아유르베다(Āyurveda)는 고대로부터 이어져 내려온 인도의 전통의학이며, 그 주요 목적은 질병을 치료하고 건강을 유지하는 것이다. 아유르베다는 단순히 육체적인 무병장수뿐만 아니라 궁극적으로 육체와 영혼의 완전한 건강(mokṣa)을 추구한다는 점에서, 근현대를 통하여 형성되어온 건강관의 결론을 포함하고 있다. 아유르베다 인체론은 뉴턴물리학에 토대를 둔 기계론적 인간관과 다르다. 그것은 인체를 단지 시간과 공간에 단순 정위된 물질로 파악하는 것이 아니라, 오히려 연속적인 "흐름" 또는 "과정"(process)으로 파악한다. 이와 같은 인체 이해는 세계의 구성요소로서 물질적 입자를 끊임없이 변화하는 파동으로 구성된 과정으로 이해하는 양자역학의 입장과 서로 통한다. 아유르베다에 따르면, 인체의 각 구성요소가 끊임없는 과정으로 동적인 항상성을 유지하게 하는 것은 아그니(agni, 소화의 불)이다. 이런 점에서 아그니는 아유르베다 의학체계의 핵심개념이라 해도 과언이 아니다. 아그니는 건강(svāthya)의 핵심이다. 아그니는 모든 생명체의 뿌리(mūla)이며 가장 중요한 지탱 요소이다. 아유르베다 의학의 핵심 분야인 내과의학(kāya-cikitsā)이 아그니의 유지와 동일시된다는 것은 아유르베다에서 아그니의 중요성을 단적으로 보여준다.
본 논문의 목적은 아유르베다에서 아그니의 의미를 규명하는 것이다. 요가, 미용, 한의학, 심리치료 등과 관련하여 이미 국내에서도 아유르베다의 여러 요법들과 기전이 다양하게 활용되고 있다. 그럼에도 아직 아유르베다의 아그니 개념에 대한 상세하고 체계적인 고찰이 없다. 본 연구에서는 우선 아유르베다 의학체계에서 아그니개념이 형성되는 과정을 역사적인 관점에서 살펴본 후에, 아유르베다에서 아그니의 의미를 규명하고자 한다. 제2장에서는 베다(Veda)문헌과 육파철학(六派哲學, saḍdarśana)에서 아그니 개념이 형성되는 과정을 살펴본다. 여기서는 주로 『리그베다』(Ṛg-veda)의 아그니신이 지니는 상징적, 물리적 의미, 상키야(Sāṃkhya)와 바이세쉬까(Vaiṣeśika)에서 아그니개념의 형성과정과 그 의미를 고찰한다. 제3장에서는 아유르베다의 주요 경전인 『짜라까상히따』(Caraka-saṃhitā), 『수슈루따상히따』(Suśuruta-saṃhitā), 『아슈땅가흐리다얌』(Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdayam)에 나타난 아그니 개념을 다룬다. 제4장에서는 아유르베다에서 아그니와 관련된 주요 개념들을 고찰함으로써 아유르베다 의학체계에서 아그니개념이 지니는 다양한 차원의 의미를 규명한다. 여기서는 특히 삣따(pitta), 아마(ama), 붓디(buddhi), 소마(soma) 등과 아그니의 관계를 중점적으로 살펴본다.
Āyurveda is a traditional medical science originating from the ancient times in India and is aimed to treat diseases and keep healthy. Āyurveda seeks not only physical health and longevity, but also complete health of body and soul (mokṣa). In this sense, Āyurveda embraces health-views accumulated from the modern and contemporary times. Āyurvedic understanding of human body is different from mechanistic views of human body based on Newtonian physics. It does not define human body as a material just oriented by time and space, rather as a continuing flow and process. This kind of understanding on human body adopts the same stance as quantum physics to understand material particles as a process made up of constantly changing waves as elements of the world. According to Āyurveda, it is agni that leads each element of human body to preserve dynamic constancy as a changing process. In this regard, it is within bounds to say that agni is a core concept of medical science system of Āyurveda. Agni is an essence of health (svāthya). Agni is a root(mūla) and the most significant supporting factor of all living things. The internal medicine (kāya-cikitsā), a core element of Āyurveda is identical to preserving agni, which directly shows the importance of agni in Āyurveda. The purpose of this paper is to define the meaning of agni in Āyurveda. Many kinds of therapy and mechanism of Āyurveda are already being employed in various ways in domestic markets related to yoga, beauty, oriental medicine, psychical cure, etc. Despite this fact, the concept of agni in Āyurveda has not been studied in a detailed and systematic fashion. In this study, first of all, the process of agni's being developed in the medical system of Āyurveda is reviewed from the historic viewpoint and then the meaning of agni in Āyurveda is defined. In the second chapter, the process of agni's being developed is examined in Veda and saḍdarśana. Here, the paper looks at the symbolic and physical meaning of the Agni in Ṛg-veda and the process of agni's being developed and its meaning in Sāṃkhya and Vaiṣeśika. In the third chapter, the paper deals with the concept of agni in Caraka-saṃhitā, Suśuruta-saṃhitā and Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdayam, the major scriptures of Āyurveda. In the fourth chapter, the study defines various meanings of agni concept in the medical system of Āyurveda by examining major concepts, such as pitta, ama, buddhi, soma, etc., related to agni in Āyurveda.
Āyurveda is a traditional medical science originating from the ancient times in India and is aimed to treat diseases and keep healthy. Āyurveda seeks not only physical health and longevity, but also complete health of body and soul (mokṣa). In this sense, Āyurveda embraces health-views accumulated from the modern and contemporary times. Āyurvedic understanding of human body is different from mechanistic views of human body based on Newtonian physics. It does not define human body as a material just oriented by time and space, rather as a continuing flow and process. This kind of understanding on human body adopts the same stance as quantum physics to understand material particles as a process made up of constantly changing waves as elements of the world. According to Āyurveda, it is agni that leads each element of human body to preserve dynamic constancy as a changing process. In this regard, it is within bounds to say that agni is a core concept of medical science system of Āyurveda. Agni is an essence of health (svāthya). Agni is a root(mūla) and the most significant supporting factor of all living things. The internal medicine (kāya-cikitsā), a core element of Āyurveda is identical to preserving agni, which directly shows the importance of agni in Āyurveda. The purpose of this paper is to define the meaning of agni in Āyurveda. Many kinds of therapy and mechanism of Āyurveda are already being employed in various ways in domestic markets related to yoga, beauty, oriental medicine, psychical cure, etc. Despite this fact, the concept of agni in Āyurveda has not been studied in a detailed and systematic fashion. In this study, first of all, the process of agni's being developed in the medical system of Āyurveda is reviewed from the historic viewpoint and then the meaning of agni in Āyurveda is defined. In the second chapter, the process of agni's being developed is examined in Veda and saḍdarśana. Here, the paper looks at the symbolic and physical meaning of the Agni in Ṛg-veda and the process of agni's being developed and its meaning in Sāṃkhya and Vaiṣeśika. In the third chapter, the paper deals with the concept of agni in Caraka-saṃhitā, Suśuruta-saṃhitā and Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdayam, the major scriptures of Āyurveda. In the fourth chapter, the study defines various meanings of agni concept in the medical system of Āyurveda by examining major concepts, such as pitta, ama, buddhi, soma, etc., related to agni in Āyurveda.
