Ayurveda
Classical Indian medicine, which also classifies dreams by their origin.
Ayurveda, the knowledge of life, is classical Indian medicine. It is based on three doshas, vata, pitta and kapha, which must be in balance for health.
The Charaka Samhita, one of its foundational texts, classifies dreams by their origin: dreams of what you saw, heard or experienced, what you wish for or imagine, dreams from a disturbance of the doshas, and a small group of prophetic dreams. Dreams of fire, for example, are linked with too much pitta. So Ayurveda teaches that many dreams come from body and mind.
Related terms
- Pitri The departed ancestors in Hinduism, remembered through rituals.
- Agni The Vedic god of fire, messenger between humans and gods.
- Naga Serpent beings in Hinduism, guardians of water and treasure.
- Atman The true, immortal self in Hinduism.
- Pandit A Hindu priest or scholar who leads rituals and gives advice.
- Karma The law of cause and effect: actions have consequences, in this life and the next.
- Samsara The cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
- Shraddha The Hindu ritual in remembrance of the departed ancestors.
- Kundalini In the yoga tradition the coiled life energy at the base of the spine.