Enhancing Immunity and Vitality

Immunity and Vitality together are referred as ojas in the ancient text of Ayurbeda and ojas is regarded of paramount importance as crucial expression of life-energy. The importance of immunity and vitality in vigorous health is well recognized in the recent times by the modern medical science as well. This is why the reductionism's approach of Allopathy, which in its nascent stage focused mainly on killing the germs of diseases and later on widened its scope to diagnosis and cure of the malfunctioning organs or components of the body, is now going for deeper analysis at the cellular and biochemical levels.

Vitality is a collective indicator of stamina or vigor and verve of the body and strength, alertness and zeal of the mind. Adequate breathing in of fresh air, consumption of pure drinking water, and balanced intakes of nourishing food intakes, substantial physical exercise and rest are considered most important factors in maintaining the physical stamina. However, for vitality, the calmness of mind and emotional balance and hence righteous attitude and holistic self-management are also important.

Thus directly or indirectly one's intrinsic tendencies and surrounding environment (both atmospheric and social) influence one's vitality. Spiritual attitude and holistic approach to health ad prescribed in Ayurveda appear to be best solutions to augment and maintain vitality. Doing Yagya every day is a practical remedy in this regard. But this preventive measure alone would not work unless one checks out the causes of loss of vitality. The most severe and frequent cause of drainage of vital energy is uncontrolled sexual excitement and erotic thinking. Those desirous of vibrant and vigorous health and mental stability must observe chastity of thoughts and conduct. It is also important for protection of vitality that the resistance against the hazardous effects of air-water pollutions and adulterated or chemically treated or preserved vegetables, fruits, food grains and cooked food is increased. This requires healthy functioning of the immune system. In case of lack of stamina or resistance against infections it is the immune system, which protects its further loss and helps in regaining it.

Advancement of the modern research has made it clear that it is the individual's immune system which plays a key role in body's defense mechanism and the response to drug regimen. The reason why some people are so susceptible to the change of weather, viral infections, etc is because of their weak or deficient immune system. The success of well established techniques of anesthesia, surgery, artificial organ transplant, etc also depends upon how the patient's immune system responds to these. The futuristic therapies based on genetic engineering would not become a reality unless the compatibility with natural immune system is thoroughly tested. The immune system defends the body against all harmful invaders - including viruses, other microorganisms, proteins, and other chemicals. Its 'soldiers' in the form of B-lymphocytes and T-cells are spread all along the body and produce specific antibodies to counter the antigens (foreign molecules).

Nature's intelligence is imbibed in this system so wonderfully that it not only recognizes the difference between the 'self' (i.e. natural elements of one's body) and the 'non-self' but also has memory of the antigens it has been ever attacked in the past. It is more efficient in destroying the invaders if the latter enters the body for the second or more time. It is this learning and decision-making capacity of the immune system which gives rise to 'acquired immunity'. It is because of this capacity that vaccination prevents the occurrence of diseases. Lack of this capacity or deficiency is what we know as the most dreaded, killer disease AIDS (acquire immune deficiency syndrome). It is nothing but what the Ayurvedic scriptures refer as "uparjita oja-ksaya sanlaksana". This loss of ojas means lack of vigor and inability of the defense mechanism of the body to resist the attack of toxic, infectious, harmful molecules, pathogens or bacteria and viruses of any kind.

While in the womb, vital elements in mother's blood nurture the fetus. However, learning of its immune system and hence the acquisition of immunity begins from the moments the infant is born and exposed to the outer atmosphere. In normal state it continues to grow in the youth. Its efficiency reduces in old age but can be maintained at substantial levels if, from the young age one takes balanced healthy food and follows disciplined routine with yoga exercises of asans and pranayams which enhance ojas. However, in case of reduced vitality and deficiency of immunity that is a common scenario these days; therapeutic yagya offers excellent remedy and healing support.

According to modern medical science ojaksaya (low immunity disorder) is not disease, instead, it is a syndrome, a group of several diseases that lessen the vitality and resistance; it is also caused by the infection of a retrovirus. The antigens of this virus first attack the white blood corpuscles (W.B.C.), which are like frontline warriors of immune system. Consequently, varieties of other bacteria, viruses, fungi, other parasites, etc get chance to enter the body without any opposition and give rise to hoards of diseases. The most frequent disease thus occurring are diarrhea, high fever, pneumonia, tuberculosis, C-sarcoma (tumor of blood vessels) etc. The immediate symptoms of low immunity disorder are loss of weight, excessive fatigues, and drowsiness, loss of appetite, skin infection, chronic cough, ulcers or boils in the mouth, acute headache, swelling of lymph nodes, unusual viral fever, etc.

Experience of Gurudev

Spirituality (adhyatma), in simple terms, is a method of living an enlightened, fulfilling life. It is the science of evolution of consciousness, expansion of the narrow individual self into the omnipresent Supreme Self. Your sraddha, integrated with the focus of devotion, renders greatest support in following the ascetic disciplines of sadhana. Patience and sincerity are other prerequisites along this testing path. A spiritual seeker is altruistic in his attitude. He is happy and strong from within, because he knows that happiness or strength does not lie outside. I have tried to inculcate spirituality in my life. The supra-mental faculties and the spiritual attainments or siddhis, if any, you find in me are blessings of Mother Gayatri. From my side I have tried to perform the sadhana of twenty-four Mahapurascharanas of Gayatri Mantra for twenty-four years while eating only barley and buttermilk of cow and observing other ascetic disciplines as taught by my great guru in the Himalayas. All these years I did not know what the taste of wheat, fruits, sugar or salt is. I have tried to sincerely follow the guidance of my revered master. I have tried to live the life of a true Brahmin and a Saint. Who is a Brahmin? The one who lives for knowledge; the one who takes the least from others and gives the most to others. And who is a Saint? A saint's heart is full of love and compassion. It pulsates and pines to eliminate the pains of others.

True Saint and Brahmin are bigger than God. How? God listens to their prayers and comes to attend to their calls. You must have read in the Hoy Scriptures that Devarshi Narad has special privileges. You must have also read that Maharshi Shringi had performed Putreshthi Yagya in King Dasharath's palace. Lord Ram along with His vibutis Lakshman, Bhatat and Shatrughna - could not ignore his call and had to take birth as King Dasharath's sons, as per the objective of the yagya. Once a Brahmin had cursed King Pareekshita for the latter's misdeeds. In spite of best efforts by his mighty army to capture and destroy all snakes from their land, taking all precautions to protect the king, on the seventh day of the curse Pareekshita died of snakebite. Please remember, one does not become a Brahmin by birth. Sainthood does not reflect in one's satire or philosophical knowledge. The qualities of a Brahmin and Saint should lie in one's heart, character and conduct. You would deserve great boons of Mother Gayatri if you awaken the qualities of a Brahmin and a Saint hidden within your soul.

The upasana (japa and meditation) of Gayatri Mantra is like sowing the seed. Ascetic disciplines for self-refinement are like ploughing the land before sowing. But as you know, sowing the seed in a properly ploughed field is not enough. The farmer or the gardener also has to arrange for watering it and nurturing it with good soil. The sprout would also need adequate air and sunlight to gradually grow into a sapling and eventually into a blossoming tree. Similarly, your efforts of becoming a Saint and a Brahmin by transforming your attitudes, convictions, desires and goals would also be necessary for the fructification of your Gayatri Sadhana. A wonderful feature of Gayatri Mantra is that its japa with deep faith itself initiates your inner refinement and transformation and thus lends immense support in your efforts of becoming a Brahmin or a Saint.

A true Saint or Brahmin is never short of people's cooperation. He distributes and gets multifold love and respect in return. Look at Mahatma Gandhi's life. Whole nation was behind him. What was his force of attraction? The achievements of our mission (Gayatri Pariwar) are also visible before you. From where did all this come? I never had to ask for anything. Divine grace showers itself upon me from all directions in the form of people's love and voluntary cooperation. Who made such a grand organization of millions of devotees that continues to expand beyond the wildest expectations?

Formula for Good Health

Appropriate physical Activity

If a machine is kept idle for a long time, its parts get rusted and the dirt is deposited on it, and if it is run excessively, its parts wear our fast and become useless. The same rule applies to the human body. Lying idle in laziness, shrinking physical work in the grab of dignity drains out the life force of the body. In order to retain the power and flexibility of muscles, it is essential to give appropriate physical work to all parts of the body. Thus in order to maintain health it is absolutely necessary to undertake daily some physical activity/exercise that involves nearly all body parts. However, this physical labor should not be so much that it exhausts all the vital energy. If a person works more than one's capacity, it increases heat within his body which, in turn, destroys vital elements. Such people do not live longer. If a person spends more than his income, he is bound to become bankrupt. Therefore, one should surely work enthusiastically, do physical labor and give work to all the body parts, but should work within the limits of his capacity. This is appropriate physical activity and only this is beneficial.

Many people earn money by mental endeavor. Such people think why they should take the trouble of doing manual work when it can be done by the servant. This is their mistake. Servant's stomach cannot digest the food consumed by the master. If a person feels thirsty, hungry or getting relieved (of excrement or urine), he cannot get such tasks done by the servant. Even eminent persons, who are extremely busy, take up some or the other physical activity to keep themselves fit. Tasks like gardening, carpentry, laundry work, cleaning of home, etc, should form part of the daily routine. Games like tennis, football, volleyball, cricket, etc can be chosen. To enrich our respiratory system with fresh air, it is essential to go for a morning walk of at least 3-4 miles. Practice of yoga (Aasan/pranayam) daily is also good. Every part of the body should get appropriate physical work, without which fat starts accumulating and the body is attacked by diseases like constipation, piles, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. Physical activity is a must for every human being whether he is rich or poor, educated or uneducated eminent or a lay person.

Proper Management of Daily Routine

Apart from proper food and physical activity, in order to maintain good health, discipline and orderliness must form part of the daily routine. There should be timeslot for each and every task, e.g. getting up, taking bath, exercise, sleeping, eating, office/social work, entertainment, etc. Married people should observe self-restraint as far as sex is concerned. Frequency of sex must not exceed once in a month or so. A wrong notion has been spread amongst the younger male generation that more sex is required to keep wife satisfied. The truth is that most women do not desire sex like sensual men. They need a spouse who is hard working honest, jovial, loving, faithful and upright in character. There are many couples where husbands are invalid, but their married life is full of pleasure and peace. Excessive sex lowers the attraction between husband and wife. It also gives rise to venereal disease. Therefore, in this matter the couples must make healthy norms and follow it rigidly. Unrestrained sex drains the energy of both the partners and eventually leads to ill health.

All the day's tasks should be properly scheduled. Regular and disciplined life saves a person from the clutches of disease. Simplicity and neutrality should always be kept in mind. Plenty of clothes are not required to cover the body; in the Nepalese context dhoti kurta and chappal are enough. Of course in order to protect oneself from excessive cold or heat some arrangement can be done. But loading oneself with heavy clothes prevents the sun rays and fresh air from reaching the skin. Its ill-effect is akin to keeping the plants away from sunlight and air. One should not always try to protect oneself from the effect of seasons. The summer, winter and rainy seasons energize the body and make it strong. They also improve the immune system of the body. People who use coolers or air conditioners during summer and heaters during winter and who never allow even a drop of rain to fall on the body, normally are seen to get affected easily by the change of weather. Their bodies become weak and they easily fall prey to viral infections and disease. Therefore, while protecting oneself from the severity of seasons, normally one should bear the effects of seasons.

Fulfilling Married Life

Among all the streams of yoga, grahastha Yoga (yoga of married life) is also one. If one gives a serious thought to it, one would realize that raising a family is indeed a very important, and yet relatively simple yoga. Accomplishing this yoga renders enormous joy and illumines the path of worldly fulfillment and spiritual progress. Here we cite some tips for adept practice of this unique yoga.

Fundamental Tenets of Grahastha Yoga

A child learns several primary activities at home. More than half of the skills that are needed in life are also learnt at home. Our sadhana of inner-refinement must also begin at home. The best laboratory to train life to attain greatness, self control and selflessness and to become cultured and service oriented is home itself. It becomes very convenient to do all this at home because in family life there is natural love, sense of duty, mutual dependence and cooperation. Home is a stable place and is secure from the prying eyes of strangers.

A disciple of Grahastha yoga must always contemplate in the following way:

·         My family is my hermitage - the most holy place for my sadhana.

·         The rituals prescribed to me are - devote my energies and best efforts always to develop my home like a beautiful, fragrant, fertile garden.

·         My devotion to God is to fulfill the responsibility entrusted to me by God for watering, and maintaining this garden and help it flourish.

·         I do not consider any member of my family small and unworthy of deserving of my service, and I do not take undue pride in being the owner, master, leader or the breadwinner of my family.

·         My benevolence and selflessness is in devoting my service to the upbringing and personality development of each member of my family.

·         My self-surrender is to serve others with absolutely pure feeling of dutifulness, without expecting anything in return.

·         My penance is to provide happiness and comforts to my family members even at the expense of my personal happiness and comfort.

·         My yagya is to enhance peace and happiness in this world by making each and every member of my family a refined, truthful, honest and responsible individual.

·         My religious vow is to make my conduct and behavior so pure and idealistic that it would silently inspire everyone to follow me and become virtuous.

·         My self-restraint is to raise my family within the rightfully earned means of income.

·         My aradhana (service to society) is to be always filled with love, benevolence and compassion, and to enhance happiness, joy and unity in the family and my neighborhood.

·         My worship is to have complete devotion towards living idols of God in the temple of my home and to adorn them with ornaments of virtues, noble nature and good conduct.

·         My sadhana is true, my feelings towards my sadhana are genuine and sincere, and my soul knows that I am truthful.

·         Like a true unattached karmayogi I draw my happiness and satisfaction from the sincere efforts I put into my sadhana without worrying about their success or failure.

·         I have taken an oath to be truthful and righteous, and I would forever try to uphold it with all sincerity.

Gayatri Mantra is the Divine Culture

Every human being can refine his character, thoughts, talents and actions and transform himself into a great personality, become a world leader like George Washington, an intrepid warrior like Napoleon, a sage like Vivekananda and reach still higher realms of self-evolution. God has bestowed divine potentials in everybody, one only needs to realize, recognize and raise these by spiritual enlightenment. Gayatri sadhana can make it possible in this very life. I have researched and experimented myself on the philosophy and science of this mantra and found that all that is stated in the scriptures about its supreme spiritual force and cosmic radiance and divine power of evolution of consciousness is absolutely true. This is why I can tell you so confidently about it. I want you all, the whole world, to benefit by the divine grace of Gayatri. It will accelerate both your worldly progress as well as spiritual ascent. It is important for us. We need neither renounce the worldly life nor should we neglect our spiritual growth and wellbeing. The support of Gayatri Mantra guides our intellect and orients our capabilities for righteous progress on both the fronts.

I have been explaining and guiding you in different kinds of upasana-sadhana of Gayatri Mantra. Regular sessions for practice in this spiritually vibrant ambience of Shantikunj are also run here throughout the year. Everybody is welcome here. Now, let me tell you something about the siddhis (supramental achievements) bestowed by Gayatri. When and what does the Mother Gayatri bestow upon us?

Well, a mother loves every child but she gives only small toys and toffees and things like that to the tiny kids. She does not give precious gift or valuables to them unless they mature and she is convinced that they can take proper care of those things. What if a five-year old Ramesh asks his mother to give him the key of the lockers! Will she give it to him? No, instead, she would hide it carefully so that the kid won't see it. Yes, but once Ramesh is grown up and starts sharing the responsibilities of the household and is wise and capable enough to transact his duties, the mother would one day herself hand over the keys to him and his wife. When Ramesh was a child he would cry for sweet and expensive toys, and break them in no time. As a teenager he was wayward and would like to imitate whatever good or bad his friends were doing. Show-off, mischief making, quarreling were his interests then, but now things are different. He has matured not only in age but also in wisdom. Earlier he would compel his parents to purchase milk-care of 20 Rupees and eat half and throw away the remaining. But now he himself earns. He knows the value of hard earned money. He would even drink tea without milk if there is some scarcity at him, as he understands that the little children and the elderly need it more. He earns respect in the society because of his good nature and dutiful conduct. What if he were a drunkard, a hoodlum, or a lethargic chap who would do nothing except watching cinema and day dreaming? Then? Even his near and dear ones would not have believed him. No one would like to lend money or extend support to him. One earns his status in worldly life in the society as per his qualities and deeds.

Spiritual attainments are more precious than anything else in this universe. They can't be bestowed upon just anyone. Gods bless only the deserving devotees. What you achieve depends upon your purity, sincerity, and devotion in the sadhana. Siddhis will gradually emerge from within as you progress in the sadhana. A guru (spiritual master) helps you march along the path of spirituality only if you deserve it and only if you are dedicated towards this noble cause. He certainly guides you on how to become a deserving disciple and also initiates you in the sadhana and commences the journey on the path of knowledge. But your success will depend upon your own endeavors. He shows the path but it is you who has to step ahead. There is nothing like a magic wand in spiritual practices, as many of you might think. You may wish that the guru, or a great yogi, will put his hand on your head and you will attain some siddhis. But this is all your delusion.

Happy Married Life

The Oath to fight all shortcomings and faults

On the path of sadhana of Grahastha yoga, a sadhak is faced with a number of new problems every day. Sometimes due to his errors and at other times due to others' incidents keep unfolding that are not in consonance with the tenets of Grahastha yoga. A sadhak wishes that each of his action should be perfect and according to the principles, but mistakes keeping recurring. Sadhak believes that in a few days, in a few weeks, or a few months all his faults would be rectified and his actions would become perfect. But when a long time passes by and the errors do not subside, then his mind begins to worry and feelings of disappointment and failure begin to creep in. He thinks: "I am trying so hard and yet am unable to sublimate my nature. I err daily and my sadhana is not progressing properly". Sometimes he thinks: "My family members are silly, idiotic and irresponsible. They trouble me and annoy me; they do not allow me to tread on the path of sadhana. So it is not worth continuing my sadhana anymore." Egged on by such disappointing thoughts he gives up on his oath.

Every sadhak must take precautions against this difficulty. It is certainly true that human nature has its own fallacies and shortcomings. The day a human overcomes all his shortcomings he would attain the supreme spiritual state, and become free. Till he has not arrived at his destination, he has to remain in human form with all its known shortcomings. When there is a mix of several individuals, in which some are in an advanced spiritual state and some are lagging behind, it is but natural that new errors and mistakes would surface everyday. Some of these would be committed by us, some by others. The frequency of occurrence of these errors would reduce gradually, but it is impossible to believe that our family would transform into a family of deities. So neither there is any need to be afraid of difficulties nor to get worried and perturbed. After all, sadhana stands for the practice to correct errors and this practice must go on unhindered.

Yogis practice their sadhanas like pranayam, self control and meditation every day because their mental makeup still has some shortcomings. The moment these are removed, they also would attain self-realization. Being devoid of all faults is a sign of reaching the pinnacle, the final destination. Sadhaks should not even expect that all the desired virtues would come into action with a short practice of sadhana. Thoughts can come to mind in a flash but for them to get fully ingrained as an intrinsic tendency is a long, laborious process. To make an impression upon a stone the rope has to rub against it for a long, long time. One must understand that absolute freedom from all faults is the final aim; it is not a sign of the first stage of sadhana. If one begins to search for mangoes amongst leaves of a newly grown plant, he has to return disappointed.

Rather than expecting total perfection, one must observe whether there is at least some increase in sattwik (pure, serene) qualities or not. If there is even a little bit of progress it is a sign of hope, joy and success. A drop on drop fills the whole pot; a grain on grain becomes a quintal. If there is a little bit of success daily, then in the long run, great success will be achieved. And this wealth does not get destroyed ever. This accumulation continues life after life and we would certainly reach our final destination definitely at the end. If progress is being made little-by-little, one must keep going with renewed enthusiasm. There is no need to feel disappointed and disheartened.

Hormones in the Human Body

Transplantation of different organs of the human body has now become possible because of the advancement of medical science and technology. However, no progress has yet been made in the field of surgical operations of the hormonal glands. In case of kidney or lung failure, the damaged or diseased organ is replaced and the transplanted organ gives almost a new and healthy life to the patients…; legs, hands or ribs etc. - Lost or damaged due to an accident or disease - can be replaced or given mechanical support to run the chores of the body…. But trying a surgical operation or medical treatment on the hormone secreting (endocrine) glands is dangerous like putting one's hands in fire. In pure anatomical terms, these glands do not seem to play any role and appear as unnecessary 'abscess', which could be cut and removed without any apparent trouble. However, as stated earlier, doing so could invite abnormalities that might prove to be worse than death.

Deeper research into the effects of hormones has reveled that not only the bodily functions but the complex mental reflections and emotions are also associated with the endocrine system. The endocrine glands play a major role in shaping the overall personality of an individual. Graham Hazscrines has indicated these aspects in his work on 'Endocrine Glands and body Adjustments'. He writes that - "Until the recent past, the effects of hormonal secretions were considered to be more intense on the body and only partially associated with mental conditions. However, now these convictions have changed and we have to accept their dominance over the mental activities too".

In his book entitled 'Machinery of the Body', J. Carlson has highlighted, besides the gross effects on sexual desire and reproductive potency, the effects of hormones on the psychological compatibility of married couples. He further writes that the inherent mentality of a child is also based on his hormones, heredity and genetic connections molecular levels. A natural question that arises here is -- "What is the original source of exhilaration or suppression of the specificity of a gene or a pool of genes?" In depth investigations on such issues would show that it is the regulatory machinery of the hormones, which controls the transmission of inherent biological characteristics and behavioral tendencies from one generation to the other and also gives originality to an individual.

Occurrences of phenotypes and tendencies that are different from immediate ancestors are often attributes by the geneticists to the manifestations of the genotypes inherited from hundreds of generations ago. They tend to neglect the fact that the stimulation of specific hormone driven activity can bring drastic changes in any generation.

Professor Dorsap of the Endocrinology Department of the Chicago University has found the juicy secretions from the spleen as of utmost important for proper functioning of the digestive system and the metabolic activities. He describes these secretions as regulators of the healthy functioning of the stomach and the intestines too. According to him, one likes or disliking for different types of foods also depends on the spleen-secretions.

There are many examples where poor people who hardly eat any fatty substances are found to be very bulky; the fat or overweight of many people does not reduce despite abstaining from eating potatoes, rice, sugar and fatty eatables. Such observations indicated that obesity or weight of the body does not necessarily depend on the type of food. Similar facts are seemed in case of the condition of individual organs and subsystems of the body. Even when the structure and physical health of the brain is normal, one's mind might become sick or overexcited or his power of thinking might turn illusive, unreasonable or insane. In such situations, treatment of the gross components of the brain would not serve any purpose; because the organs function like 'puppets' under the regulatory control of the endocrine system. The latter is mainly responsible for efficient or defective functioning of the otherwise healthy faculties of the body and mind. What controls the endocrine system? Every attempt to decipher this enigmatic code leads to a labyrinth of further queries in Endocrinology, Neurochemistry, psychology and related sciences. Recent findings at the interface of Neurosciences and Yoga and Spirituality add entirely new dimension with exciting hopes! Future articles under this column will take us further along this intriguing quest in the amazing world of our 'own' Hormones.