From Swasthya to Samagra Jeevan: Holistic Health Paradigms in Indian Knowledge System

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-615-4_26How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Samagra Jeevan; social harmony; self-regulation; harmony; spirituality

Abstract

The Indian Knowledge System (IKS) gives a profoundly holistic perspective of health that transcends the mainstream biological notion of disease management. Rooted in historical writings such as the Vedas, Upanishads, Ayurveda, Yoga, and associated philosophical traditions, the concept of Swasthya is not restricted to physical well-being but implies a condition of dynamic equilibrium among body (śarīra), mind (manas), intellect (buddhi), and consciousness (ātman). Unlike current medicine, which commonly equates health with the absence of sickness, IKS conceptualizes health as dynamic equilibrium—physical, psychological, social, ecological, ethical, and spiritual. The notion of Swasthya denotes being established in one’s actual self, expressing equilibrium among body, mind, and spirit.

The idea of Swasthya represents being rooted in one’s own self, which reflects harmony between the body, mind, and soul. Expanding on this basis, Samagra Jeevan stands for holistic living based on spiritual awareness, ethical behavior, a disciplined lifestyle, and harmony with environment. This paradigm, which has its roots in Ayurveda, yoga, Vedanta, and traditional Indian philosophy, places a strong emphasis on self-realization, sustainability, balance, and prevention. With the aid of integrative and diagrammatic representations, this research investigates the conceptual underpinnings, theoretical frameworks, classical models, and current relevance of holistic health in IKS. The conceptual shift from Swasthya to Samagra Jeevan—a comprehensive, value-centered way of living that incorporates social harmony, health, ethics, spirituality, and ecological balance—is examined in this essay. The study emphasizes how health is viewed as a lifetime endeavor in line with dharma, purposeful living, and inner consciousness rather than as an episodic medical consequence through a qualitative investigation of fundamental IKS sources. The importance of these paradigms in tackling modern global health issues like stress, lifestyle problems, and mental health crises is also examined in this study.

The Indian holistic health paradigm provides inclusive and sustainable models of well-being by emphasizing self-regulation, preventive treatment, and harmony with nature. According to the study, interdisciplinary approaches to public health, wellness education, and policy-making can be enhanced by incorporating IKS-based health frameworks into contemporary discourse. In the end, the transition from Swasthya to Samagra Jeevan emphasizes the necessity of rethinking health as an all-encompassing way of life rather than only the absence of disease.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Neetu Sharma
AU  - Krati Sharma
AU  - Garima Kachhara
AU  - Sonal Sharma
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/15
TI  - From Swasthya to Samagra Jeevan: Holistic Health Paradigms in Indian Knowledge System
BT  - Proceedings of the Anubhuti 4.0: Discourses in Indian Knowledge Systems – Pathways of Culture, Inclusion, and Sustainability (ICIKS 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 372
EP  - 382
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-615-4_26
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-615-4_26
ID  - Sharma2026
ER  -