The goal of ayurveda is the comprehensive lived experience of wellbeing: the state of svastha.
samadoṣa-samāgniśca-samadhātu-mala-kriyaḥ |
prasanna-ātma-indriya-manāḥ svastha iti abhidhīyate ||
A person who has balance in the doṣa-s, tissues, metabolism, elimination, and other functions, with clear and pleasant self, mind, and senses, is said to be svastha.
(Sushruta Samhita, Sutra Sthana 15.41)
The above is a famous quotation that we learn early in ayurvedic studies. This verse refers to the goal of the ayurvedic process: to take the person to a state of comprehensive, lived, felt, experiential wellbeing. Curing disease is just a part of this journey.
Wellbeing is not defined only by absence: it is not just being “not unwell.”
When the body feels comfortable, stable, light, and energetic…
When the senses—seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching—function with clarity and responsiveness…
When the mind is sharp, calm, and pleasant…
When we have all of the above… then we are in “wellbeing.” Ayurveda terms this state of wellbeing as “svastha” in Sanskrit.
The word svastha has a wonderful crossover with yoga as well. Sva means “self.” Stha means “to stay, to remain as.” Literally, svastha is to “remain as yourself.” This is the goal of yoga: to remain as consciousness, our true self, beyond the flux of the mind.
To get to this ultimate svastha goal of yoga, we must first go through the earlier stages of svastha in ayurveda. That is, we must manage our body, senses, and mind so that they are in a state of balance and holistic, lived wellbeing. Then it becomes easier to quiet the mind and find our true nature deeper within.
The wisdom of ayurveda and yoga meets in this holistic approach to wellbeing and quietness of mind, in their shared wisdom on the state of svastha.