Karma and Ayurveda*

Belief in the role of Karma explains a variety of Phenomena in India. For a traditional medical system such as Ayurveda, the conflict between simultaneously held beliefs in fatalism and the efficacy of medical interventions poses an interesting dilemma that the tradition has taken pains to consider. Caraka Samhita discusses the role of karma as a determinant of the qualities and personality of the individual, lifespan, etiology of illness, and otherwise personality of the individual, lifespan, etiology of illness, and otherwise incomprehensible epidemics. Such speculations produce practical solutions to the dilemma, and these solutions in turn enhance the medical doctrine.