The traditional Indian health system is called Ayurveda or the science of Long Life. There is a predominance of the number Three in all of the different systems in this country. You have the Shrishti (creation), Sthithi (preservation) and Samhaaram (destruction), the Bhootha (past), Varthamaana, (present) and the Bhaavi (future) Kaala or Times. The Three Gunas (qualities) Sat (pure), Rajo (mixture of Sat and Thamogunas). Thamo exists as well as the Divine Trinities Saraswathi (goddess of Learning), Lakshmi (goddess of Wealth) and Kali (goddess of Protection), with Their respective consorts Brahma,Vishnu and Maheshwara.
Much like the above, the human body contains a combination of the Three Types, Vaatha (rheumatic), Piththa (consanguine) and Kapha (phlegmatic). When the Three are in proportion and balance, the body is healthy. When there is an excess or dearth of them, the body falls sick. The Indian medical system is dependent on this.
The other equally crucial factor discovered during that ancient time is that Indian Vaidyas (doctors) do not treat human beings as a visual three dimensional entity. Great value is placed on the Mind and the Spirit as well. Empirically there is an extra “invisible” element which animates the body. It is this which differentiates between a person who is in deep sleep to a person who is dead. Some intangible, but very real thing leaves the body changing its status from resting to resting forever.
It is only recently that Western medicine talks about the importance of the mind. Mind over matter has become accepted reality even in a science which tended to examine ONLY what was accessible to the Five Senses. It is when BOTH the body and the spirit pull together in the same direction that the best results are achieved.
The Vedic scheme of things sees Divinity in EVERYTHING. Human beings are not thought to be on the top of the food chain, giving him automatic control over the rest of Creation. Let us apply this to present human health quotient. Western medicine works towards the eradication of theCovid 19 virus. As neither Creation NOR Destruction is fully in the hands of human agencies, this plan has failed spectacularly!
Eradication of the Small Pox virus (except in one laboratory in the World where it is kept under controlled and contained conditions) was possible because the World population was far less than it is now. There were fairly big tracts on land where human beings were not to be found. Like for EVERY living creature, this Earth is the venue for all their activity. Our ancestors knew how to take from Nature, yet replace assets from another side. For example, if a tree wascut, seven trees had to be planted to “add” to the arboreal cover. Before the axe of the wood cutter touched the bark of the tree, the tree had to be worshipped, permission sought from the creatures who lived on the tree, apology to Mother Earth whose child we were plucking out of her etc. The Edge of the axe was lubricated with a mixture of elements like butter, honey etc and this was to lessen the pain of the stroke. Some traditional carpenters claim that these elements had properties of a local anaesthetic!
As long as human beings are seen as self contained units of chemical actions, the search for a true remedy for Covid 19 is going to be a series of very expensive and limited possibility tests. To counter the mutation is next to impossible. It would do well for people to think of”updating” their virology knowledge to at least half of their mobile phone technology!
The assumption has to be that the virus will be around for a while. The Technique is to find a way to co-exist with it. The Ayurvedic prescription of death is thus. Vaatham or rheumatism increases making the body stiff. Piththam or bile leaves the body. A lot of functions of the body then become defunct as a result of this. Then Kapham literally asphyxiates leading to the cessation of the involuntary bodily functions like blood circulation, heartbeat etc., ending up in death!
At the beginning of the now named SARS CoV-2 Pandemic, Prince Charlesthe son and heir apparent to Britain’s well loved Queen, greeted people with a classicIndian “Namaste”, literally meaning I salute the Divinity in you. Despite being reminded of our age old way of being respectful of others by none other than our erstwhile colonial masters, India did little to push our”soft” diplomacy.We could and should have made a virtue out of this global necessity.
Steam inhalation, gargling, drinking concoctions made out of natural immunity boosters like Neem leaves, Tulsi, turmeric and ginger should have been shown to the entire world as what our backyard offers us. There was a huge wasted business opportunity as well. It is sad to see our great grandmother’s recipes being touted as the “latest” fad from the West. Indians are brilliant no doubt but complacent about it. Smarter countries have learned to use what is freely available and largely ignored in India.The sanction of the victim is a definite part of being exploited.
In olden days there was a vessel full of clean water which was kept at the entrance of the house. Anybody who went out washed their mouth, face, hands and feet before coming in. This was an inadvertent but effective method of controlling unwanted infections from entering living spaces.
The West is already enamoured with Yoga. Praanayaama which deals with the breath is one of the main components of this. Barring a few WhatsApp forwards and posts on the social media, India does not seem to have done much to disseminate its ancient knowledge for the benefit of the World as well as to its own positive profile.
Manthra is nothing but Sound Energy.That Energy cannot be created or destroyed is now accepted by many. This Sound Energy released by the Manthras are a protection ring around vulnerable people and places. The High frequency dog whistle inaudible to human beings does not make sense,till the dog comes bounding up. There is evident action but no discernible cause or reason to it. Yet the arrival of the dog on command is undeniable.
One of the most spiritual persons in India revealed the Mahamari Sthothram from the Vayu Purana. It reads like a contemporary report inSanskrit of the Covid 19 situation.All the reasons for the cause and spread of illnesses is listed clearly and matter-of-factly. It is the tragedy of the current spiritual infrastructure that this Shloka is NOT told even to the acolytes of the burgeoning ashrams in the country. Reciting it will take Twenty minutes.
To proclaim that it is always Science vs Faith, Body vs Spirit etc is a brilliant and sadly highly efficient tactic of solely abusers of BOTH the factions.
It is a blatant lie to state political leaders, business magnates, sports and film stars share equality with the masses. Biologically they are the same. But the way they are treated is completely different. Unless and until common people learn to be proud of what is called common sense and start using it, people will always be doomed to be used by vicarious interests.
Thiruvathira Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi is XII Princess of the erstwhile State of Travancore.