A six-day residential training program, ‘Charakayatan’, was organised under the aegis of Patanjali Ayurveda College by the National Ayurveda Vidyapeeth, an autonomous body under the Ministry of AYUSH. The program was designed for Ayurveda teachers as well as postgraduate and undergraduate scholars of Ayurveda.
Speaking as the chief guest at the concluding session, Patanjali University Vice-Chancellor Acharya Balkrishna stated that the primary objective of ‘Charakayatan’ was to provide authentic clinical knowledge of the Charaka Samhita, emphasise its relevance in practice, and develop the skills required to learn and teach it.
Addressing the students, he remarked that it was a privilege to be associated with Ayurveda. “Ayurveda is not merely a means of earning a livelihood but a way to repay the debt of sages,” he said.
Acharya Balkrishna emphasised that Ayurveda should be reflected in one’s behavior, conduct, nature, and life. He urged students not to hesitate in calling themselves Vaidyas (Ayurvedic physicians) but to take pride in it.
Highlighting the vast scope of Ayurvedic practice, he pointed out that allopathy relies on synthetic drugs and chemicals and requires many external resources, whereas Ayurveda is self-sufficient. “With herbs, bark, stems, and leaves, you can prepare decoctions and bring life to patients. But first, you must have faith in yourself and Ayurveda,” he asserted.
Renowned Ayurvedic physician Vaidya (Prof) S K Khandel praised Patanjali for being the leading institution in the world in the field of Ayurveda and Yoga. He lauded Patanjali’s efforts in presenting Ayurveda and Yoga on national and international platforms with facts and evidence. He acknowledged that Acharya Balkrishna’s scholarly contributions through Ayurvedic texts have solidified Ayurveda’s legacy and given it a new identity globally.
He also highlighted Acharya Balkrishna’s remarkable achievement in integrating various medical disciplines, a task previously considered impossible.
Throughout the programme, participants had the opportunity to learn from esteemed Ayurvedic scholars.
Notable figures in attendance included Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan awardee Vaidya Devendra Triguna, Governing Council Member of the National Ayurveda Vidyapeeth Vaidya Rakesh Sharma, Vaidya Mohan Lal Jaiswal, Santosh Bhattad, Vice President of Patanjali Research Institute Dr Anurag Varshney, Director of the National Ayurveda Vidyapeeth Dr. Vandana Siroha, Vaidya (Prof) Hitesh Vyas from the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar, Vaidya (Prof) Upendra Dixit from Dixit Ayurveda Fonda, Goa, Vaidya (Prof.) Sanjay Kadlimatti from AVS Ayurveda College, Bijapur, Karnataka, Young Professionals of the National Ayurveda Vidyapeeth Dr. Khushboo Pandey and Dr Anurag Singh, and Project Advisor Dr Lavneet Sharma. These experts enriched the knowledge of the participating scholars and students.