Chyavanaprasha, is an ancient recipe that was prescribed for immunity, strength, vitality, & general good health. The recipe has been so popular that even today, it is commercially manufactured and consumed by a large Indian population. It is in these pandemic times that sometimes we learn to appreciate the richness of our past in terms of the extensive research & knowledge that we seem to have done in the field of medicine and health. There is a very interesting story behind the Chyavanaprasha and it is detailed even in the Charaka Samhita (an ancient treatise of Ayurveda).
Sage Chyavana was one of the sons of Bhrigu Maharshi and was himself very learned and enlightened. He lived in the forest and was known to frequently engage into meditations that would last long periods at a time. During one such occasion, King Saryati and his daughter, princess Sukanya entered the forest on a hunting expedition along with their large army. They happened to enter the ashram of the sage and when Sukanya peeped inside the hut, she could only see a large ant-hill. The sage had been sitting in one posture for quite a long time and as a result an ant-hill had grown all over him, leaving only 2 small holes, from which his eyes could be barely seen. Finding something glowing within the 2 holes of the ant-hill, and not realising that it was a person inside the ant-hill, Sukanya was filled with curiosity. She tried to poke one of the holes with a small stick, and lo-behold, she heard a scream! She had unknowingly poked and injured the sage’s eyes. She immediately realised her mistake but it was too late. The sage was furious on being disturbed in his meditation and the pain from his injured eyes was unbearable. The act of Sukanya had blinded the sage. At once, he gave out a curse to the King and his army. King Saryati, begged for forgiveness and offered his daughter Sukanya as a bride, saying that she will take care of the blind sage for the rest of his life. Sage Chyavana accepted the offer and freed the King and the army from his curse.
Now, Sukanya was a devoted wife and took care of the old and blind sage and stayed with him in the forest. Several years passed by. One day, the Ashwini kumaras visited the forest. The Ashwini twins are the sons of Lord Surya (the Sun God) and are known not only for their handsome looks, but also for their medical and healing prowess. There have been several stories of the Ashwini twins’ healing and surgical skills. When they saw Sukanya, they were enthralled by her beauty and proposed to marry her. Of course, they would make better husbands compared to the old and ugly sage. Sukanya however was quite devoted and a righteous wife and declined the proposal. The Ashwinis then suggested that they could help revive the youth and the vitality of the old sage and restore his sight. However, she will have to pass through a small test in the process. Sukanya accepted the offer.
They prepared a special paste of herbs and forest leaves and asked her to apply the paste to the Sage’s body. They then took him to a lake nearby for a quick bath. Meanwhile, they mixed up a paste of gooseberries (Amla), various other berries, honey, sugar, sesame oil and some herbs & spice. This they asked the sage to partake. When all of this was completed, they arrived in front of Sukanya. Sukanya was amazed!! The ugly looking blind Sage looked completely transformed into a handsome young man, glowing, in his health and beauty. However, the Ashwini kumaras had also played a small trick in the process and had gotten themselves looking exactly similar to the young Sage. Now, Sukanya was in a fix as she could not decipher at that moment, who among the three was her real husband. She had to choose her real husband wisely. However, being the devout wife that she was, it didn’t take her too long to correctly recognise her real husband.
The Ashwinis left, but they blessed them with a life full of good health. They gave in return the secret recipe that had helped revive the sage of his old age. This secret recipe that they had prepared is now known as “Chyavanaprasha” (that which was consumed by Chyavana). The Chyavanaprasha not only aids digestion, it is known to boost immunity, and revives youth, vigor and vitality. The paste that they applied to his body is “Kaya-kalp” and is also very popular.
The Chyavanaprasha is one among many examples of the vast resources that we possess in the field of Ayurveda and Medical Sciences. Charaka and Susrusha are well regarded as the founders of Medicine and Surgery, respectively in ancient India.
Interestingly, the Nakshatra Ashwini, in the sign of Aries, bestows youth and beauty to the individual and is associated generally with the medical profession. Any person associated with Ashwini can be skilled in the medical profession.