VIOLENCE AND GITA: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

One of the misconceptions about Gita; is that; “Gita advocates violence”.

If we read all the 18 chapters carefully; then it would be clear that Gita considers; any activity in personal and social life conducive to forgetting of one’s immortal ‘true self’; is ADHARMA, self destruction and hence violence. The word “PRANASHYATI” is used in 6th chapter, 9th chapter and also 18th chapter; to clearly imply this meaning.

In practical life also; forgetting one’s larger self that includes father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, teacher, friend and society; is associated with overtly mean, individualistic, ungrateful, mindless, cruel, brutal, barbaric, maniacal and indiscriminate activities including self destruction and killing i.e. violence!

Hence theoretically as well as practically; any intellectual, emotional, instinctual and physical actions conducive to ‘forgetting true self’; is ADHARMA and violence.

Gita asks us to remember and focus on our immortal ‘true self’ so that our behavior remains oriented to self realization (called SWADHARMA); and participate in the struggle; ‘DHARMYA YUDDHA’ (DHARMYA-not DHARMA-means; one, which culminates in DHARMA i.e. individual and universal blossoming; and YUDDHA is struggle); and conquer the inner and outer forces opposing this; and coming in the way of; self realization and socially benevolent behavior!

Thus; Shrimat Bhagavad Gita (the proper way to refer Gita); teaches, inspires, empowers and enables us; to triumphantly and victoriously conquer the pettiness, cowardice and violence; inside as well as outside.

STRESS AND TRUE SELF: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

The study of stress leads to many questions.

One of them is; “What is ‘self’; and what is ‘true self’?”

The physical pain and pleasure, the instinctual deprivation and fulfillment, the emotional sadness and happiness, the intellectual confusion and clarity; and the subsequent behavior; constitute individual life and we identify our ‘self’ as one who experiences all these and/or one who is responsible for all these.

This ‘self’ is wrapped in; all the physiological limitations mentioned above. It is restricted in the subjective capacity to work, know and experience; by virtue of language and digits and hence space and time.

The objective reality is beyond mathematical and linguistic comprehension. It is beyond space and time. Actually it ‘is’ beyond the concepts expressed in; ‘is’, ‘being’, ‘was’, ‘is not’, ‘not being’ and ‘was not’. Those who have realized this; basically admit that it is indescribable! But still it is described as beyond the space, time and relative reality of life and death. Hence; it is described as eternal and true bliss! This is ‘true self’.

As and when; one begins the practice of NAMASMARAN; the veils of ‘self’ or ‘subjectivity’; get rarefied and the ‘true self’ or ‘objectivity’ (which “is” already there); gets unraveled. As a byproduct; the cognition, affect and conation; rise above the subjective limitations. They become universal. An individual no more remains an individual! He or she experiences the core aspirations of the entire universe and is inevitably associated with rectification of cosmic homeostasis.

The tangible aspects of such rectification embody; the universal (holistic) perspective, policies, plans, programs and implementation; i.e. Total Stress Management. This is the relationship between ‘stress’ and ‘true self’!

ORAL HEALTH AND HYGIENE: DR SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

Oral health and hygiene are well known. But following points (some hypothetical and some experienced) may be useful.

• Oral hygiene is not merely meant for dental health. If practiced in a way given below it can improve health of brain, salivary glands, sinuses, taste buds, gums and teeth.

• After getting up in morning gargle mouth with plain water or slightly salted water. Salt makes it antimicrobial. Rub the palate with thumb. This may appear clumsy. But rubbing of the whole palate stimulates the under-surface and floors of the sinuses and presumably helps improve the circulation in the sinuses and prevent congestion and stagnation of blood; and infection. It can aid in cure of infection; because antibiotics may not penetrate in (even if they are powerful); the sites of infection.

• Rub your upper gums from inside and outside with either your thumb or fingers. This would be useful to improve the blood supply to your upper gums and upper teeth. Rub the inner and outer aspects of your lower gums also. This would improve the circulation of lower gums and lower teeth.

• Rubbing of inner and outer aspects of upper and lower gums can improve the health of salivary ducts and their openings from parotid and sub-mandibular and sub-lingual glands.

• Rub the under-surface of your tongue. This will improve the health of sub-lingual salivary ducts and their openings.

• Rub the upper surface of your tongue. This would improve the health of taste buds and taste receptors.

• Oral cavity, oral structures and tongue have large representation in sensory homunculus (Representation of the body in the brain) and hence rubbing of oral cavity would stimulate these parts of brain. This is a unique and desirable stimulation not possible by any other means!

• Using tooth powders containing ayurvedic herbs have added advantages. Hence you can use Kaat (catechu), Tirfal (tomar seeds), Halad (turmeric), Amala (emblica officinalis), Harada (terminalia chebulia), Neem (azadiracta indica) etc. You may use tooth brush and tooth paste of your choice in addition to the steps described above.

• In view of psychosomatic influences the Hindu culture has evolved prayers for different physical activities; such as bath, eating, and even maintenance of oral hygiene. Following is a Sanskrit prayer offered to the herbs used in the tooth powder.

AYURBALAM YASHO VARCHAS PRAJA PASHUNWASU NI CHA BRAHMA PRAJNAN CHA MEDHA CHA TVAN NO DEHI VANASPATE

• This prayer is a request for long life, physical strength, success, potency, sharp intelligence, good progeny and above all creativity and universal perspective. Prayerful attitude makes every activity sublime and oriented towards one's own and global welfare.

• One should be careful if there are ulcers, lesions etc. But; by using fingers; you are safer than while using brush; as you can feel and judge small boils, abscesses etc with fingers, but NOT by any brush! Hence, in such cases; brushing in fact; can be far more damaging than using fingers.

• There are no clinical trials known to the author, regarding the authenticity of these steps. Hence these steps have to be if at all, followed by one's own choice, and at one's own risk. The steps described are totally harmless.

STRESS AND POLITICS: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

The news on TV showing; significant increase in mental illness (STRESS) due to poverty, unemployment and cut throat competition; confirms that; we can never succeed in Total Stress Management; without addressing the socioeconomic, political and other issues influencing our lives.

We may or may not join a particular political party, an organization, or a movement; but we have to firmly assert our conscience. If we don’t, then we will suffer from guilt conscience; in passing on this legacy to the posterity!

For Total Stress Management; the world politics ought to express the cosmic consciousness (converging into global consensus) in the form of the perspective, policy making, plans and programs for individual and global blossoming.

People with such perception, conviction and motivation ought to come together and evolve the pragmatic aspects of actual means and modalities; of policies, plans and programs.

At present also this is happening, but in a rather imperfect, immature, inaccurate, insufficient, inadequate, feeble and slow and ineffective manner.

We can verify; if this can be expedited by empowering common the deep seated urge for self realization and motivation for individual and global blossoming; in billions of living beings; through NAMASMARAN.

STRESS AND TUG OF WAR: DR SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

Some say that if an individual improves then gradually the family, the society and the whole universe would improve. Hence individual purification is most important.

Some others say that if we improve the system, then automatically the whole universe, mankind, society and the individual would improve. Hence the purification of the system is most important.

This is really a tug of war!

The individual can be “purified” if the system improves; because he/she lives within the system and in accordance with the system. Conversely the system has would get “purified”, only if the individuals controlling the system; are “purified”.

Infinite purification or shall we say blossoming; of an individual in spite of the system is theoretically possible but only in exceptional individuals. Conversely; purification of a system irrespective of the individuals; is theoretically possible only if there is an exceptionally rare leadership at the helm of the affairs.

Since these are remote possibilities; today the pursuit of individual blossoming has to be combined with universal blossoming through simultaneous process of individual and systemic purification; or shall we say rectification.

Thus we have to set the goal of immortal bliss for an individual on the one hand; and simultaneously make policies, plans and programs so as to fulfill all the physiological needs of all the age groups, races and religions; throughout the day, seasons and life!

This is called total stress management, total well being, holistic health, superliving or holistic renaissance. This simultaneous process of individual and universal blossoming can be realized by helping ourselves and the others; to orient to the true selves. This is akin to; the focus of all the instrumentalists and vocalists; on the master of orchestra; where soul stirring harmony, melody and rhythm; are produced!

We can help ourselves and the others to such orientation to the true selves; through the practice and propagation of NAMASMARAN. In absence of this; the individual emancipation is bound to remain a self deception; and the universal welfare; an unending mirage!