About Happiness
Not long ago, within a few days, I came upon two interesting articles.
The first one tells about a research done at Yale University in the USA. It dealt with studying people who are seeking happiness in their lives. After many years of research, the results were striking. It turned out that, compared to people not seeking happiness in life; the seekers have the highest ratios of suicide, disease, depression, and alcohol and drug abuse. They are also under more stress. The scientists concluded that the pursuit of happiness itself causes stress. I agree. But why is everything so dramatic?
The second article is about another research. For many years, scientists were comparing the lives of optimists and pessimists. The results were once again paradoxical from the scientific point of view. The research showed that pessimists live longer than optimists, they are more successful and satisfied in life and they are also healthier.
Let’s look at all this from the point of view of Santana Dharma or The Eternal Teaching, as it is translated from Sanskrit. It has answers to absolutely all questions people might have. From the very beginning of our classes, I suggest that people crush their hopes. Sounds weird, cruel and confusing? Why crush our hopes? How are we supposed to live without hope? What about hope dying last? Etc. I guess, everything inside of you resists this idea.
In reality, hope is a form of Maya or illusion. The majority of hopes will never come true. Life is designed to have all illusions destroyed, both bad ones and good ones. Indeed, life destroys them. The greater the illusion is the more ruthless its annihilation will be. Why? Very simple – illusions, like pink tinted glasses, distort reality, but one of the main goals in life for people is to learn to see reality and be able to tell the difference between cause and effect. In the Vedic tradition, this is called Viveka. So, illusion or hope is our enemy. “What about happiness”, you might ask. After all, the main hope of all people is to be happy. This is where I always ask a question – who was it that told you people are supposed to be happy in life? How can a person be happy in Kali Yuga when at least 75% of Karma is negative Karma? In all practicality, this percentage is even greater. Can we be happy with so much negative Karma? We are in prison on planet Earth. We have committed different offenses and are under different conditions and terms of imprisonment. People are not placed in prison to enjoy life – they are there to be punished, to have their freedom taken away, to atone for their wrongdoings and to reform. Buddha said for a reason that life is suffering. I usually say that, in Kali Yuga, having it bad is normal, whereas having it good is an exception.
This all means that the very idea of seeking happiness in our time, called Kali Yuga, is a utopia. That is how the results of these research cases are explained. In other words, people are seeking something that does not exist and, once they do not get it, they experience stress and disappointment, disappointment being the number one cause of all their illnesses and problems.
Imagine that your birthday is coming. You are hoping to receive a Mercedes, a BMW, a diamond ring or at least a fur coat as a gift. You are excruciated with expectation. Finally, the awaited day comes, the bell rings and you rush to the door. He, your prince, is at the doorstep holding a tulip. What will you feel at this moment? The cruelest disappointment. And why is that? Because you had hope. Now imagine a different situation – you are not expecting anything and are not even hoping for your prince to show up at all, you have no expectations whatsoever. Now the same tulip will turn out to be a wonderful gift.
Well, what about optimism and pessimism, to what, the so called “positive thinking” that is taught on every corner? Tell me, is there anyone who thinks negatively, anyone who wants to harm himself? All living beings want to live and wish to be well. Even masochists ask for pain because it makes them feel better. Everyone thinks positively, but to no effect. There is a good eastern proverb, saying “you can scream “halva” (a sweet dish) all you want, but that will not make your mouth sweet”. So, pessimists and people not seeking happiness feel better in life because their way of thinking is closer to reality and, as a result, they have less disappointment. Life does not go the way we want it to, it goes its way according to Karma, but Karma, as seen before, is mainly negative. That is a different topic, however. I will talk about Karma and the ways of changing it in a special class.
This information was known in Santana Dharma since the creation of the world. Modern science only reached these conclusions now. Better late than never! :)
At this point, I would like to calm you down and ease the stress. Everything that has been said does not mean there is no happiness. Happiness exists, but in Santana Dharma happiness means something else. What people call happiness is not real happiness, I call it the joy of possession. For example, you buy a car or get married and you feel “happy” about it. Then, you crash the car or your spouse leaves you – what happens to your “happiness”? Where does it go? In Yoga, real happiness is a state of mind that is independent of external circumstance. You are happy on your own. This happiness does not have to be sought anywhere. It is always with you – inside you. Hence, the very idea that happiness is somewhere outside of you, that is has to be “sought” and “fought for” already means that you will never find it. You are doomed. Ancient wisdom says that you will go and seek and never find but, once you stop, it will come on its own.
Where does this naive idea of happiness in life come from? Why do people who have never seen and known happiness in their lives, after experiencing continuous disappointments in the pursuit of it, still seek it? The answer lies in the fact that, a very long time ago in Satya Yuga or the golden age, everyone was happy, primarily because they lived in God and according to the laws of Dharma. As usual, everything degrades with time – only brandy gets better over time. There is no evolution, there is only devolution. As for our bright future, it simply cannot come true. All the talk about it is a form of Maya or illusion or, to call a spade a spade, a type of collective hope. The memory of that state has remained very deep in peoples’ subconscious and makes them seek. But they are not seeking where the happiness actually was and still is. In Kali Yuga, the form replaces content and effects replace causes – that is why people seek it outside of themselves instead of inside and do not find it, of course. True happiness is God. If you have God in your consciousness you will be truly happy. If God is not there, nothing and no one will replace it for you. The Bible says “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”.
There you go.
Why Medicine cannot Cure a Disease but can Save Life
First of all, what is a disease? In Ayurveda, a disease is called “prajaa aparaadha” which comes from Sanskrit terms “prajaa”, meaning mankind, birth and life, and “aparaadha”, meaning committing sin, offence, infringement, crime and fault. Therefore, having a disease means infringing the basic principles of life. What a useful thing it is to know Sanskrit, by the way!
According to Ayurveda, a sick person is an offender with twofold blame – first, for being sick himself, as his disease is an offence of the laws of nature and, second, for burdening the surrounding people and society by causing them to give him time, attention and resources. A strange thing happens – a person gets sick, so he starts getting attention and care, he is freed from work and receives a sick-list. In other words, the offender receives material stimulus. Hence, being sick is honorable. Healthy people are due to none of the above. Things are upside-down, as is often the case.
In Sanatana Dharma or the Vedic tradition, the most gruesome sin is Avidya. Avidya is ignorance or the incapability of distinguishing between cause and effect. This is a global problem that affects all aspects of human life. I shall provide a simple example from medicine. Let us imagine that a person gets the flu. This person’s temperature has risen which means that the “jatara agni” or the digestive fire has started working. This fire has two basic functions in our body: digesting food and burning everything that is of danger to our organism, thus, securing our immunity. Furthermore, it cannot perform both of these functions at once, therefore, when a person becomes ill, his appetite is lost which means that the “jatara agni” has switched to “burning” the infection. What solutions does medicine offer in this case? It offers using antipyretics or, in other words, killing the “jatara agni” with a fire extinguisher. How does this affect the illness? It starts going deeper into the organism and taking longer to cure. Sometimes, the illness becomes chronic. The temperature is not a cause. It is an effect and a sign of the body fighting the infection. Reducing the temperature means hampering the body’s fight against the disease.
Ayurveda says that all the existing diseases have only two causes: undigested food or “amma” and undigested emotions. When these two are joined, people start experiencing the diseases that they are inclined to have according to their Karma. The Karma is reflected in their “janma kundali” (their horoscope). For these reasons, ancient Vaidyas or Vedic healers are, first of all, astrologers, as the horoscope is a great diagnostic tool. This is written in ancient treatises and is also confirmed by my nearly 35 years of practice. A person’s horoscope provides a look at their future diseases long before they appear.
What is undigested food? First of all, it is food that a person cannot digest on principle, such as corpses of animals or highly technologically modified food, such as margarine (which is only one molecule away from being plastic) as well as other chemical products, medicine and vitamins. Secondly, it is food that does not match the person’s “prakrti” or Ayruvedic constitution depending on the dominant “dosha” – “vatta”, “pitta” or “kapha”.
What about undigested emotions? We have more than enough of those. These are the preconditions necessary for getting sick- the appearance of diseases is only a matter of time, determined by Karma and reflected in the person’s “janma kundali”. I can tell anyone who is interested about what diseases they will have and when. This has been verified by tens of thousands of people in my practice.
You could object – “we didn’t know what “amma” or “prakrti” is”. My response is that ignorance of the law does not exempt you from liability. This is what I just mentioned when writing about ignorance. Just like there are physical, chemical and other laws of nature, there are laws of Karma that guide the lives of people and the offence which creates problems and diseases.
Karma Yoga teaches that our life is a reflection of our consciousness. To be more precise, it is that part of the consciousness that is structured by “sanskaras” or written in the consciousness by Karma. This is very important – It is not structured by the thoughts, hopes and dreams of a person, but by “sanskaras”, real consequences of his actions. Everyone wants to be healthy and young (show me someone who does not want that) yet, somehow hardly anyone achieves it. Karma stands in the way.
This means that diseases are the consequences of people’s abuse of themselves and the laws of nature. They are also the consequences of the improper lifestyle led by these people. A sick person goes to a doctor and asks for pills for his disease so he can continue the lifestyle that made him sick. The doctor gives him the pills. What happens next? The sick person gets back to the usual lifestyle, the pills do not work, and moreover, they create new ailments resulting from the negative side effects. After some time, the person will be offered to remove the sick part of the body. It is removed. And everything continues the same old way until death. There is an old joke about this:
A person comes to a doctor and complains: “Doctor, I constantly have red eyes and ringing in my ears.”
“It’s the spleen”, says the doctor. “We have to remove it.”
The spleen is removed. After some time, the same person comes again and says: “Doctor, I have red eyes and ringing in my ears, just like before.”
“It’s appendicitis. We have to take it out”, the doctor replies.
It is taken out. After a while, the sick person comes back again. “Doctor, I still have red eyes and ringing in my ears.”
“My dear, unfortunately, you have last-stage cancer and you only have a month to live.”
The person comes back home and decides “I’m dying anyway, so I’ll at least have a good time during this last month. From now on I’ll go to restaurants, have drinks, party around, have fun and do everything I want. ” But first, he decides to make himself an expensive suit and goes to see a tailor. He comes to the tailor and says: “I want to order a size 50 suit and a size 40 shirt.”
After taking a look and making measurements, the tailor says: “Your size is 42.”
“That can’t be right. I’ve always worn size 40 shirts.”
“Sir,” says the tailor, “I’m an old man and I’ve been making suits and shirts for different people for fifty years. I can tell my client’s size.”
“But I’m used to wearing size 40 shirts and I don’t want to change anything at the end of my life.”
“Fine then, let it be your way. But I’m warning you – you will have red eyes and ringing in your ears.”
When a sick person goes to a doctor and asks the doctor for a pill, he actually assumes that the pill can change his Karma and free him from the disease that punishes him for breaking the laws of nature and life. This is naivete to its fullest extent. This is how ignorance works. A pill cannot change a person’s Karma. Moreover, the pill creates side-effects and makes the condition worse, thus, adding to Karma and to the punishment. If that was not true, there would no longer be any sick people. Just think about the following for a second. In the world, tens of kilos of drugs are manufactured per person, trillions of dollars are spent on health care, an army of doctors is trained, thousands and thousands of hospitals and sanatoriums are open. What is the result? Here it is. In the year 1900, 1% of the population of the Earth could get cancer, cardiovascular diseases and other terminal illnesses. In the year 2000, this indicator was 60%. In 1900, one person out of 8000 was at the risk of getting cancer, whereas, in 2000, it was 4000 people out of 8000 – in one hundred years, the number has increased 4000 times!
It is just like the Bible says – “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Using a modern expression, “we tried our best – you know the rest”.
According to Yoga, a disease is a benefit. First of all, it shows a person that the old ways of living are no longer suitable and they have to be changed. It is a hint. Secondly, a disease is a way of cleansing and survival for the body. Therefore, diseases are our friends and teachers, but only for those who are willing to learn from them. For example, did you know that 90% of all cancerous diseases appear and disappear on their own? 40 times more cancer is found after autopsies than in living people. By the way, the flu and other illnesses causing the body temperature to rise are a natural way for the organism to get rid of cancer, as cancer cells die when the body temperature rises. This does not mean that one should necessarily get ill, not at all. If you are free of “amma” you will neither get cancer, nor the flu. Simply put, our organism is our friend, and it is always on our side, but diseases are a way for it to survive. We need not fight the disease, as doing so would mean fighting the body – we need to help the organism get rid of the reasons causing the disease.
We must always keep in mind that humans are created by God and that our organism has millions of years of experience in surviving. The body is an absolute, perfect, self-regulating system. The best thing to do is not to poke our noses into it searching for spare parts, and just leave it to its own devices. It will do the rest on its own. Also, we must always listen to it – it will give us all the hints by itself.
Medicine can save a life in extreme situations, in cases of physical traumas, accidents, etc. It cannot cure a disease, but it can save a life. How come? It is simple – because health and lifespan are completely different and unrelated aspects. A person can be sick all life long and live to be very old, whereas he can also be healthy and die in a car accident at the age of 20. The fact of the matter is that the lifespan depends on the Karma of a person, not the person’s health. In particular, the lifespan depends on what the person has left to do in this incarnation. The Karma of a person can make medicine save his life. Therefore, extreme medical help is necessary for saving lives, but it is helpless in curing diseases.
Yoga does not cure disease. Yoga eliminates the cause of disease. This is possible only when a person changes his consciousness, since our lives are a reflection of it.
Diseases are caused by the same old eternal reason – the inability to understand cause and effect. The disease is an effect, whereas the cause is the way of thinking and the resulting way of life. As long as this cause is not altered, getting rid of the disease is impossible.
Sanatana Dharma is a science of life and a science of changing life, including eliminating disease from our lives.
Kalarippayattu - mother of Martial Arts
   
Kalaripayattu is a millennia-old martial art and tantric system of human development. Its roots are found in Dhanurveda (a Vedic treatise on the art of war) and oral master-pupil traditions predating the written documentation of Dhanurveda, as well as other ancient sciences of the physical and subtle human body, human psychology and role in the universe.
The Puranas or Vedic myths have it that the primary source of this martial art is Shiva, the Deity or the aspect of the absolute universal consciousness symbolizing and embodying the ultimate transformation of the consciousness. Shiva passed this knowledge to Parashurama (one of the incarnations of Vishnu) and the sage Rishi Agastya. Both of them had undertaken long and severe austerities to earn Shiva’s benevolence and have him reveal the knowledge of martial arts. Parashurama and Rishi Agastya passed this knowledge on to chosen disciples. Thereafter, for thousands of years, this knowledge was preserved and passed on up until modern days. Long-time practitioners of Kalarippayattu acknowledge that his mystical discipline is of higher divine origin – including Christians, Muslims and followers of other paths of inner growth.
It used to be that Kalarippayattu had to be learned by all children from the age of seven – both boys and girls (girls could choose whether or not to continue their practice after reaching puberty). Monks and priests who always followed the principles of Ahimsa or nonviolence were also masters of Kalarippayattu, so they could defend themselves, people close to them and other members of the society when all other options failed. Such sacred warriors are depicted in Mahabharata and other Puranas .
In the last centuries, most existing teachers and experts of Kalarippayattu have remained in Kerala, a southern state of India. Thanks to masters of Kalarippayattu, the state of Kerala has always been able to fight off the countless attacks of invaders who on multiple occasions took over most of India – including the military offensive of the Portuguese, Arab sultans and British imperial forces. Kerala never succumbed to physical force. It finally fell because of corrupt traitors bribed by the British. After the British rule was consolidated, Kalarippayattu was forbidden and existing masters had to preserve and teach it secretly. Later on, Kalarippayattu saw several revivals and declines. Parts of the knowledge were lost, but, fortunately, a significant portion has been preserved and is taught to this day.
Both in ancient times and today, the circle of interest in Kalarippayattu is not limited only to warriors, yogis and enthusiasts of oriental martial arts. As mentioned above, this martial art and art of inner perfection was mandatory for everyone and was taught in childhood. Furthermore, Kalarippayattu was also an integral part in the curriculum of traditional Indian dance practitioners, since long-time practice of Kalarippayattu develops a special kind of sense of space – specific muscle action, coordination and perception of the surroundings. Thus, progress is enhanced in any physical activity. Today, the beneficial effects of Kalarippayattu are also recognized by professional fighting sportsmen from around the world – adding elements of Kalarippayattu to their training programs makes them more successful in their fighting disciplines and helps them advance faster in the career and in tournaments.
So, what makes Kalarippayattu so special and distinct? One of the main advantages of Kalarippayattu is having a much wider scope of knowledge at its core of individual development than just theory of training physiology and reaction. Kalarippayattu develops more than the physical human body – to a great extent, it also perfects and balances the subtle or energetic system of the human constitution. Experts of Kalarippayattu are knowledgeable in Nadis (energetic channels), Chakras (energetic centers or knots), Marma Chikitsa (energetic junctions on the human body), Tridosha Vidya (the three main constitutions of the energetic structure of humans), the principles of Shiva and Shakti (the balance of so called universal male and female energies), Dhyana (meditative states of consciousness), as well as energetically-shamanistic links with the animal world that, after long-time practice, allow obtaining certain skills and instincts of animals.
This infinitely great knowledge has various applications when learning Kalarippayattu.
- First, it is used to fully facilitate and optimize the development of the physical body, as body movements and exercises done in adherence to correct energetic principles make muscles and ligaments work with a much more optimal use of Prana (subtle inner energy) – the body learns to develop itself by using less force and causing less tiredness. Soon enough, people get a “charge” of energy and strength by doing seemingly tiresome and complicated exercises. This “charge” stays for days and, with long-time practice, becomes more and more tangible and useful. It also has therapeutic and revitalizing effects on the body.
- Second, by balancing the subtle structures of the human constitution the psyche is balanced as well – tardy, indolent and unconfident people quickly become much more lively, cheerful and stronger in their personality, whereas overly aggressive and fiery ones attain adequateness and calm. In other words, both body and spirit are balanced out. Our long-term practitioners have already been able to verify that critical situations of conflict can be resolved just by this inner strength of spirit alone. Also, such inner balance gives a person more peace and satisfaction in life, as well as a different and more complete understanding of events in all aspects of life.
- Third, this energetic balance provides a different kind of a link of with the surrounding world and people – practitioners attain a very timely sense of approaching dangerous events and their course. Thus, one knows in advance what to expect and how to react, often without having the time to logically think it over. Physical sensations are also intensified – people learn to see, hear and sense more. This is where knowledge of the shamanic effects of so called animal postures also comes in handy. Many more interesting details about this can be learned in our classes.
- Finally, the understanding of one’s own energetic build also gives a more complete idea of the features of other people’s bodies. This allows for knowledge of how to neutralize an opponent quicker and more effectively in the case of a necessity (how to affect certain parts of the body and Marmas or energetic junctions), as well as an understanding of giving first aid to reanimate the offender so as to keep him alive, or, say, give timely help to people hurt in accidents etc.
As a brief summary, Kalarippayattu gives a deep and unified understanding and development of one’s body, energy and consciousness, thus also providing a more complete sense of the surrounding world and people. It is for a reason that Kalarippayattu is considered a dynamic meditation – an active meditation on us in the universe and the universe in us. The purpose of this meditation is also Yoga or Union – union with our friends and with our foes. Being in union with both allows for responding to both adequately.
And these are not the only unique and exciting qualities of Kalarippayattu!
Spring Health
Now it is time when the seasons are changing and that is quite stressful for the human body because the natural balance of elements in the nature are changing and so the same happens in the body. Especially important is that this spring, the temperature in Salt Lake City is jumping up and down, switching almost from summer time to snowy winter during one day. Here are a couple of ways to keep your health in good condition, and how to fix the problems you may already be experiencing.
First of all in every simple illness, especially if you catch it at the beginning, you can just fast for one day, drinking hot or warm water whenever you feel thirsty or hungry. That way you give your Jataragni (digestive fire) the possibility to take rest and purify itself. Though instead of having rest Jataragni is starting to clean, burn and digest all the infections, toxins undigested food waste in the body. Actually this is a good habit for almost everybody once a month on a regular basis. Just let your body have a spring cleanout.
One of the first parts of the body getting affected during this period is nose. Again in most cases simple actions will help. Rinsing the nose is one of them - you need to have a Netti pot or as it is called in sanskrit Lota, warm water, salt and nasya oil. The procedure sounds more terrible then it actually is. You fill the neti pot with warm water mixed with salt, the salinity of water should be the same as your blood, so that the nose will not mind the water. Bend down over the sink or bath so the upper body is parallel to floor, turn your head to one side put the spout of the neti pot in the upper nostril. Let all the salt water run out through other nostril, and repeat a few times before switching nostrils. After that you need to breath out all the water in the nose by strong exhaling through it while the upper body is still parallel to the floor, start with keeping face down, then turn to the left and right doing exhales. In total you should have around 100 exhales so that all the water is out. After that put couple of drops of special nasya oil, sesame oil or even just ghee in both nostrils. You should avoid going out immediately after this procedure.
Many people this season are having more Pitta problems because of extremely long placement of Mangala (Mars) in very inauspicious for him place - Karkata (Cancer sign). It makes the Agni (fire element) in connection with Jala (water) behave differently, so you have more infections, inflammations, allergies coming through cold, lungs, skin etc. That will end in the last dates of May, but until then we just have to pay attention to this.
We have many herbs, teas, neti products avaialbe at the studio, please don't hesitate to ask our desk staff about products for your needs.
Spring Health Continued
... the spring is still on, although the weather is getting more stable. So let's continue with making ourselves healthier on our own.
An important part of our life is water, more then half of the body is water and it is really crucial to have it in good quality and quantity throughout the day. The older a person gets, the less water is in the body, it slowly dries out, so not drinking enough water makes you age faster. Water is for cleaning our body, making the blood circulate, helping to get all the toxins and undigested food out of it. We can't actually digest food, if there is no water, and that leads to excess weight. Water on a more esoteric level, as gross element Apas, is responsible for all the emotions, mood, love, sex etc. If you have enough good quality water in your body and consciousness, you will have stable emotions, love and good relationships in life. Apas stands behind the principle of taste, if water in your body is in good quality and quantity, then you can get more taste from less food, which leads to less eating and loosing weight or saving some money.
So - how do we drink water the right way? There is no strict amount of water, it depends on the body type, but generally, the more thin you are, the more water you need to drink. But for all - you need to drink water whenever you are thirsty. You should only drink water or Ayurvedic teas. All juices, milk, soups etc. are food. You will satisfy your thirst with these foods, but the body will still feel thirsty without you knowing it. All soda waters and lemonades are even worse, because it destroys the digestive system from the inside.
Drinking should be done with little sips for better absorption and the water must be at least room temperature or warmer. The temperature is of utmost importance. To digest anything the body goes through a lot of chemical processes in order to transform food or drink into tissues and cells. Most chemical processes requires heat, which raises the temperature of substance and makes it transform into something totally new like brain cells. So anything that gets in the digestive system first of all needs to be heated as that requires a lot of energy. If we drink hot water or tea, then energy is saved and we can use it for health, success, wealth or anything important, because everything in our life is made out of energy. Also in summer - people from villages in the hot parts of Asia are drinking hot water or teas to not feel the heat as much, higher temperature of the drink in the body allows us not to feel or fight the temperature difference outside and inside the body.
Another tip for better digestion, health or weight issues - don't drink while eating! At least half an hour before and half an hour after food you shouldn't drink, instead do it regularly throughout the day. Imagine a fireplace for burning wood. The fireplace is our belly and the wood is food we eat. If you pour water on it, it might continue to burn, but with much less power, with lot of smoke and lot of unburned wood in form of toxic undigested food.
The best way is to drink throughout the day. You can carry a thermos with hot water or Ayurvedic tea in it. You can choose Cold season or Ginger tea for cold, Immune support tea for general immunity and for better effect add Immune Support tablets, Joint Comfort for problems with joints, Fasting tea for the days when you are not eating to let the body take care of your health . That way you will have a possibility to drink it whenever your mind gets the signal from your body in the form of thirst and you will avoid drinking in large quantities at one time. If you choose an Ayurvedic tea for your thermos, you actually are drinking medicine all the time, which makes your body healthier with every sip you take.
In case you already have a cold, flue, feel overall weakness or just for prevention purposes, you can take Amalaki for boosting up your Immune system. Amalaki is one truly amazing fruit used widely in Ayurveda. It not only makes your Immune system work better, but also nourishes your whole body and rejuvenates it. This fruit is the main ingredient of an amazing herbal mixture called Chyawanaprash, which is used in an almost lost Ayurvedic procedure called Kayakapla - total body rejuvenation! It makes the body look 30 years younger. Even more - it is one of the three ingredients of a famous and widely used Ayurvedic medicine Triphala. You can take Triphala daily without any recommendations - as a detox to clean the body and bowels from toxins, improve bowel movement, have healthy elimination, weight management or just to make any recovery process more effective.
For those of you who are more curious to learn, here is little mythology on Chawanprash: A long long time ago there was Rishi Chyawan who was immersed in a state of deep meditation called Samadhi in a forest for thousands of years. His body was covered with termite's nests so that only his eyes were seen shining out. King Sharyati's beautiful daughter Sukanya was walking in this forest and when she saw the saint Chyawan's eyes shining out of the termite's nest she thought they were fire flies, out of curiosity she pricked them. When she discovered that it was the saint's body, looking almost like a skeleton, out of fear she ran away. Because of rishi's Chyawan great power the whole kingdom and king's army started to suffer and fail. So the king went to saint Chyawan and asked him to help, he agreed with condition that he will allow him to take his beautiful daughter in marriage, who was the reason for all this. The King agreed, and the daughter started to live in the forest with the saint, she treated and served him sincerely and faithfully despite the fact that her husband was old and incapable of fulfilling his marital duties. Her sincerity and mind steadiness was so powerful that even the Devas (gods) in heaven noticed that.
One day two brothers named Ashwini Kumars, celestial healers of all gods, decided to test Sukanya by visiting her while Rishi Chyawan was not at home. She treated them with honor and respect. They asked her who she was and she told them her story. They laughed and told her to choose one of them. Sukanya closed her ears with palms and explained of her marital dharma, that once she has accepted Rishi Chyawan as her husband, she will never think about somebody else. When her husband came home, he was very pleased with his wife's loyalty, so he asked Aswini Kumaras to give Sukanya a good husband. Aswini Kumaras gave Rishi a specific rejuvenating tonic and then all three of them took a dip in the Payoshni Lake and came out young and beautiful, all three looking identically. But that didn't confuse Sukanya, she saw her husband with her inner strength and chose him. That's how the famous herb mixture Chyawanaprash got it's name.
There is also a Nakshatra (star) in the Jyotisha (vedic astrology) named Ashwini Nakshatra, which is very auspicious for starting all kind of healing processes, rejuvenations, fasting, diets, taking medicine for the first time for better results etc.
The next date with this auspicious Nakshatra is 11th of May from 2pm until 2pm on the 12th of May. |
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