Ayurveda is defined as the Science of life where in are described as the good and the bad life, the happy and unhappy life; what is the wholesome and what is wholesome in relation to life; the measure of life; and also the life itself.

This Veda contains abundance of information on how to keep oneself healthy and to combat diseases.

Ayurveda originated as part of "Vedic Science". This is an integral spiritual science devised to give a comprehensive understanding of the entire universe, which it sees as working according to a single law. Vedic Science includes Yoga, Meditation, Astrology, etc. and sets forth Ayurveda as its branch for dealing with the physical body, in this broad and profound background of Vedic Science.

Ayurveda is the healing gift to us from the ancient enlightened Vedic culture. According to astronomical records in ancient Vedic texts, the Vedic system, including Ayurveda, was in practice even before 4000 BC. Hence, we know that Ayurveda was very mature and predominant in India thousands of years ago.

The fundamental philosophy of Ayurveda says that suffering is disease and contentment is good health. No human being can be called healthy if he does not posses a sound sharira, (body), a sound mana (mind) and a sound ama (soul). Ayurveda describes the whole way of life; it narrates how one should keep healthy by advising on smallest things of personal hygiene and social conduct. The sages of Ayurveda emphasized on the importance of preventive medicine and this was achieved by developing the individual’s own immune system to fight against all possible infections.

Ayurveda is part of the Vedas, the oldest record of supreme knowledge and experience of mankind, the essence of which is man’s harmony with nature and the individual’s oneness with the universe. Ayurveda is to be viewed in such a wider perspective.

Ayurveda is an age-old system of medicine and the origins of this science are evident in Vedic literature, especially in Atharvaveda.

Ayurveda is believed to have descended from Brahma. Brahma describes Ayurveda in Brahma Samhita for health of People on earth to maintain the ratio of Life & Death. Prajapati learnt Ayurveda from brahma, Ashwini Kumar learnt from Prajapati, indra from Ashwinkumar.
Bhardwaj gained a long, happy and healthy life with the help of Ayurveda & he also spread this knowledge to other sages (rishi). After that punarvasu Atreya taught Ayurveda to his six shishyas (students) named Agnivesha, bhed, jatukarna, parashra, Harita and ksharapani in these six shishyas first of all the most brilliant agnivesh created one samhita.
In each chapter of charak samhita, it is written at the end that charak modified the Agnivesh tantra & so it way named as charak samhita.
Indra also taught the science to dhanwantri the kind of Kashi & when he was spending his retired life many sages had come to him for a talk on Shastra, Aupadhenav, Vaitarar, Aurabhra, Paushkalavat, Karavirya, and Gaupururakshit & Sushrut etc were the main amongst them. Dhanwantri happily taught them advice of dhanwantri Ayurveda is a part of Atharveda.

Ayurveda is believed to have descended from Brahma to the physicians on earth.

Objectives

Objective of Ayurveda is two – fold

"Swasthsya Swaasthyarakshanam" i.e. to maintain the positive health of a healthy person and "Aaturasya Vikarprashanam" i.e. to cure the disease of the patient.

Ayurveda Hitopadesha, Upaveda of Atharvaveda, written by Brahma is named as Brahma Samhita. It was in form of rhymes and contained one million slokas (rhymes) in one thousand chapters. Due to the decline in the intellectual level and life span of human being, in the later period the Ayurveda was re-written in eight parts popularly known as Asthanga Ayurveda.