on the principles of Ayurveda.
Based on the deep
insights, being much more than a knowledge system, it is a precious skill. On
one hand it is rooted in scientific and philosophical thought propounded by the
great Rishis, on the other, it is a skill based on subjective experience and
intuition, perfected through knowledge and practice. This apparently simplistic
skill reveals the true characteristics of an individual, that is their
‘prakriti’ (Nature) or ‘vikruti’ (Ailments), based on ‘doshic’ disorders,
associated with the ‘tridoshas’ namely ‘Vata’, ‘Pitta’ and ‘Kapha’ and helps us
verify their actual state accurately and objectively.
By using simple methods
of feeling the pulse, we can bypass the need for many costly modern techniques
and tests of diagnosis. This simple diagnostic process opens up the gates of
vast amount of learning about the health of an individual as well as the
secrets to healthy life, through a combination of sensory and perceptual
feeling of the state of the “Nadi”.
The pulsation of the blood through the body, carries nutrients to the different
parts of the body at a cellular level, there is a continuous flow of
corresponding communication between cells, which manifests itself as
intelligence or knowledge in many subtle and usually hidden ways in the body.
This manifestation is best captured through the Nadi-Pariksha. Thus, Nadi (or
roughly the pulse as seen through Ayurveda) can reveal the cellular
intelligence through the diagnosis of the individual’s ‘doshic’ and hence bodily
constitution. 