Dear Friends,

An ancient Sanskrit saying says, woman is the home and the home is the basis of society. It is as we build our homes that we can build our country. If the home is inadequate–either inadequate in material goods and necessities or inadequate in the sort of friendly, loving atmosphere that every child needs to grow and develop–then that country cannot have harm ony and no country which does not have harmony can grow in any direction at all.
That is why women’s education is almost more important than the education of boys and men. We–and by “we” I do not mean only we in India but all the world–have neglected women education. It is fairly recent. Of course, not to you but when I was a child, the story of early days of women’s education in England, for instance, was very current. Everybody remembered what had happened in the early days.

Now, we have got education and there is a debate all over the country whether this education is adequate to the needs of society or the needs of our young people. I am one of those who always believe that education needs a thorough overhauling. But at the same time, I think that everything in our education is not bad, that even the present education has produced very fine men and women, specially scientists and experts in different fields, who are in great demand all over the world and even in the most affluent countries. Many of our young people leave us and go abroad because they get higher salaries, they get better conditions of work.

But it is not all a one-sided business because there are many who are persuaded and cajoled to go even when they are reluctant. We know of first class students, especially in medicine or nuclear energy for instance, they are approached long before they have passed out and offered all kinds of inducements to go out. Now, that shows that people do consider that they have a standard of knowledge and capability which will be useful any where in the world.

So, that is why I say that there is something worthwhile. It also shows that our own ancient philosophy has taught us that nothing in life is entirely bad or entirely good. Everything is somewhat of a mixture and it depends on us and our capability how we can extract the good, how we can make use of what is around us. There are people who through observation can learn from anything that is around them. There are others who can be surrounded by the most fascinating people, the most wonderful books, and other things and who yet remain quite closed in and they are unable to take anything from this wealth around them.
Our country is a very rich country. It is rich in culture, it is rich in many old traditions–old and even modern tradition. Of course, it has a lot of bad things too and some of the bad things are in the society–superstition, which has grown over the years and which sometimes clouds over the shining brightness of ancient thought and values, eternal values. Then, of course, there is the physical poverty of large numbers of our people. That is something which is ugly and that hampers the growth of millions of young boys and girls. Now, all these bad things we have to fight against and that is what we are doing since Independence.

But, we must not allow this dark side of the picture which, by the way, exists in every country in the world. Even the most rich country in the world has its dark side, but usually other people hide their dark sides and they try to project the shining side or the side of achievement. Here in India, we seem to want to project the worst side of society. Before anybody does anything, he has to have, of course, knowledge and capability, but along with it he has to have a certain amount of pride in what he or she is doing. He has to have self-confidence in his own ability. If your teacher tells, “You cannot do this,” even if you are a very bright student I think every time you will find, it will be more and more difficult for you to do it. But if your teacher encourages saying, “Go along you have done very good work, now try a little harder,” then you will try a little harder and you will be able to do it. And it is the same with societies and with countries.

This country, India, has had remarkable achievements to its credit, of course in ancient times, but even in modern times, I think there are a few modern stories, success stories, which are as fascinating as the success story of our country. It is true that we have not banished poverty, we have not banished many of our social ills, but if you compare us to what we were just about 60 years ago, I think that you will not find a single other country that has been able to achieve so much under the most difficult circumstances.

Today, we are passing through specially dark days. But these are not dark days for India alone. Except for the countries which call themselves socialist and about which we do not really know very much, every other country has the same sort of economic problems, which we have. Only a few countries, which have very small populations, have no unemployment. Otherwise, the rich countries also today have unemployment. They have shortages of essential articles. They have shortages even of food.

As I said, we do have many shortcomings, whether it is the government, whether it is the society. Some are due to our traditions because, as I said, not all tradition is good. And one of the biggest responsibilities of the educated women today is how to synthesise what has been valuable and timeless in our ancient traditions with what is good and valuable in modern thought. All that is modern is not good just as all that is old is neither all good nor all bad. We have to decide, not once and for all but almost every week, every month what is coming out that is good and useful to our country and what of the old we can keep and enshrine in our society. To be modern, most people think that it is something of a manner of dress or a manner of speaking or certain habits and customs, but that is not really being modern. It is a very superficial part of modernity.

Sometimes, I am very sad that even people who do science are quite unscientific in their thinking and in their other actions–not what they are doing in the laboratories but how they live at home or their attitudes towards other people. Now, for India to become what we want it to become with a modern, rational society and firmly based on what is good in our ancient tradition and in our soil, for this we have to have a thinking public, thinking young women who are not content to accept what comes from any part of the world but are willing to listen to it, to analyse it and to decide whether it is to be accepted or whether it is to be thrown out and this is the sort of education which we want, which enables our young people to adjust to this changing world and to be able to contribute to it.

Some people think that only by taking up very high jobs, you are doing something important or you are doing national service. But we all know that the most complex machinery will be ineffective if one small screw is not working as it should and that screw is just as important as any big part. It is the same in national life. There is no job that is too small; there is no person who is too small. Everybody has something to do. And if he or she does it well, then the country will run well.

In our superstition, we have thought that some work is dirty work. For instance, sweeping has been regarded as dirty. Only some people can do it; others should not do it. Now we find that manure is the most valuable thing that the world has today and many of the world’s economies are shaking because there is not enough fertilizer–and not just the chemical fertilizer but the ordinary manure, night-soil and all that sort of thing, things which were considered dirty.

Now it shows how beautifully balanced the world was with everything fitted in with something else. Everything, whether dirty or small, had a purpose. We, with our science and technology, have tried to–not purposely, but somehow, we have created an imbalance and that is what is troubling, on a big scale, the economies of the world and also people and individuals. They are feeling alienated from their societies, not only in India but almost in every country in the world, except in places where the whole purpose of education and government has to be to make the people conform to just one idea. We are told that people there are very happy in whatever they are doing. If they are told to clean the streets, well, if he is a professor he has to clean the streets, if he is a scientist he has to do it, and we were told that they are happy doing it. Well, if they are happy, it is alright.

But I do not think in India we can have that kind of society where people are forced to do things because we think that they can be forced maybe for 25 years, maybe for 50 years, but sometime or the other there will be an explosion. In our society, we allow lots of smaller explosions because we think that that will guard the basic stability and progress of society and prevent it from having the kind of chaotic explosion which can retard our progress and harmony in the country.

So, I hope that all of you who have this great advantage of education will not only do whatever work you are doing keeping the national interests in view, but you will make your own contribution to creating peace and harmony, to bringing beauty in the lives of our people and our country. I think this is the special responsibility of the women of India. We want to do a great deal for our country, but we have never regarded India as isolated from the rest of the world. What we want to do is to make a better world. So, we have to see India’s problems in the perspective of the larger world problems.

Jai Hind
Dr Sumit Dubey
New Delhi








* Courtesy Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ji

REALITY AND STRESS MANAGEMENT: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

Many prominent stress management experts advocate meditation for stress relaxation. In view of the social reality; it may be advisable to ask ourselves; following questions.

How can you feel relaxed by meditation even as you are commuting for about three to four hours every day for job?

How can you feel relaxed by meditation even as you are getting irritated due to the conditions of road, traffic jam, noise pollution, lack of adequate toilets and so on?

How can you feel relaxed by meditation even as you understand that excessive production and promotion of private vehicles is responsible for the killing chaos on roads, and yet; not be able to do anything about it?

How can you relax by meditation; when you know that lack of adequate public transport is aggravating these conditions, and still not be able to do anything about it and so get suffocated?

How can you feel relaxed by meditation when you are going through several such stressful issues; helplessly?

Are the strong advocates and protagonists of the meditation; aware of this; or; they themselves are they over ambitious about the efficacy of meditation; in individual and social life; because of illusions? Do they really feel that all the sociopolitical and economic problems would be solved by meditation; or they are helplessly trying to somehow; “market meditation”?

After having asked these questions about meditation; let us ask the following questions about NAMASMARAN, which is a core of Total Stress Management.

Does NAMASMARN require any specific conditions?

Does it require money?

Does it require any specific binding, compulsions, conditions etc?

Is it promoted and marketed on TV channels?

Are there any false claims about NAMASMARAN?

Is NAMASMARAN sold by franchise; as is the case with many types of meditation?

Doe it not give us SAT BUDDHI; to evolve global perspective, policy, plans, programs and empower us; in their execution for individual and global blossoming?

In short; does it not empower us; to engender objective holistic systemic changes; conducive to overcome stress; mentioned in above issues; in contrast to meditation, in which all this never intended?

NAMA is a word used to indicate true self; inseparable from the unifying universal self. Hence forgetting our self or being oblivious to our self can be referred to as NAMAVISMARAN [NAMA (self); VISMARAN (forgetting)].

As we “forget” our true self (NAMAVISMARAN), i.e. undergo a “descent” into our caricatures, we begin to live as our caricatures. We then get segregated into races, philosophies, ideologies, religions, cultures, nations, regions, families and individuals! Latter we descend further by the downward momentum of individualization and into pettier and meaner life!

This universal process of NAMAVISMARAN manifests in the form of individualistic whims, fancies, idiosyncrasies, delinquencies, perversions, family disputes, quarrels; and world wide spate of antisocial activities leading to discord and destruction.

Since the root of the individual and universal problems; lies in the universal process of NAMAVISMARAN, the panacea for the radical measure for the cure and prevention of the individual and universal problems; lies in reversal of the prevalent universal process of NAMAVISMARAN through active practice and promotion of universal process of NAMASMARAN.

One can verify this; by the practice of NAMASMARAN; in personal life; by getting the reassuring and blissful experience of regeneration and rejuvenation of the petty self, by NAMA!

The Total Stress Management or Holistic Health incorporates blossoming of an individual and universe; and the various efforts in achieving this; include holistic perspective, accurate and appropriate policies and effective implementation at individual and global level in different fields of life; and these efforts in case of medicine; constitute holistic medicine.

The concept of holistic medicine emerges as a result of realization of the underlying unity, continuity and complementarity; amongst the apparently different disciplines of healing and preventive and social medicine (In fact it emerges from the realization of the universal unity, continuity and complementarity). This is emergence of SATVIKA JNAANA (Geeta 18.20).

Promoters and supporters of holistic medicine; accept and welcome; the healing products and services from all the walks of life; for can restoring and promoting holistic health.

It is usual for most of us to get stuck to the differences (in the study of different fields) as and when they strike our senses; and build our concepts; based on these isolated observations of ours. The knowledge and understanding of different fields or disciplines as separate disjointed or disconnected entities; is called RAJASA JNAANA (Geeta 18.21).

Those who either practice mixed or integrated medicine or are not averse to dialogue or advocate it, may fit in this category.

The third variety is ignorance about every other medical discipline and adamant adherence to any given medical discipline alone; is a state of darkness called TAMASA JNAANA (Geeta 18.22).

Most of the warring factions from different medical disciplines; opposing the emergence of holistic medicine can fit in this category.

The word holistic is derived from the Greek word holos which literally means a) Taking in the whole of something b) Whole of organism is a more fruitful field of study than its parts or symptoms.

It can be stated for the sake of simplicity and further clarity; that:

The holistic medicine is trans-religious (not religious or not non religious i.e. neither holy nor unholy), trans-national (neither national nor non-national/anti-national), trans-cultural (neither of a particular culture nor against any particular culture), trans-intellectual (neither bound in a particular intellectual framework nor opposed to a particular intellectual framework), trans-ideological (neither committed to a particular ideology nor opposed to a particular ideology) and trans-scientific (neither unscientific nor locked in rigid criteria of physical sciences)!

Study of holistic medicine constitutes efforts to understand, visualize and realize the multi-charactered, multifaceted, multidimensional and multi-layered complex nature of life (in addition to what is learnt in allopathy or what is learnt in any one discipline).

The intention of the study is to comprehend the agreement, continuity and validity (or otherwise) of the concepts of different disciplines (allopathy, Ayurveda, SAANKHYA philosophy, homeopathy, yoga, Chinese medicine etc.), which emerge and get evolved from different levels of consciousness; of differently constituted individuals; in different regions; at different time periods; with different backgrounds.

The approach of holistic medicine; can not be classified merely; as eclectic, analytical, synthetic or reductionist etc. The holistic approach embodies all these as means to “see” the unity and continuity in different phenomena.

The holistic medicine is therefore not a new system or a new discipline of medicine. It is a way to see things as they are rather than how they appear; and thereby preserve and promote holistic health and healing.

Studying holistic medicine; simultaneously makes us aware of possibilities as well as limitations. For example understanding the ayurvedic concepts such as DOSHA, DHATU, MALA, their balance, their imbalance, the concept of PRAKRUTI i.e. constitution etc. with holistic approach, add new dimension to the knowledge of the student of physiology as well as to the diagnostic skills of a clinician from the discipline of allopathy.

Understanding of the concepts of panchakarma, naturopathy, yoga etc. with holistic approach makes the treatment also more effective because several different modalities and remedies in the repertoire act at different levels or different points and complementarily.

Study of holistic medicine; also makes us aware of the importance of the analytical approach inherent to allopathy. This is why a student of holistic medicine is unprejudiced, open and objective.

Besides; the holistic understanding of human existence (which is fundamental to the study of holistic medicine); gives us insight into the enormous healing powers; inside patient, in the environment; and helps us to help him/her to use those powers beneficially. This is a great benefit in terms of empowerment of the clinician as well as the patient.

Thus; holistic medicine relieves us (health care providers such as doctors and paramedics) and all others; from the unhealthy patronizing and condescending attitude! It gives us; the courage to see their ignorance and admit it. It imparts intellectual honesty to admit the ignorance hidden under the Greek, Latin, Sanskrit or other esoteric/mystifying terms, characteristic to many branches of science in general and medicine in particular.

Take for example hysteria. We do not know any physiological mechanisms underlying this condition. But the ignorance is hidden under the term. Another example is that dreams, thoughts, emotions etc. The ignorance about the physical dimensions of dreams, thoughts, emotions etc, even as we can not dispute or disprove their existence; is hidden under several terms! Holistic medicine discourages and disapproves knowingly or unknowingly practiced hypocrisy and imparts humility.

Some more examples from the disciplines of medicine are as follows. Holistic approach enables us to see the limitations intrinsic to the concept of standardization of weight, height and possible errors in interpretation of biochemical parameters and calculations of regimentalized doses of drugs; because of the lack of due consideration to variations in the constitutions.

Holistic medicine cautions us against indiscriminate use of ayurvedic drugs without due consideration to the variation in the quality, nature, source etc. of the ingredients of the drug as well as the constitution of the patient and the type of climate.

Holistic medicine gives us insight into the possible mechanism of the action of homeopathic drugs on the one hand and cautions about the ambiguity in the method of diagnosis arising out of subjective factors related to the doctor as well as the patient, on the other. Holistic medicine indicates the complementarity between the actions of different remedies from different disciplines of medicine and improves the healing process.

Holistic medicine reveals to us the possibility of “cosmic homeostasis” on the one hand; while simultaneously exposing the possible fallibility; intrinsic to the tall claims and sectarian practice of distance healing, gemology, astrology, numerology etc. which have different approaches and interpretations, without sufficiently convincing reasons; and which oppose the science blindly.

Beside all above, implication of the holistic medicine is; its readiness to change and accommodate new ideas, i.e. not getting shackled in dogmas of any kind.

But possibly the most important implication is development of proper perspective about the health and healing, which would help in development of proper policies of services, education, research, and production in the field of mainstream medical care, education, research and coordination of all these; with policies in the other fields (influencing the health directly and indirectly) such as education, industry, environment, agriculture etc.

From practical point of view, the syllabus, practice and research of holistic medicine; in every healing center besides all hospitals and medical colleges; should incorporate; NAMASMARAN, prayers, water therapy, proper food (diet), mud packing, massage, yoga, music, colors, aroma and other appropriate healing methods (so much recommended by Mahatma Gandhi)! Holistic medicine is a major tool for individual, national and universal blossoming!

The Kumbha Mela (gathering) takes place in four places in India viz. Ujjain, Kashi, Haridwar and Varanasi (Allahabad). The auspicious period repeats itself every twelve years. Millions of people collect and take bath in Ganga.

What is so special about this period?

The explanation of salvation from sins is inexplicable in scientific terms, because science does not conceive the meaning of “paap and punya” i.e. “sin and good deed” respectively.

The alternative explanation is probably as follows.

All paap or sin is that which takes us away from our true self, i.e. disorients us from ourselves. All punya is that, which enhances our orientation to our true self.

The kumbha period, by virtue of the characteristic constellation (The specific constellation during this time is Sun enters the Mesha rashi, Moon enters the Dhanu rashi and Guru enters the Kumbha rashi); according to Indian or the lunar calendar) seems to influence certain and places and rivers; beneficially; making them conducive to orientation to cosmic self.

Since the human beings are subtly connected with rest of the universe, these places and rivers probably enhance the orientation of human beings also; to their true self.

This is broadly analogous to the help one gets from the wind while sailing. The external and internal environment when favorable, one can get reoriented to the true self and experiences self realization!

The kumbha period (parva) probably signifies such a period full of benevolence!

It is essential to explore and appreciate; the subtle links between different physiological and anatomical phenomena in the human beings and the Kumbha Parva; and also links between the subtle changes in the rivers and some places; responsible for transcendental benefit during this specific period; and Kumbha Parva.

The sociological, economic and other explanations (such as microbiological) offered are simplistic; and hence conceal the truth that can blossom the whole world!

Is it possible; to explore this truth; through NAMASMARAN, which is said to blossom us from within; while we are keenly involved in our pursuit of exploring the reality hidden in astronomy and astrology?


PANCHANG:
Indian calendar is called panchang [pancha = five anga= aspects or parts; viz. tithi, war, nakshatra, karan and ayan].