The Ramayana, one of India’s great epics, was composed by the sage Valmiki. The epic consists of about 24,000 couplet verses in Vedic and Classical Sanskrit, divided into 500 chapters. Its themes include the war between the god king Rama while in exile in the forests of India and the demon king Ravana, who abducts Rama’s consort Sita. The story conveys ideals of family life and is a rich repository of cultural, political, and even medical knowledge. Within its verses are scattered references to healing practices, medicinal herbs, and therapeutic principles of ayurveda, traditional Indian medical practice. More than a mythological narrative, the Ramayana offers an insight into the medicine of ancient India.
Lakshman is injured during the battle
Perhaps the most famous medical event in the Ramayana is the near-fatal wounding of Lakshmana, the brother of Rama during the battle in Lanka (present day Sri Lanka). Struck by Meghanada, the eldest son of Ravana, Lakshmana fell unconscious on the battlefield. Susain, the official physician of Lanka, was brought in to treat Lakshmana, demonstrating prevailing medical ethics of physicians treating patients irrespective of their relationship, whether friend or foe, to the kingdom. Susain prescribed a life-saving herb known as sanjeevani. This herb, said to grow in the Himalayas, had the miraculous power to restore life. Hanuman, the king of a forest-dwelling tribe with monkey-like features and a constant devotee and companion of Rama during the exile, volunteered to retrieve it. Unable to identify the exact plant, Hanuman brought back the entire mountain, where all kinds of herbs were growing, on the palm of his hand to Lanka.
This story highlights the central role of plants in Indian medicine. The Himalayas were considered the storehouse of healing flora, an idea consistent with ayurveda’s reliance on herbs like ashwagandha (Indian ginseng), brahmi, and amla (Indian gooseberry). The presence of a physician character, Susain, demonstrates that even in epic battles, medical expertise was valued and integrated into military life. The idea of resuscitation through a drug points to the ancient recognition of near-death states and the possibility of revival.
Science of visha (poison) and antidotes
The Ramayana also contains many references to poison and its treatment, reflecting ancient toxicology (visha chikitsa), an important branch of ayurveda. For example, wounds from poison-tipped arrows required specific antidotes or herbal applications. The emphasis on neutralizing poisons aligns with the ayurvedic discipline of agad tantra, which developed in response to the prevalence of snake bites, poisoned food, and chemical warfare in ancient India.
Susain’s role again is prominent here; he is shown not only as a healer but also as one knowledgeable in the detection of poisons and in detoxification methods, suggesting that specialized medical knowledge existed and was applied pragmatically in times of war.
The epic’s war scenes offer a window into trauma medicine. Soldiers and warriors repeatedly suffered arrow and spear wounds, burns, and fractures. The descriptions of arrows being extracted, wounds being cleaned, and herbs being applied to stop bleeding suggest rudimentary surgical practices. These reflect the surgical tradition that later came to be codified by Sushruta, the ancient surgeon who described procedures such as suturing, cauterization, and prosthetics in his Sushruta Samhita (compilation).
In the Ramayana, the battlefield functions as a vast medical arena where emergency care was practiced. The narrative shows a sophisticated awareness that effective warfare depended not only on valor but also on rapid treatment and recovery of the wounded.
The Ramayana also embeds ideas of diet and preventive health. Characters such as Rama and Lakshmana, while in exile, are described as sustaining themselves on forest fruits, roots, and pure water. This diet, though simple, reflects the ayurvedic principle of sattvic food—pure, natural, and life-sustaining, believed to promote health and mental clarity. Conversely, the rakshasas (demons) are portrayed as consuming tamasic diets, heavy in meat, including human flesh, that cause dullness in the mind and body. Thus, diet is considered an important element of both mental and physical health.
Beyond physical medicine, the Ramayana recognizes the power of spiritual health. The grief of Rama after Sita’s abduction shows the psychosomatic connection between emotional suffering and bodily depletion. Likewise, meditation, prayer, and the chanting of mantras are depicted as sources of spiritual strength and healing. This aligns with Ayurveda’s holistic model, where the mind (manas), body (sharira), and spirit (atman) are interconnected. Healing was never confined to the physical but extended into the mental and spiritual realms, anticipating modern psychosomatic medicine.
On a symbolic level, the Ramayana presents illness and healing as metaphors for moral and cosmic order. Disease represents imbalance, chaos, and adharma (unrighteousness), while medicine symbolizes restoration of harmony and dharma. Hanuman’s carrying of the mountain itself can be read as a metaphor for the vastness of medical knowledge, which must be preserved and delivered at moments of crisis. Similarly, the repeated stress on purity—of food, water, and conduct—mirrors the ayurvedic concern with preventive health through lifestyle discipline.
Clearly the Ramayana is a treasure trove not only of religious and literary importance but also of medical heritage. Through episodes like the healing of Lakshmana with the sanjeevani herb, descriptions of poison antidotes, trauma care on the battlefield, dietary prescriptions, and the role of the mind in healing, the epic preserves fragments of ancient Indian medical knowledge. These accounts remind us that in the cultural memory of India, medicine was never divorced from daily life, war, or spirituality. By embedding healing practices in its grand narrative, the Ramayana ensured that medical wisdom, like moral lessons, was transmitted through generations.