Medical Secularism vs. Religious Secularism: A New Era of Ayurveda in India

Abstract

This paper focuses on the discrepancy between the religious and secular nature in the
practice of ayurveda in post-colonial Indian society. Mythological narratives establish
a close link between ayurveda and Hinduism; classical ayurvedic texts describe ay-
urveda’s divine origin and vedic orientation. The paper argues that due to the changes
in the means of transferring knowledge to the students of this system, the practitioners
and patients in modern India have secularised ayurveda, emphasising its medical im-
portance. However, there are clear differences between the perception of apprenticed
kabirajes 1 and modern graduates of ayurvedic medicine concerning the religious con-
notation ascribed to it. In this connection, the meaning of ‘religious secularism’ is sepa-
rated from the meaning of ‘medical secularism’. While the former emphasises tolerance
of other religions, the latter places less emphasis on religion.