Apasmara
Sign in to savethumb|Apasmara, clutching a cobra and trampled beneath the foot of Nataraja (Shiva as lord of dance).Apasmara (, ) is a diminutive man who represents spiritual ignorance and ahamkara in Hindu mythology. He is also known as Muyalaka or Muyalakan.
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Etymology and definition
- Theological and symbolic significance
- Disease concept in Ayurveda
- See also
- References
- Sources
thumb|Apasmara, clutching a cobra and trampled beneath the foot of Nataraja (Shiva as lord of dance).Apasmara (, ) is a diminutive man who represents spiritual ignorance and ahamkara in Hindu mythology. He is also known as Muyalaka or Muyalakan.
==Etymology and definition== The suffix smāra (from smaranam) means memory. The compound apasmāra means loss of memory, which corresponds to conditions such as dementia or amnesia. It can also imply gibberish (unintelligible speech) or ego (Ahamkara). Apasmara in Ayurveda referred to neurological disorders characterized by memory loss rather than speech issues. Due to the lack of modern diagnostic tools such as brain scanning at the time, the exact conditions described remain uncertain.