Creation

Posted by gopalakrishna










Creation

In the beginning all this was Atman – one only.
There was nothing else active. He bethought himself,
‘Let me now create the world.’ He created these worlds.
            Years
Kaliyuga  consists of
               432,000
Dvaparayuga      "
               864,000
Tretayuga          "
            1,296,000
Krtayuga            "
            1,728,000


_____________________________________________
Creation
From The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi
Edited by David Godman
Sri Ramana Maharshi: All metaphysical discussion is profitless unless it causes us to seek within the Self for the true reality.
All controversies about creation, the nature of the universe, evolution, the purpose of God, etc., are useless. They are not conducive to our true happiness. People try to find out about things which are outside of them before they try to find out ‘Who am I?’ Only by the latter means can happiness be gained.
[Note: Comments by David Godman: Sri Ramana Maharshi had little or no interest in the theoretical side of spirituality. His principal concern was to bring people to an awareness of the Self and, to achieve this end, he always insisted that practice was more important than speculation. Sri Ramana was known to have views which were totally at variance with the common- sense view of the world. As with most other topics he tailored his statements to conform to the different levels of understanding he encountered in his questioners, but even so, almost all his ideas were radical refutations of the concepts of physical reality that most people cherish.
Sri Ramana adopted three different standpoints when he spoke about the nature of the physical world. He advocated all of them at different times but it is clear from his general comments on the subject that he only considered the first two theories given below to be either true or useful.
1.   Ajata vada or the theory of non-causality. This is an ancient Hindu doctrine which states that the creation of the world never happened at all. It is a complete denial of all causality in the physical world. Sri Ramana endorsed this view by saying that it is the jnani’s (Man who is Self-realised) experience that nothing ever comes into existence or ceases to be because the Self alone exists as the sole unchanging reality. It is a corollary of this theory that time, space, cause and effect, essential components of all creation theories, exist only in the minds of ajnanis (ignorant) and that the experience of the Self reveals their non-existence.
This theory is not a denial of the reality of the world, only of the creative process which brought it into existence. Speaking from his own experience Sri Ramana said that the jnani is aware that the world is real, not as an assemblage of interacting matter and energy, but as an uncaused appearance in the Self. He enlarged on this by saying that because the real nature or substratum of this appearance is identical with the beingness of the Self, it necessarily partakes of its reality. That is to say, the world is not real to the jnani simply because it appears, but only because the real nature of the appearance is inseparable from the Self.
The ajnani on the other hand, is totally unaware of the unitary nature and source of the world and, as a consequence, his mind constructs an illusory world of separate interacting objects by persistently misinterpreting the sense-impressions it receives. Sri Ramana pointed out that this view of the world has no more reality than a dream since it superimposes a creation of the mind on the reality of the Self. He summarised the difference between the jnani’s and the ajnani’s standpoint by saying that the world is unreal if it is perceived by the mind as a collection of discrete objects and real when it is directly experienced as an appearance in the Self.
2.   Drishti-srishti vada. If his questioners found the idea of ajata or non-causality impossible to assimilate, he would teach them that the world comes into existence simultaneously with the appearance of the ‘I’ –thought and that it ceases to exist when the ‘I’ –thought is absent.
This theory is known as drishti-srishti, or simultaneous creation, and it says, in effect, that the world which appears to an ajnani is a product of the mind that perceives it, and that in the absence of that mind it ceases to exist. The theory is true in so far as the mind does create an imaginary world for itself, but from the standpoint of the Self, an imaginary ‘I’ creating an imaginary world is no creation at all, and so the doctrine of ajata is not subverted. Although Sri Ramana
sometimes said that drishti-srishti was not the ultimate truth about creation he encouraged his followers to accept it as a working hypothesis. He justified this approach by saying that if one can consistently regard the world as an unreal creation of the mind then it loses its attraction and it becomes easier to maintain an undistracted awareness of the ‘I’-thought.
3.   Srishti-drishti vada(gradual creation). This is the common-sense view which holds that the world is an objective reality governed by laws of cause and effect which can be traced back to a single act of creation. It includes virtually all western ideas on the subject from ‘big bang’ theory to the biblical account in Genesis. Sri Ramana invoked theories of this nature when he was talking to questioners who were unwilling to accept the implications of the ajata and drishti-srishti theories.
Even then, he would usually point out that such theories should not be taken too seriously as they were only promulgated to satisfy intellectual curiosity.
Literally, drishti-srishti means that the world only exists when it is perceived whereas srishti-drishti means that the world existed prior to anyone’s perception of it. Although the former theory sounds perverse, Sri Ramana insisted that serious seekers should be satisfied with it, partly because it is a close approximation to the truth and partly because it is the most beneficial attitude to adopt if one is seriously interested in realising the Self.]
Question:How has srishti (creation) come about? Some say it is predestined. Others say it the Lord’s leela or sport.
What is the truth?
Sri Ramana Maharshi: Various accounts are given in books. But is there creation? Only if there is creation do we have to explain how it came about. We may not know about all these theories but we certainly know that we exist. Why not know the '‘I'’ and then see if there is a creation?
Question: In the Vedanta of Sri Sankaracharya the principle of the creation of the world has been accepted for the sake of beginners, but for the advanced the principle of non-creation is put forward. What is your view on this matter?
Maharshi: "There is no dissolution or creation, no one in bondage, nor anyone pursuing spiritual practices. There is no one desiring liberation nor anyone liberated. This is the absolute truth." This sloka (verse) appears in the second chapter of Gaudapada’s Karika. One who is established in the Self sees this by his knowledge of reality.
Question: Is not the Self the cause of this world we see around us?
Maharshi: Self itself appears as the world of diverse names and forms. However, Self does not act as the efficient cause (nimitta karana), creating, sustaining and destroying it. Do not ask ‘Why does the confusion of Self, not knowing the truth that it itself appears as the world arise?’ If instead you enquire ‘To whom does this confusion occur?’, it will be discovered that no such confusion ever existed for Self.
Questioner: You seem to be an exponent ofajatadoctrine of advaita Vedanta.
Maharshi: I do not teach only the ajata doctrine. I approve of all schools. The same truth has to be expressed in different ways to suit the capacity of the hearer.
The Ajata doctrine says, ‘Nothing exists except the one reality. There is no birth or death, no projection or drawing in, no seeker, no bondage, no liberation. The one unity alone exists.’
To such as find it difficult to grasp this truth and who ask, ‘How can we ignore this solid world we see all around us?’, the dream experience is pointed out and they are told, ‘All that you see depends on the seer. Apart from the seer, there is no seen.’ This is called the drishti-srishti vada or the argument that one first creates out of one’s mind and then sees what one’s mind itself has created. Some people cannot grasp even this and they continue to argue in the following terms:
‘The dream experience is so short, while the world always
exists. The dream experience was limited to me. But the world is felt and seen not only by me, but by so many others. We cannot call such a world non-existent.’
When people argue in this way they can be given a srishti-drishti theory, for example, ‘God first created such and such a thing, out of such and such an element, and then something else was created, and so on.’ That alone will satisfy this class. Their minds are otherwise not satisfied and they ask themselves, ‘How can all geography, all maps, all sciences, stars, planets and the rules governing or relating to them and all knowledge be totally untrue?’ To such it is best to say, ‘Yes, God created all this and so you see it.’
Question: But all these cannot be true. Only one doctrine can be true.
Sri Ramana Maharshi: All these theories are only to suit the capacity of the learner. The absolute can only be one.
The Vedanta says that the cosmos springs into view simultaneously with the seer and that there is no detailed process of creation. This is said to be yugapat-srishti (instantaneous creation). It is quite similar to the creations in dream where the experiencer springs up simultaneously with the objects of experience. When this is told, some people are not satisfied for they are deeply rooted in objective knowledge.
They seek to find out how there can be sudden creation. They argue that an effect must be preceded by a cause. In short, they desire an explanation for the existence of the world which they see around them. Then the srutis (scriptures) try to satisfy their curiosity by theories of creation.
This method of dealing with the subject of creation is called krama-srishti (gradual creation). But the true seeker can content with yugapat-srishti, instantaneous creation.
There may be any number of theories of creation. All of them extend outwardly. There will be no limit to them because time and space are unlimited. They are however only in the mind.
If you see the mind, time and space are transcended and the Self is realised.
Creation is explained scientifically or logically to one’s own satisfaction. But is there any finality about it? Such explanations are called krama-srishti (gradual creation). On the other hand, drishti-srishti (simultaneous creation) is yugapat-srishti. Without the seer there are no objects seen.
Find the seer and the creation is comprised in him. Why look outward and go on explaining the phenomena which are endless?
Where are you now? Are you in the world or is the world within you? You must admit that the world is not perceived in your sleep although you cannot deny your existence then. The world appears when you wake up. So where is it? Clearly the world is your thought. Thoughts are your projections. The "I" is first created and then the world. The world is created by the "I" which in its turn rises up from the Self. The riddle of the creation of the world is thus solved if you solve the creation of the "I". So I say, find your Self.
Again, does the world come and ask you ‘Why do "I" exist?
How was "I" created?’ It is you who ask the question. The questioner must establish the relationship between the world and himself. He must admit that the world is his own imagination. Who imagines it? Let him again find the "I" and then the Self. Moreover, all the scientific and theological explanations do not harmonise. The diversities in such theories clearly show the uselessness of seeking such explanations. Such explanations are purely mental and intellectual and nothing more. Still, all of them are true according to the standpoint of the individual. There is no creation in the state of realisation. When one sees the world, one does not see oneself. When one sees the Self, the world is not seen. So see the Self and realise that there has been no creation.
Question: "Brahman is real. The world is illusion" is the stock phrase of Sri Sankaracharya. Yet others say, "The world is reality." Which is true?
Sri Ramana Maharshi: Both statements are true. They refer to different stages of development and are spoken from different points of view. The aspirant starts with the definition, that which is real exists always. Then he eliminates the world as unreal because it is changing. The seeker ultimately reaches the Self and there finds unity as the prevailing note. Then, that which was originally rejected as being unreal is found to be a part of the unity. Being absorbed in the reality, the world also is real. There is only being in Self-realisation, and nothing but being.
Question: Sri Bhagavan (Ramana Maharshi) often says that Maya (illusion) and reality are the same. How can that be?
Sri Ramana Maharshi: Sankara was criticised for his
views on Maya without being understood. He said that
1.   Brahman is real
2.   The universe is unreal, and
3.   The universe is Brahman.
He did not stop at the second, because the third explains the other two. It signifies that the universe is real if perceived as the Self, and unreal if perceived apart from the Self. Hence May and reality are one and the same.
Question: So the world is not really illusory?
Sri Ramana Maharshi: At the level of the spiritual seeker you have got to say that the world is an illusion. There is no other way. When a man forgets that he is a Brahman, who is real, permanent and omnipresent, and deludes himself into thinking that he is a body in the universe which is filled with bodies that are transitory, and labours under that delusion, you have got to remind him that the world is unreal and a delusion.
Why? Because his vision which has forgotten its own Self is dwelling in the external, material universe. It will not turn inwards into introspection unless you impress on him that all this external material universe is unreal. When once he realises his own Self he will know that there is nothing other than his own Self and he will come to look upon the whole universe as Brahman.
There is no universe without the Self. So ling as a man does not see the Self which is the origin of all, but looks only at the external world as real and permanent, you have to tell him that all this external universe is an illusion. You cannot help it. Take a paper. We see only the script, and nobody notices the paper on which the script is written. The paper is there whether the script on it is there or not. To those who look upon the script as real, you have to say that it is unreal, an illusion, since it rests upon the paper. The wise man looks upon both the paper and script as one. So also with Brahman and the universe.
Question: So the world is real when it is experienced as the Self and unreal when it is seen as separate names and forms?
Sri Ramana Maharshi: Just as fire is obscured by smoke, the shining light of consciousness is obscured by the assemblage of names and forms, the world. When by compassionate divine grace the mind becomes clear, the nature of the world will be known to be not the illusory forms but only the reality.
Only those people whose minds are devoid of the evil power of Maya, having given up the knowledge of the world and being unattached to it, and having thereby attained the knowledge of the self-shining Supreme Reality, can correctly know the meaning of the statement "The world is real." If one’s outlook has been transformed to the nature of real knowledge, the world of the five elements beginning with space (akasha) will be real, being the Supreme Reality, which is the nature of knowledge.
The original state of this empty world, which is bewildering and crowded with many names and forms, is bliss, which is one, just as the egg-yolk of a multi-coloured peacock is only one. Know this truth by abiding in the state of Self.

From The Mundaka Upanishad
Translations and explanations by Swami Nikhilananda
Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, New York
By means of the Higher Knowledge the wise behold everywhere Brahman, which otherwise cannot be seen or seized, which has no root or attributes, no eyes or ears, no hands or feet; which is eternal and omnipresent, all-pervading and extremely subtle; which is imperishable and the source of all beings.
(Mundaka Upanishad, I.i.6)
[Note: As the spider sends forth and draws in its thread, as plants grow on the earth, as hair grows on the head and the body of a living man- so does everything in the universe arise from the Imperishable.
"Draws in": That is to say, absorbs within itself. The thread, when drawn in, becomes again part and parcel of the spider. "Plants..": They are not different from the earth. "Hair….": The hair is different from the man. The one is inert and the other living.
These three illustrations stress the spontaneous nature of the creation. Brahman Itself, without the help of an extraneous cause, projects the universe out of Itself. It is both the material and the efficient cause. The first illustration points out that the universe is projected from Brahman and also ultimately merges in Brahman. The second illustration points out that, after the creation, the universe rests in Brahman. According to the third, Brahman, which is Pure Intelligence, projects out of Itself the inert material universe, like the growth of hair from a living man. The creation is not the becoming or transformation of Brahman. Brahman through Its own inscrutable power, appears as the universe of name and form without Itself undergoing any change whatsoever. This is called maya.]
[The following comments refer to the next verse No.8. The successive stages in the evolution of the universe are described. Things did not come into existence all at once, as if someone had thrown a handful of plums.]
Brahman expands by means of austerity, and from It primal matter is produced; from matter, Prana; from Prana, mind; from mind, the elements; from the elements, the worlds; thence works, and from the works, their immortal fruits.
(Mundaka Upanishad, I.i.8)
[Note: "Expands": The word tapas in the Sanskrit text means, literally, austerity. It also denotes intense thinking, which precedes any creative act. Here the word means knowledge, regarding the future creation. Brahman or Pure Intelligence, alone exists. It is one and without a second. Under the influence of Its own maya there arises in Brahman the desire for creation, or projection, and forthwith it becomes endowed with omniscience, that is to say, with the knowledge and capacity of creating, preserving and destroying the universe.
Thus Brahman appears to increase in size, like a seed before it splits and the sprout comes out; or like a father dilating with joy before begetting a son. In this stage Brahman, or the attributeless Absolute, becomes known as Saguna Brahman associated with the attributes of omniscience, omnipotence, and so on. The whole creation is the illusory superimposition of name and form on Brahman, owing to maya. Maya has no existence independent of Brahman.
"From It": Prakriti or primal matter in a state of non- differentiation, being a beginningless entity, cannot be said to be created. What is meant is that it becomes ready for manifestation. The word for primal matter in the Sanskrit text is annam, food; all created beings derive enjoyment from material objects, as a man does from food. Brahman desirous of creation appears as the undifferentiated prakriti, or matter. From the standpoint of prakriti, Brahman is the material cause of the universe, whereas, from the standpoint of Pure Intelligence, It is efficient cause.
"From Matter, Prana": The first tangible and specific manifestation is Prana (Life), known as Brahma, Hiranyagarbha (the Golden Egg), Prajapati (the Creator), and Sutratma (the Atman which, like a thread, holds together the whole universe). He is the World Soul, the Cosmic Person in whom become manifest the knowledge and power of Brahman with regard to creation. He is the sprout, the first shoot of the creation, and contains in seed from the desires and actions of the created beings yet to be evolved.
The Personal Gods of the different religions represent different aspects of Brahma. In the Puranas He is described as a special Person endowed with a form and dwelling in a special world called Brahmaloka, which may be roughly compared to the heavens of the Dualistic religions.
"Mind": That is to say the Cosmic Mind. The individual minds are not yet evolved, Mind is characterised by volition, deliberation, doubt, and determination.
"Elements": The five elements, space (akasa), air, fire, water and earth. When first evolved, they are uncompounded, subtle, and incapable of creating. Then they combine and become gross elements. Each gross element contains one half portion of its subtle counterpart and one eighth of each of the four other subtle elements.
"Immortal fruits": Work (karma) creates desire, and the desire again impels one to action. Thus in the relative universe the stream of work never comes to an end even in a million aeons. The Knowledge of Brahman alone puts a stop to desire and work. Like work, its fruit is also without an end. Hence it is called immortal.
From the relative point of view, creation is without beginning.
The human mind cannot think of the beginning of time or space. If a limit is arbitrarily set, one can conceive of time or space beyond that as well. Likewise, there is no such thing as absolute destruction. Vedanta speaks of the manifestation and the non-manifestation of the universe. In the former state things are seen in their tangible form, and in the latter they remain as seeds. These two states are called the "day of Brahma" and the "night of Brahma." The period of manifestation is called a kalpa, or cycle (One kalpa consists of 4,320,000,000 years. Two kalpas make a day and night of Brahma of 8,640,00,000 years.360 such days make one year of Brahma. 100 such years constitute Brahma’s lifetime of 311,040, 000,000,000 years.
Whenever the creation of the world is spoken of, what is really meant is the beginning of a cycle. A new cycle begins by the will of Isvara (Saguna Brahman,), and its character is determined by the accumulated actions of the living beings of the previous cycle. (For explanations on ‘Isvara’ see page ‘Nature of Reality’; refer to the column on the left). Mere matter, without the help of consciousness or intelligence, cannot precipitate creation. Whether the created beings in a particular cycle will be happy or unhappy, wise or ignorant, is determined by the law of karma. In discussing creation or evolution, it should be remembered that according to Vedanta it is the illusory superimposition upon Brahman of names and forms.
That is to say, owing to maya Pure Intelligence, or Brahman, appears as Brahman with attributes, further appears through maya as the undifferentiated prakriti. This process of illusory superimposition is to be applied to all stages of evolution.]
For him who knows all and understands everything, whose austerity consists of knowledge- from Him, the Imperishable Brahman, are born Brahma, name, form, and food.
(Mundaka Upanishad, I.i.9)
[Note: "Who knows all": That is to say, in general. This refers to the cosmic aspect of Brahman (Brahman with attributes) associated with maya, or cosmic ignorance. Saguna Brahman surveys the created universe as a totality.
"Understands everything": That is to say, in particular. This refers to the individualised aspects of Brahman (that is to say, the jiva or individual soul), associated with avidya, or individualised ignorance.
"Austerity": The word refers to omniscience, endowed with which Brahman creates the universe. In the case of ordinary people austerity is associated with great effort. But Brahman creates the universe without the slightest effort. It appears to be the spontaneous manifestation of Brahman.
"Name": By which a created being is known.
"Form": Denoting a particular shape or colour.
"Food": Corn, barley, and other foods, by which living beings are sustained.
It is well known that any creative work is preceded by deep thinking. The object is at first conceived in the mind of the creator; then it is given a tangible form. The universe is the outcome of the thought of the Creator. In describing the act of creation, the Upanishad says: "He thought." The difference, however, between a human creation and the divine creation is that the former is the result of much effort and labour, whereas, the latter is the spontaneous manifestation of Brahman. "Devasya esha svabhavah-" All this is the very nature of Brahman. The Upanishad gives a spiritual interpretation of the creation as opposed to a mechanistic one.]









Om Tat Sat









(My humble salutations to Sri Ramana Maharshi and  grateful to Sri David  Godman and  Hinduism com  for the collection)

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Founder of Hinduism

Posted by gopalakrishna














Founder of Hinduism
Question: Was there a specific founder of
the religion (Hinduism?)
Reply:
Hinduism cannot be described as an organized religion. It is not founded by any individual. Hinduism is God centred and therefore one can call Hinduism as founded by God, because the answer to the question ‘Who is behind the eternal principles and who makes them work?’ will have to be ‘Cosmic power, Divine power, God’
Swami Vivekananda wrote:
There are these eternal principles, which stand upon their own foundations without depending on any reasoning, even much less on the authority of sages however great, of Incarnations however brilliant they may have been. We may remark that as this is the unique position in India, our claim is that the Vedanta only can be the universal religion, that it is already the existing universal religion in the world, because it teaches principles and not persons.
[The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, III,
Topic 'The Sages of India']
Swami Vivekananda wrote:
If you want to be religious, enter not the gate of any organised religion. They do a hundred times more evil than good, because they stop the growth of each one's individual development.... Religion is only between you and your God, and no third person must come between you. Think what these organised religions have done! What Nepoleon was more terrible than those religious persecutions? If you and I organise, we begin to hate every person . It is better not to love, if loving only means hating others. That is no love. That is hell! If loving your own people means hating everybody else, it is the quintessence of selfishness and brutality, and the effect is that it will make you brutes.
-The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume I,
Topic 'The Gita III']
Swami Vivekananda wrote:
Truth is of two kinds: (1) that which is cognisable by the five ordinary senses of man, and by reasonings based thereon; (2) that which is cognisable by the subtle, super-sensuous power of Yoga.
Knowledge acquired by the first means is called science; and knowledge acquired by the second is called the Vedas.
The whole body of super sensuous truths, having no beginning or end, and called by the name of Vedas, is ever existent. The Creator Himself is creating, preserving and destroying the universe with the help of these truths.
The person in whom this super-sensuous power is manifested is called a Rishi, and the super-sensuous truths, which he realises by this power, are called the Vedas.
This Rishihood, this power of super-sensuous perception of the Vedas, is real religion. And so long as this does not develop in the life of an initiate, so long is religion a mere empty word to him, and it is to be understood that he has not taken yet the first step in religion.
The authority of the Vedas extends to all ages, climes and persons; that is to say, their application is not confined to any particular place, time and persons.
The Vedas are the only exponent of the universal religion.
Hinduism is God centred. Other religions are prophet centred.
Question: How did Hinduism start and when did it begin?
Reply
Hinduism is God centred. Other religions are prophet centred.
Hinduism is based upon Eternal Principles. Eternal principles apply to all human beings everywhere. The laws of physics exist and work all the time. The healing principle will get to work immediately the moment a little cut is sustained on a finger. No one can tell when this healing principle began or when it will end. It is there existing eternally, all pervading (available everywhere), omniscient (aware all the time and therefore healing principle gets to work when injury is sustained). (These simplified examples serve to understand God’s power: omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent).
Hinduism is based upon Eternal Principles. If a great scientist like Einstein, discovered or realized laws of physics, Hinduism would call him a great Rishi (Maharshi or seer of truth.) Such seers of truth are not confined to any one age or country. Self realized persons like Jesus Christ would be called Rishis (seers) and their teachings would be readily acceptable to those who properly understand the principles of ‘Hinduism’. From the ancient times, many great Rishis achieved self-realisation through such practices as meditation and austerities and they realised knowledge concerning Eternal Principles. Their knowledge, taught to disciples, and eventually made available in written form, is known as the Vedas (Ved = knowledge), the scriptures upon which Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism) is based. Sanatan means eternal and Dharma means religion.
The word 'Hinduism ‘ does not appear anywhere in Hindu scriptures, The proper name for Hinduism is ‘Sanatan Dharma’      Sanatan = eternal  Dharma = religion.
Hinduism is God centred whereas other religions are prophet centred. For this reason the whole of mankind has to abide by (or is affected by) the eternal principles. The question of acceptance or rejection of Hinduism by any individual simply does not arise, or is irrelevant. It is illogical to talk of conversion to Hinduism. It is like saying that the laws of physics (e.g.gravity) will apply to you only if you belong to an organization or organized religion.
[The ceremonies and rituals connected with Hinduism   (and other religions) are designed to cultivate increased spirituality. At advanced level of spirituality, rituals and ceremonies are dispensed with]
Sri Madhusudana Sarasvati Wrote:
(Commentary Gita Ch.3, Shloka 16)
But he who has realised the Spreme Entity and does not derive pleasure from the senses, he on account of being self-fulfilled, does not incur sin even by not performing the rites which are thus the cause of the movement of the Wheel of the World.
From Brahadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10:
Even the gods cannot prevail against him (he who has realised the Spreme Entity). There need be no performance of any action even in the form of worship of gods for averting obstacles
Gita Ch. 3 Shloka 17:
The Blessed Lord said: But that man who rejoices only in the Self and is satisfied (only) with the Self, and is contended only in the Self - for him there is no duty to perform
Swami Vivekananda wrote:
  [The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, III,
   Topic 'The Sages of India']
The very fountain-head of our religion is in the Vedas (Srutis) which are perfectly impersonal; the persons all come in the Smritis and Puranas- the great Avataras, Incarnations of God, Prophets, and so forth.
[Note: Srutis means revealed knowledge; Smriti means memory, history]
And this ought also to be observed that except our religion (Sanatan Dharma; Hinduism), every other religion in the world depends upon the lives of some personal founder or founders. Christianity is built upon the life of Jesus Christ, Mohammedanism (Islam) upon Mohammed, Buddhism upon Buddha, Jainism upon the Jinas, and so on. It naturally follows that there must be in all these religions a good deal of fight about what they call the historical evidences of these great personalities.
If at any time the historical evidences about the existence of these personages in ancient times become weak, the whole building of the religion tumbles down and is broken to pieces. We escaped this fate because our religion is not based upon persons but on principles. That you obey your religion is not because it came through the authority of a sage, no, not even of an Incarnation. Krishna is not the authority of the Vedas, but the Vedas are the authority of Krishna himself. His glory is that he is the greatest preacher of the Vedas that ever existed.
So with the other Incarnations; so with all our sages. Our first principle is that all that is necessary for the perfection of man and for attaining unto freedom is there in the Vedas. You cannot find anything new. You cannot go beyond a perfect unity, which is the goal of all knowledge; this has been already reached there, and it is impossible to go beyond the unity. Religious knowledge became complete when Tat Twam Asi (Thou art That) was discovered, and that was in the Vedas.
What remained was the guidance of people from time to time according to different times and places, according to different circumstances and environments. People had to be guided along the old, old path and for this these great teachers came, these great sages. Nothing can bear out more clearly this position than the celebrated saying of Sri Krishna in the Gita : "Whenever virtue subsides and irreligion prevails, I create Myself for the protection of the good; for the destruction of all immorality I am coming from time to time."
What follows? That on the one hand, there are these eternal principles, which stand upon their own foundations without depending on any reasoning, even much less on the authority of sages however great, of Incarnations however brilliant they may have been. We may remark that as this is the unique position in India, our claim is that the Vedanta only can be the universal religion, that it is already the existing universal religion in the world, because it teaches principles and not persons
No religion built upon a person can be taken up as a type by all the races of mankind. In our own country we find that there have been so many grand characters; even in a small city many persons are taken up as types by the different minds in that one city. How is it possible that one person as Mohammed, or Buddha or Christ, can be taken up as the one type for the whole world, nay, that the whole of morality, ethics, spirituality, and religion can be true only from the sanction of that one person, and one person alone?
Now the Vedantic religion does not require any such personal authority. Its sanction is the eternal nature of man, its ethics are based upon the eternal solidarity of man, already existing, already attained and not to be attained.
The Hindu can worship any sage and any saint from any country whatsoever, and as a fact we know that we go and worship many times in the churches of the Christians, and many times in the Mohammedan mosques and that is good. Why not? Ours, as I have said, is the universal religion. It is inclusive enough, it is broad enough to include all the ideals. All the ideals of religion that already exist in the world can be immediately included, and we can patiently wait for all the ideals that are to come in the future to be taken in the same fashion, embraced in the infinite arms of the religion of the Vedanta.

Question: What is the most important part of the religion?
[Note: Different scholars may emphasize other aspects
of the religion as the most important part]
Reply:
The affirmative attitude of Hinduism toward life
has been emphasized by its recognition of four
legitimate and basic desires:
1. Dharma or righteousness
2. Artha or wealth
3. Kama or sense pleasure
4. Moksha or freedom through communion with God
  or the Infinite.
These four attainments of life are collectively known as Purushartha.

Question: Why?
Reply:
[Note: Reply based upon the teachings of Swami Nikhilananda, Ramakrishna Math]
Of the four grand objects of human aspirations (Purushartha), viz., Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha, Dharma is given the foremost rank in the scriptures. Dharma alone is the gateway to Moksha, to immortality, infinite bliss, supreme peace and highest knowledge. Dharma alone is the primary Purushartha. Dharma is the first and foremost Purushartha.
Dharma is the cementer and sustainer of social life. The rules of Dharma have been laid down for regulating the worldly affairs of men. Dharma brings as its consequence happiness, both in this world and in the next. Dharma is the means of preserving one’s self. If you transgress it, it will kill you. If you protect it, it will protect you. It is your sole companion after death. It is the sole refuge of humanity.
[Note: Dharma (roughly translated as righteousness or virtue, must be at the center and at the circumference are Artha (wealth), Kama (all kinds of desires or pleasures), and Moksha (liberation).  All activities in life must revolve around Dharma. Dharma must be kept in focus all the time and adhered to.]


Question: Do Hindus worship one god or many?
The following is from page 'Ideal behind the idol'
There is no polytheism in India
By Swami Vivekananda
The foremost disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa
Descend we now from the aspirations of philosophy to the religion of the ignorant. At the very outset, I may tell you that there is no polytheism in India. In every temple, if one stands by and listens, one will find the worshippers applying all the attributes of God, including omnipresence, to the images. It is not polytheism, nor would the name henotheism explain the situation. "The rose called by any other name would smell as sweet." Names are not explanations

Question: Is the Caste System an eternal principle?
Reply:
In the Mahabharata it is described as the ‘Four Orders of Human Beings’.
There is no country on earth where the four orders of human beings do not exist.
1.Teachers (at schools, colleges and universities) and spiritual leaders (priests, Imams, Rabbi, Pandit)
(Brahmins).
2. Government, judiciary, law-enforcement agencies and the defence force.
Ministers, civil servants, military, soldiers, police (Kshatriyas)
3.Food producers & Wealth producers.
Farmers, industrialists, merchants, business people, professionals (doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers, etc)
(Vaisyas).
4. Labourers
(Sudras)
"The four orders of human beings" refers to the whole of mankind and is not confined to any one country, or any one race group. We usually associate 'the four orders of human beings' with India (where it is generally known as the caste system, often misunderstood, misused or abused).
Consider for a moment an imaginary scenario where from the map of the world India is made invisible. Now apply the principle of 'the four orders of human beings' to all the countries in the world. Not one country will be found where this principle is not made applicable.
Imagine again that in a given country, all the men, women and able-bodied youths decide to join the defence force of the country (claiming equality amongst all human beings). They are all sitting pretty with a rifle in hand waiting for the enemy to show up.
Who will do the cooking to feed this defence force? What about tilling the land to grow the food to feed this defence force, and who will wash the clothes? If during war situation the wounded have to be operated upon, who will teach how to perform surgery? The maintenance of general cleanliness, removal of garbage etc. will have to be done by whom? The young boys and girls will remain uneducated because the whole population is sitting pretty with a rifle in hand waiting for the enemy to show up. Who will run the schools?
There are no industries, no labour force, no business community, because there are no 'four orders of human beings'. Without the division of labour, there is no human progress. Witness the crippling results of any general strike, by the workers of any vital industry, when such strike is sustained over a lengthy period. Such action can cripple any country.
Let all the countries legislate that as from next month no human beings on this earth will perform the task of  labourers (claiming that it is beneath human dignity and that all human beings are equal). What is stopping any country from enacting such legislation?
If a labourer wins a lottery for ten million dollars, will he, thereafter, voluntarily remain a labourer? Labourers in this world are not labourers by choice.
Now the big question is: who can decide who is to be the labourer and who is to be the professor to teach at the medical college? Who will decide that? The division of labour, which broadly falls into 'the four orders of human beings' is based upon "guna and karma" of each individual. The word 'guna' in Vedanta means Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas (the three qualities born of Nature also known as "prakriti).
To say that we should abolish the four orders of human beings (the caste system) also amounts to saying that the authority of the scriptures is to be brushed aside and substituted by some modern day thinker who argues that "In this day and age" the eternal principles do not apply. Consider the following extracts from the Bhagavad Gita:
Bhagavad Gita, Ch.4, Verse 13: the Lord says:
"The fourfold caste has been created by Me according to the differentiation of Guna and Karma;"
Bhagavad Gita, Ch.18, verse 40 the Lord says:
"There is no being on earth, or again in heaven among the
gods, that is liberated from the three qualities born of Nature."
 Gita Ch.18, verse.41:
"Of Brahmanas, Kshtriyas and Vaishyas, as also the Sudras, O Arjuna, the duties are distributed according to the qualities born of their own nature."
 If we look at newly born human babies, we can see their physical features. Can we see in them the potential of the future Beethoven, Michelangelo, Einstein, a great saint or a common criminal? One baby may be endowed by nature with artistic abilities and another with musical talent, and yet another may be devoid of both these attributes. These are qualities born of nature. Human efforts can complement these qualities or attributes as when a teacher guides and inspires a pupil to achieve greater heights in a chosen field.
When those babies grow up, their careers are distributed according to the qualities born of their own nature. The four orders of human beings are based upon "qualities born of their own nature.
In a maternity hospital, can we draw lots from a hat and fasten a tag on baby numbered one as the future labourer, the second baby as the future industrialist, the third baby as the future army commander, the fourth baby as the future college professor and the fifth baby as the future common criminal?   Obviously not. The situation or the station in life for the individual will be determined by "qualities born of their own nature". These fundamental principles apply to all without geographical boundaries.
The eternal principles apply to all . One does not have to subscribe to a system of belief or carry the banner of any religion to include or exclude the application of eternal principles.
Question: Is the use of images an universal practice?
Reply: A hundred Dollar currency note is much smaller than the Sunday newspaper. The newspaper would be discarded within a few days. Why attach so much more importance to a much smaller piece of paper that is called a hundred Dollar note? After all both the newspaper and the currency note are pieces of paper. The image on the currency note makes it different. The image attaches to the paper ( currency note) values, qualities, awe (if it is a million Dollar note), etc. Power of the human consciousness is transmitted to the currency note. An atheist who decries the use of images can empty his wallet of all the Dollar notes and send them to us.
I can pull out a handkerchief from my pocket, blow my nose into it and then ask an audience to salute my handkerchief. Why salute the flag of the nation and not my handkerchief? After all both the handkerchief and the flag are inanimate pieces of cloth! I can hear the patriot saying that he is prepared to lay down his life for his nation's flag. Why would he not do the same for my handkerchief? Power of the human consciousness is transmitted to the piece of cloth we call a national flag whereby the inanimate piece of cloth acquires qualities of patriotism, noble values, pride, loyalty, identity etc.
If a stranger were to spit on your mother's photo, why would you feel hurt? After all it is only a piece of paper with dots that are lighter or darker, giving an image or  resemblance of the face of mother. This piece of paper has acquired the ability to make you angry or happy, or sad or fill you with memories and inspiration. An inanimate piece of paper infused with such powers!
My mother scribbled three or four lines on a piece of paper and sent it off to me. Another gentleman sent me a long discursive fifty page letter.   Now, which is more weighty?  But the feeling in my mother's few lines is beyond measure; it is sacred.  The other stuff cannot stand comparison with it.
-Saint Vinoba Bhave
The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is revered by the Jewish community. Why kiss the wall and why does it invoke feelings of reverence? Inanimate stones or bricks! Power of human consciousness is attached to it. A photograph of the wall (image) would invoke reverence and respect for the piece of paper upon which it is printed.
Islam: Pilgrims to Mecca throw stones at the three pillars that are infused with the images of devils!
And why kiss the stone of Kaaba? And if someone were to spit upon this stone of Kaaba, why would it invoke and provoke angry reactions?   After all that is only a piece of stone! Muslim pilgrims visiting the Kaaba temple go around it seven times. Any pilgrim going to a place of pilgrimage does so with the utmost worshipful attitude of the mind. Why the display of reverence and the worshipful attitude towards the stone of Kaaba? After all the stone of Kaaba is an inanimate object.
A sacred fount exists near the Kaaba. Its water is held sacred because it has been traditionally regarded as sacred like the waters of the river Ganges since pre-Islamic times (Zam-Zam water). Even today, Muslim pilgrims who go to the Kaaba for Haj regard this Zam-Zam water with reverence and take some bottled water with them as sacred water.
Chemically speaking, water is water. What is the difference between this Zam-Zam water and the water that flows downstream from some nearby mountains?
Christianity: The Cross of Christianity is a piece of wood or metal or stone. Why do worshippers bow their heads before such image that is made of inanimate materials?
The qualifications at a university college are proudly hung on the wall for all to see. A piece of paper, framed and attracting such high esteem! If you think that the use of image is not universal then make sure you remove that inanimate piece of paper (certifications) and promptly consign that to the garbage can.










Om Tat Sat
                                                        
 




My humble salutations to  the lotus feet of Swamy Vivekananda  and Hinduism com  for the collection)
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Ayurvedic Philosophy

Posted by gopalakrishna

































Ayurveda

A short but comprehensive research into Ayurveda and its implications for devotional life

Foreword
As a Vaishnava who is compassionate for other people's pains, I have sometimes been thinking how unnecessary sicknesses of our bodies are an obstacle for our devotional service.
The bodily casing, a secondary covering of the soul, is important and efficient when in good health. Bad health is due to either uncleanliness, anxiety or overeating. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and so I have been fortunate to come across an ancient system as prescribed in the Vedas. This, along with Krsna consciousness, may be able to keep our bodies in a more healthful condition for preaching purposes.
Having experienced the toll that allopathic Western medicine has taken on our bodies - allergic reactions, killing of both wanted as well as unwanted bacteria and metabolic afflictions - we now can turn back to the authorized, natural and radical method of prevention and cure: Ayurveda.
Accordingly, disease of all aspects of our conditional existence is due to improper balances or, in other words, not following moderation:
"He who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working and recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system." (Bhagavad-gita 6.17)
The practice of yoga is meant for eradication of unwanted psychic elements and their excesses and the practice of Ayurveda also helps eradicate unwanted excesses on the gross level, i.e. air, bile and phlegm.
Just as so many cheaters have come in the guise of yogis presenting a system which removes the symptoms of disease but doesn't get to the root of matter, the allopathic antibiotics and chemotherapeutic medicines, so much in vogue in the Western schemes of so-called scientific advancement present quick cures of our manifested bodily defects, much like never do we reach to the cause through this, way much like sweeping the dust under the rug. [Modern medicine wants to cure, i.e. make money, but not completely, i.e. losing a customer...]
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada uses a number of these medicines daily and relies on expert kavirajas (Ayurvedic vaidyas of the highest order) in Bombay and Calcutta when he is in need of medical assistance. We are not claiming to be kavirajas. This booklet is not presented as an in-depth study of Ayurveda or even of its over 500 medicines but we have made some substantial research and procured the best of these Ayurvedic medicines with a firm hope that your expanded consciousness will be able to see past the "allopathic business as usual" consciousness and enter into the realm of health tonics and medicines the Lord Krsna's plenary expansion, Shri Dhanvantari, has so mercifully bestowed to the ever-diseased human race. Hare Krsna.
- Guru Dasa Swami
A. Ayurvedic pathology of disease
Ayurvedic pathology of disease, the manifestation of which is not immediate, is very scientific. In the Dhanvantari-samhita of the Garuda Purana indigestion is called the "parent of all diseases" and according to Ayurveda all diseases have their origin somewhere in gastro-intestinal tract where undigested, raw material called ama is allowed to accumulate. Therefore so much emphasis is put on not overeating. Due to indiscretion in eating habits and improper digestion due to anxiety and anger and / or uncleanliness of food, ama begins to accumulate either in the stomach or in the upper part of small intestine. This is the first of five progressive stages of disease, technically called chaya. In this chaya stage diseases are best treated. Ayurvedic medicines are very effective at this stage as well as at later stages. Allopathic medicines do little or nothing in chaya.
The ama can accumulate also in the lower area of the large intestine due to some kind of blockage there. The nature of ama is going to vary according to the predominant diet and makeup of an individual.
The place of origin of disease is called the mulasthana (root situation) and Ayurvedic medicines aim at interfering with it there.
There are three doshas. They are known as vayu-dosha, air or the nervous system; pitta-dosha, bile or the metabolic system; and kapha-dosha, mucus-phlegm or the excretory system. In fact, all understanding of the science hinges around these. Although this is a simplification of their actual position, the gross understandings of these three doshas are air, bile and mucus. The nature of ama will be predominantly one, or sometimes two of these.
The subtle symptoms which are present during the chaya stage are apathy, heaviness, bloated feeling in the abdomen, pallor and some loss of appetite. Few persons are intelligent enough to start treatment in this stage.
The next stage is called prakopa. Because the problem has not been rectified, the accumulated ama begins to liquefy at the mulasthana. Thirst, burning sensations, sour eructations (belching) and flatulence (unexpelled air in the stomach) are symptoms of this stage. Toxins begin to seep outside the walls of either stomach or intestines and enter channels of circulation. This is called vitiation of dosha (remember, the ama is of the nature of doshas). A dosha becomes vitiated when too much of it has been consumed and thus it builds up as ama. Few patients treat a disease at this stage either.
The third stage of disease is called prasava, the spreading stage. The wandering toxins spread through one of the three main circulatory systems of the body, namely the alimento-respiratory tract, the blood or the vital organ-bone-joint system and settle at the first weak spot, a site where no local resistance has been built up. The symptoms of this stage are nausea, loss of taste and painful abdomen.
The fourth stage is called sthana-sanskriya. Toxins or dosha has found its site and is accumulating. Thus an improper balance of one of the three doshas is growing in the body. Good health is equivalent to static balance of the doshas in the body and bad health is equivalent to imbalance among them. At this stage of sthana-sanskriya unwanted bacteria or viruses accumulate to breed in the environment. The disease emerges in full and everyone rushes to the physician who then administers an antibiotic to cover the symptoms.
Ayurvedic medicines are prescribed to eliminate the specific dosha buildup and vitiation, called dosha-kara. The germs which cause the disease have their habitat taken away from them. This is the right way to cure disease.
But along with the medicines there must be a proper program of activity for true effectiveness. Trying to ignite a fire while pouring water on it is the philosophy of the deluded. Therefore we have to know the eight pillars of disease prevention according to Ayurveda:
1. Dina-charya, the prescribed bodily regulations
2. Ritu-charya, consideration of the season
3. Shad-vritta, the proper mental culture
4. Timely attention to nature's calls
The four subordinate pillars are:
5. Inherent qualities of liquids and solids
6. Rules for eating
7. Proper sleep
8. Environment
These, of course, could expand into a whole book in themselves. Thus we are going to present a general synopsis only. Strictly following Srila Prabhupada's sadhana complemented with common sense and intelligence incorporates almost all of these understandings.
B. The eight pillars of disease prevention
1. Dina-charya
Dina-charya means a daily routine. We can see that the Ayurvedic recommendation and our spiritual master's formula run on parallel tracks. The following program is recommended:
1. Wake up early and attend to nature's calls. Wash the mouth and clean the mouth.
2. Brush the teeth with neem twigs which are pungent, bitter and astringent in taste.
Neem tooth brushes are very good because right away early in the morning they neutralize the heavy sweet mucus buildup in the mouth. The use of sweet toothpastes is congenial to the unwanted mucus buildup.
3. Clean the tongue thoroughly with the fingers and a stick used as a soft brush.
4. Clean the eyes, ears and nose. Use cold water for both but only as cold as prevents detrimental bodily reactions.
5. Take regular exercise but not too much.
6. After breakfast proceed to your regular duties.
7. Eat lunch in a happy frame of mind.
8. Have a light evening meal and go to bed on a comfortable bed early.
2. Ritu-charya
Ritu-charya means the seasonal adaptations. The seasonal divisions in the East have their following Western counterparts:
1. March-April, Vasanta-ritu, spring
2. May-June, Grishma-ritu, summer
3. July-August, Varsha-ritu, monsoon
4. September-October, Sharad-ritu, short summer
5. November-December, Hemanta-ritu, winter
6. January-February, Shishira-ritu, cold winter
November to February is the time for eating very plentifully and much exercise, building a solid foundation for the rest of the year. The appetite is more powerful during these months.
Vasanta-ritu is the doctor's favorite because illnesses are most common. This season is kapha-kara, i.e. mucus builds up automatically. Light diet, limited sleep (none in the afternoon), avoidance of sweets, fats and liquids that produce mucus is recommended.
Grishma-ritu is the season of dehydration, exhaustion, lack of energy and lethargy. Cold but not hot fluids, cold baths and swimming. Too much exertion and sunshine should be avoided. The diet should be light and free from pungent and sour foods. Because nights are short, some sleep during noontime is recommended.
Varsha-ritu means the rainy season in Asia, analogical elsewhere. Digestive power is poor and lack of sunshine as well as a cloudy atmosphere are uncongenial to health. Ginger, black pepper and lemon juice may be taken to reinforce appetite. Leafy vegetables should be taken sparingly. The rainy season increases vayu-kara. Foods should be hot and light with ghee, curd and honey. River water is to be avoided for drinking as well as daytime naps, too many liquids and overexposure to elements.
Sharad-ritu has its counterpart in the West in "Indian summer". This season is pitta-kara, bile increasing. Cool, sweet, bitter and astringent foods are wanted. They produce anti-pitta-dosha reactions. It is essential to avoid curds, overeating, early morning dew and daytime sleep. Many Vedic scriptures enjoin that exposure to the sun during this time is inauspicious.
3. Shad-vritta
Shad-vritta means mental culture. Ayurveda has a much more all-encompassing disease pathology than any other system as it states that practically all diseases have a psychic base. We have outlined the gross disease pathology (chaya, prakopa, etc.) but the actual pathological process is initiated in the mental field and certainly all chronic diseases stem from basic mental moorings. This point is always kept in view by a vaidya or kaviraja when prescribing medicines and regiments.
The two mental doshas are actually the lower modes of nature (rajo and tamo guna). A person of predominantly vayu nature is said to have a subtle psyche of rajas and one of kapha is said to be tamasic to some degree.
Anxiety and anger are two main mental pollutions that give rise to the gross disease. On all of the prescriptions for taking Ayurvedic medicines there is a list of prohibitions. On many of them it is said that a return to normalcy requires situation and / or activity free from anxiety and anger.
Shad-vritta principles are presented in more in-depth manner in Bhagavad-gita. Thus in avoiding disease following Bhagavad-gita's formula is mandatory. Ayurvedic recommendations:
1. Be noble in your thoughts and deeds. Have compassion for all living beings.
2. Do not waste energy in avoidable talk. Speak the truth.
3. Give up inimical thoughts, cultivate friendly ones.
4. Avoid self-denigration, self-torture, self-praise, etc.
5. Do your duty carefully without attachment to results.
6. Maintain mental equilibrium both in success and failure and other opposites.
7. Have respect and liking for learning and the learned. Cultivate patience and forgiveness.
4. Timely attention to nature's calls
Intuitional reflex desires and actions are triggered by the vayu-dosha. Of course, yoga is meant to limit them but while we are in the conditioned stage and do it unwisely or artificially there will be negative results. This is accepted as one of the four pillars of disease prevention. The vayu-dosha becomes vitiated when basic bodily needs are not attended to and diseases of that nature begin to manifest. Retention of urine or faeces for a long time, not sleeping when needed and not drinking when thirsty produce various diseases. Suffice is to say that all natural instincts should be attended to promptly, although Ayurveda also emphasizes that all negative feelings like envy, anger, lust, etc. are to be squelched and replaced with transcendentally positive ones.
Ayurveda puts some emphasis on eating what we desire as a nature's way to correct imbalances in the system. Of course, lust can trick. Therefore it is essential to get Ayurvedic knowledge on how to eat what foods for what kind of dosha vitiations.
5. Inherent qualities of liquids and solids
The extent of these side pillars of Ayurvedic disease prevention could take up this whole booklet ten times over. Proper food combination is a science in itself.
Except in summer and October heat water should be used sparingly. Drinking water (best one hour) before a meal leads to lessening of appetite and loss of weight. Water drunk during the meal sparingly can help passage and digestion of food. Water after the meal leads to obesity.
Coconut water is nutritious and digestive and while quenching thirst it flushes out the bladder and kidneys. Cow's milk is a tonic, good for brain power and complexion. Buffalo's milk is good against excessive appetite and insomnia. Cow milk is always the milk of choice. Buttermilk is light, astringent and a good digestive. It neutralizes many diseases originating from kapha.
One should be careful with curds since they are blood heating, constipative and heavy to digest. During Vasanta and at night they are not to be eaten.
Modern science groups ghee with oils and fats but Ayurveda does not as ghee is considered just the opposite - cooling and synthetic. It is a part of many Ayurvedic remedies and is also a good digestive.
Of the awned grains, rice as a class is considered easy to digest, cooling, leaving little residue and thus constipative. Some rice is tri-dosha-ghna, since it keeps all doshas in equilibrium. Wheat, as a class is heavy to digest, oily, kapha-kara and life-sustaining. Corn is astringent and good for reducing weight.
The legumes are rich in protein, especially various dahls. Mung dahl is highly recommended as it is easily digested and doesn't cause as much flatulence as the others.
Most of the vegetables mentioned in old Ayurvedic texts are little in demand or no longer available, while in the fruit category grapes and pomegranate are most recommended, the former being good for the bile and thirst and the latter being a sedative, good against cardiac complaints and primary acid, a tri-dosha-ghna.
Every foodstuff has a digestive nature (heavy, medium or light), a predominant rasa (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent or astringent) and specific effects on specific organs or processes. The following five general points are also important to take into consideration:
1. Foods are inherently light or heavy but the cooking may change their status (for example, a light rice rendered heavy by turning it to sweet rice).
2. Combination of foods changes the digestibility. This refers to the more known food combining technique which groups foods as acid fruits, sweet fruits, green vegetables, starch vegetables, starches, sweeteners, oils and fats and proteins. This understanding is based on how acids, amino acids and alkalines digest food. Some major rules are not to mix fruits, especially acid ones, with vegetables, or two different proteins together, or starches with proteins, etc. These rules become more important the more is eaten. If eating is minimal and digestion is sufficient, there will not be fermentations or decompositions in and everything will be digested. Prabhupada confirms this in the Srimad Bhagavatam.
3. Different cooking flames, water addition, nature of utensils (avoid the poisonous aluminium!) and added oils, etc. must be considered.
4. Land, manure, fertilizers and insecticides affect food.
5. Time of the day, hunger, consciousness of the cook, indigestion (if any) are other important factors. Also, Prabhupada points out that food unoffered to Krsna increases disease only.
6. Consciousness while eating
Meals should be taken:
1. in easy, pleasant frame of mind
2. fresh, hot, with ghee which facilitates digestion, assimilation and excretion
3. not hurriedly nor a too long time - the former leads to indigestion and the latter to overeating
4. according to likes and dislikes (with intelligence)
5. in proper food combination, including all six rasas with astringent and bitter edibles used judiciously
6. with water just sufficient to quench the thirst
7. without undereating or overeating
8. with one fourth of the stomach filled with water, one half filled with food and one fourth left for air
7. Proper sleep
Lack of proper sleep results in bad health, malnutrition, unhappiness and lack of strength. Keeping late nights nor sleep during the day are healthy. The former leads to the above mentioned maladies, the latter to obesity. Daytime sleep is recommended in infancy, old age, overexertion, indigestion (morning only), asthma or any very painful disease (except in snakebite or poisoning when all sleep is taboo). Drinking milk, oil application to the head, happy mind and congenial company are factors favoring sound sleep.
8. Environment
Scientists have showed how flowers flourish when listening to classical music while heavy rock makes them dwindle and die. The differences in consciousness of a human who grows up in mellow rural town versus one who battles through the urban drill are well established. The evolvements in human society were not present when the Ayurveda was put into writing. It simply mentions that marshy, moist climates with tropical mountain and rainfalls between 70-200 inches per year are kapha-kara (leading to colds, coughs, etc.), whereas dry, hot, arid areas with little water and yearly rainfalls of 10-15 inches are vayu-kara and pitta-kara. Places which are not so extreme are called sama-dosha (equal), with rainfalls 25-65 inches per year, and are generally healthy or tri-dosha-ghna. If one has certain disease tendencies it is best to live in environments producing opposite effects. The art of Ayurveda is based on this balancing since human beings have been endowed by the Lord with free will, ability to rationalize and advanced intelligence.
C. Six rasas
1. Sweet (madhura rasa) are the majority of foodstuffs.
Characteristics: kapha-kara, vayu-ghna (vayu limiting), mostly earth and water, antidote to bitter, pungent and astringent foods
Prolonged overuse: sleepiness, obesity, defective digestion, asthma, colds and coughs
Examples: rice, wheat, mung dahl, sugar
2. Sour (amla rasa) foods tingle the throat causing a hot sensation.
Characteristics: pitta-kara, vayu-ghna, earth and fire, antidote to bitter items
Prolonged overuse: aging, pallor, increased thirst
Examples: acid fruits like amla and pomegranate
3. Salty taste (lavana rasa) adds a savory flavor to foods and drinks and is a digestive.
Characteristics: pitta-kara, vayu-ghna, water and fire, antidote to all the five remaining rasas
Prolonged overuse: increased thirst, early baldness, rough skin and a decrease of bodily luster ("oja", the famed saintly halo due to the semen moving upward)
Examples: all salts
4. Bitter taste (tiksa rasa) favors digestion, intellectual power and restores taste.
Characteristics: vayu-kara, kapha-ghna, air and ether, antidote to the madhura rasa
Prolonged overuse: nervous diseases, debility, hardness and wasting in general
Examples: turmeric, green vegetable leaves
5. Pungent taste (katuka rasa) helps digestion and suppresses oral infections.
Characteristics: pitta-kara, kapha-ghna, air and fire, antidote to madhura rasa
Prolonged overuse: excessive bodily heat, cutting and piercing aches, leanness
Examples: ginger, asafoetida
6. Astringent taste (kashapa rasa) favors complexion and dries up internal moisture.
Characteristics: kapha-kara, pitta-ghna, air and earth, antidote to sour and pungent items
Prolonged overuse: obstruction of excretory channels, fits and tremors
Examples: haritaki, lodha tree fruit. Honey and buttermilk also have astringent qualities along with their primary madhura nature, as many foodstuffs contain more than one rasa.
By proper combination of these six tastes every day, avoidance of excessive or deficient ones and increasing antidotes to excessive or deficient ones the tri-dosha is kept in healthy equilibrium. Ayurveda medicines are designed in this way and people who don't have time to become involved in complexities of proper combination take Ayurvedic tonics which supply them needed elements in proper proportion besides relying on them when disease actually manifests.
D. Tri-dosha, sapta-dhatu, tri-mala
Proper understanding of tri-dosha is the basis of Ayurveda knowledge.
Vayu-dosha is composed of air and ether. In limited context it is called air, in a more complex understanding it is referred to as the nervous system and life airs. Respiration, energy and impulses, energetic and wavery mind. Primary seat in the body is colon. It is the gross representation of rajas guna.
Pitta-dosha is composed of fire and water. In limited context it is called bile, in a more complex understanding it is referred to as the metabolic system. Digestion, thirst, hunger, body heat, smooth skin, memory, bravery, possessiveness and avarice. Primary seat in the body is ileo-jejunum. It is the gross representation of sattva guna.
Kapha-dosha is composed of water and earth. In limited context it is called phlegm or mucus, in a more complex understanding it is referred to as the excretory system. Stability, oiliness, solidity, strength, intelligence, neutrality, friendship and forgiveness. Primary seat in the body is chest. It is the gross representation of tamas guna.
Each dosha has five subdivisions called dosha pentad with specific functions in specific places. For example the five divisions of vayu-dosha are called prana, udana, vyana, samana and apana airs. They are located in skull, chest, heart, navel and pelvis respectively. Their presence in the body makes them three main pillars sustaining life functions of all animate creation.
Right from the time of fertilization one of these doshas manifests as a dominant factor determining characteristics of an individual with triple classification:
Vayu-ja persons: tall and lean, dry body with little sweating, earthy color of skin, very hairy, fickle mind, very talkative, capricious appetite and thirst (prefer hot and oily dishes), constipative tendencies, fond of traveling and enjoying life, unsteady sleep with dreams of storm and sky.
Pitta-ja persons: medium build, excessive sweating, pinkish skin, early baldness, impatient mind, somewhat talkative, excessive eating and drinking (not fond of hot and oily dishes), quick evacuation, brave and ambitious, average sleep with dreams of fire.
Kapha-ja persons: short and stout, profuse sweating and oily body, whitish skin, hairy, steady and patient mind, rather silent, normal appetite and thirst (not fond of hot and oily dishes), steady evacuation, disinclined to move about, deep sleep with dreams of earth and water.
Besides these three doshas Ayurveda acharyas have described seven dhatus which maintain the body and are primarily composed of one of the doshas.
The first dhatu is called chyle (in Sanskrit "rasa"), a precursor of blood, nourishing the body and mind. Blood is called rakta and is the dhatu nourishing muscles and flesh, maintaining complexion and sustaining life functions. Blood has been considered by some Ayurvedic experts to be equivalent to the fourth dosha and homeopathy [it's principle is mentioned in SB 1.5.33] puts much emphasis on it. But standard Ayurvedic texts give it a position of the dhatu which is considered subordinate in importance to tri-dosha. Muscles (mansa) embrace the skeletal structure, nourish fatty tissues and help with excretion. Fat or adipose tissue (meda) greases limbs and eyes and ensures stability by nourishing the bones. Bones (asthi) maintain the body structure and nourish bone marrow (majja) which forms bulk inside the bone cavities, gives strength and nourishes the semen (sukra) which gives strength, intelligence and ability to procreate.
After the increased dosha has liquefied and is spreading, it usually finds its place somewhere in one of these dhatus. All of them with the exception of bones and blood are comprised of kapha-dosha (earth and water) and thus the madhura rasa foodstuffs which consist mostly of carbohydrates are primarily needed to nourish them and to maintain kapha-dosha. The majority of what is considered edible foodstuffs such as rice, grains, sugar, mung dahl, etc. are composed of earth and water because that is what the body is mostly made of. Bones are vayu-dosha (thus so much pain to the nervous system when they break) and blood is pitta-dosha, the characteristic of water and fire.
To round off the simple yet wonderfully scientific scope of the body by Ayurveda besides the tri-doshas and the sapta-dhatus there are tri-malas. Mala means "bad" in Sanskrit and these three elements are the faeces, urine and sweat. Although they are unwanted, they serve some positive purposes. Faeces give temporary support in general besides keeping up the body heat. Urine maintains fluid balance by throwing out unneeded liquids ingested through consumption and sweat retains moisture in the body, greases the skin and helps the growth of hair.
Process of digestion
Foodstuffs break into one of three doshas. They are in a delicate, static balance. When too much of any builds up, it forms the ama which liquefies, finds a weak spot, roots and already present but dormant bacteria, viruses or parasites take advantage of it. The disease appears. If not enough of a particular dosha is consumed then the dosha as well as dhatus depending on it become weakened. By nature humans have subjective (although comparable) percentage of doshas and thus everyone's needs are subjective.
Simply by following Ayurvedic prescriptions and with some basic knowledge of the bodily makeup anyone can very easily regulate health. It is important to follow the eight pillars of disease prevention with proper sadhana and with taking Ayurvedic health tonics one can avoid dangerous side effects of chemical medicines.
E. Therapeutics in Ayurveda
Chikitsa means "therapeutic measures" in Sanskrit. There are two basic chikitsas. Branhana chikitsa is the nourishing measure - the disease is cured by more proper nourishment. Langhana chikitsa is divided into two: shamana and shodana. Shamana is using gradual sedative measures such as controlled fasting, exercises and diet restriction. Shodana is the radical method to uproot serious dosha vitiation through vomiting (vamana vidhi), enemas (basti vidhi), purgation, bloodletting, surgery, etc.
Ayurvedic medicines mostly add nourishment and restrict buildups of ama. Shodana presents great relief when properly done but most people are adverse to apply it and if they do they lack proper knowledge. Although shodana should not be neglected when disease have reached serious proportions before one should use Ayurvedic medicines. This gives one free time to study the holy sastras which can help to transcend the material world with its diseases forever.
Dhanvantari Mala Mantra (Dhanvantari Shloka)
Chanting of this mantra 108 times during Brahma Muhurta (starts 96 min before sunrise) will free the human body from all diseases.
om namo bhagavate vaasudevaaya
dhanvantaraaye 'mrta-kalasha-hastaaya
sarvaamaya-vinaashanaaya
trailokya-naathaaya
shrii-mahaa-vishnave svaahaa
"O my Lord, Sri Krsna, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You (om namo bhagavate vasudevaya). You incarnate as Dhanvantari, holding a pot of nectar (amrta kalasha) in Your hands (hastaya). You destroy all disease (sarvamaya- vinashana) and are the master of the three worlds (trailokya-natha). I offer my respectful oblations to You, O great Lord Visnu (sri-maha-visnave svaha)."

 





Om Tat Sat
                                                        






(My humble salutations to  Atmatattvadasa from Tattvaprakasa  and Hinduism com  for the collection)
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