Lord of the three worlds, for us who are afflicted by cold, heat and rain, have taken to wrong food, do not know the proper order of diet and medicine and suffer from the fear of many diseases, what is the way to remove disease and to protect health? Please tell us.

Detailed answer

Bharata and others put the question in the assembly of Ṛṣabhanātha, explaining that in the present land of action many humans have lives that can be cut short and live in great fear from the aggravation of vāta, pitta and kapha (verses 4-6). After they fell silent, the divine voice went forth (verse 7) and first described the person, diseases, medicines and the distinctions of time, dividing the whole of Ayurveda into four subjects (verse 8). This teaching was received by the gaṇadharas and handed down through the sages (verses 9-10), and the book states the purpose of the science as protecting the health of the healthy and freeing the sick from disease (verse 24).