Ayurveda treatment at the click of a mouse

Ayurveda treatment at the click of a mouse

http://www.hindu.com/2005/06/28/stories/2005062800970200.htm

Adarsh had been losing a lot of hair. But the 27-year-old, working in Dubai, had dismissed it lightly since hair loss was not unusual in places where desalinated water is used. But soon, to his dismay, he found glaring patches on his scalp. A doctor in Dubai diagnosed it as alopecia (male pattern baldness).

When medicines, including ointments, did not work, Adarsh's friends advised him to try Ayurveda. But it was not possible for him to fly down to Kerala for treatment. Someone suggested the online consultation provided by Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala.

After visiting the website www.aryavaidyasala.com, Adarsh mailed details of his problem and health parameters to the chief physician in the questionnaire mode provided at one of its links. Photos of the patches were attached with the mail.

A couple of days later, the correspondence department of the Arya Vaidya Sala e-mailed him a prescription containing a `rasayanam' and `thailam,' which he could buy in Dubai. He was asked to have only vegetarian food.

Though not new, the free online consultation has become a major service of the Arya Vaidya Sala since its inception in November 1999.

"From a single digit figure, the number of emails received daily has grown to 300. Of these, 150 pertains exclusively to consultations," says Reena Ramesh Warrier, physician, who, along with her colleague T. Sreeja Rani, runs the correspondence department with 13 others from the outpatient wing. The mails are channelled through hospital superintendent P.M. Warrier and chief physician P.K. Warrier.

From many countries

Dr. Reena Warrier says that a large number of emails are from the U.S., U.K., Australia, Germany, Canada, France and the Gulf countries. "If the mails are from Indian cities, we ask the patients to consult doctors in the nearby hospitals or the branch offices of Arya Vaidya Sala," she says.

Normally, medicines are couriered abroad. Patients in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, where import of Ayurvedic medicines is restricted, are asked to buy them in neighbouring countries, Dr. Reena Warrier says.

The emails are flooded with queries ranging from those on asthma to skin diseases. Complaints of ulcerative colitis (inflammation or sores on the large intestine), irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease (inflammation in the small intestine or other organs of the digestive tract) are common. Hooked to the Net, youngsters want tips to alleviate lifestyle disorders. Many of them also send emails on behalf of their parents and grandparents.

The older generation, especially from the West, seeks information on Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, spinal lumbar and osteoporosis. "We have also received emails seeking treatment for Rett syndrome, a rare case relating to autism,'' Dr. Reena Warrier says.

Some time ago, two doctors from Canada came here for consultation on possible Ayurvedic treatment for a lung problem. "Soon, we have plans to launch a portal that will enable the patients to chat with the physicians," she says.

 

Comprehensive article on Hindu death rituals

 

 

Death and Dying

http://www.hinduism-today.com/archives/1997/1/1997-1-03.shtml

Hinduism Today, January 1997

The Transition Called Death: Each of us must ultimately confront our mortality. For Hindus, this is not a fearsome prospect. We know we have been born and died before, and karma and reincarnation make the inevitable seem natural. One saint consoled, "Death is like falling asleep, and birth is like waking from that sleep." Simple. Other sages speak of death joyously as release from bondage, as return to our Source. The soul, the Vedas declare, is immortal.

Still, we are attached and must cope, find understanding that will make death acceptable. Our Insight this month speaks traditionally of this personal, exalted and potent experience crowning life.

 

Our faith guides our transition from this world, offering solace to the suffering and those facing the foreboding certainty of death.
"Lead me from darkness to light, from death to immortality." This famed Vedic prayer proclaims the human urge to survive, to conquer death and to know the joys of illuminated consciousness. People often pilgrimage to an isolated place in expectation of a vision, be it a jungle of fauna and foliage or cement and glass. Every person is on a vision quest. But for all souls, at the time of the great departure, mahaprasthana, a vision comes as a tunnel of light at the end of which are beings of divine nature. Many having had the near-death experience have sworn their testimony of such transforming encounters. An American woman who "died" during childbirth, but was brought back to life by quick medical action, recounted: "It was an incredible energy--a light you wouldn't believe. I almost floated in it. It was feeding my consciousness feeli! ngs of unconditional love, complete safety and complete, total perfection.

 

And then, and then, a piece of knowledge came in--it was that I was immortal, indestructible. I cannot be hurt, cannot be lost, and that the world is perfect." Hundreds of people report similar experiences, affirming what Hinduism has always taught--that death is a blissful, light-filled transition from one state to another, as simple and natural as changing clothes, far from the morbid, even hellish alternatives some dread. A Vedic funeral hymn intones: "Where eternal luster glows, the realm in which the light divine is set, place me, Purifier, in that deathless, imperishable world. Make me immortal in that realm where movement is accordant to wish, in the third region, the third heaven of heavens, where the worlds are resplendent" (Rig Veda, Aitareya Aranyaka 6-11).

 

Most often, before our own death, we encounter its reality in the passing of friends or family. Our thoughts during the rites, termed antyesti samskara in Sanskrit, turn to God. We witness the end of another's life and ask, "What am I going to do with the remaining years of my own life?" All that is said during these times reminds us that life on earth is temporary. All our possessions, power, ego and learning will end. Seeing this truth we turn the mind toward God, toward life's ultimate goal, moksha, liberation, and toward the path of dharma that will take us there. We do this not in trepidation, but in assurance, faith and gratitude for the opportunity to progress spiritually in this physical incarnation.

 

Death is defined differently according to what people believe themselves to be. If they are only the body and brain (as with humanists or atheists), then death is the end of sensory experience, of self. If we live once, death ends our only sojourn on Earth and is naturally dreaded. If we are born again and again, it loses its dread in light of the soul's pilgrimage to eternity. No matter how ill, how infirm our condition, there is a serene and consoling center of our being to which we can adjourn, the Source within. It is more us than our body, more us than our mind and emotion. It will not die. It does not hurt or fear. As physical debility and death draw near, we seek this center, whether we call it Paramatma, God, Self or Divine Consciousness. In the Krishna Yajur Veda, Katha Upanishad, Yama, Lord of Death, explains: "Death is a mere illusion which appears to those who cannot grasp Absolute Reality. The soul is immortal, self-existent, self-luminous and never dies." !

 

It is the soul's subtle body, linga sharira, that stores the "thought-energy" experiential impressions of life, called samskaras. When the body dies, this nonphysical sheath continues as a constellation of subtle elements--dispositions, memories, desires, etc. It is within this subtle body that the soul, if needed, reincarnates, as described in the Shukla Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (4.4.5-6): "A man acts according to the desires to which he clings. After death he goes to the next world bearing in his mind the subtle impressions of his deeds; and after reaping there the harvest of his deeds, he returns again to this world of action. Thus, he who has desires continues subject to rebirth." Death, according to Hinduism, is not the contradiction of life. Death and birth are two sides of life's cosmic cycle. The culmination of that cycle is liberation. As the venerable Satguru Yogaswami of Sri Lanka taught: "By getting rid of desire, man can put an end to birth alto! gether."

 

Resolving the Karmas: Many who have had a near-death experience speak of having come back to complete unfinished obligations to children, parents or friends. It is a great blessing to know of one's impending transition. A Hindu approaching death works diligently to finish all his "business" of this lifetime, the alloted portion of his total karma carried into this birth to face and resolve. If death comes while loose ends remain (misunderstandings unresolved, misdeeds unatoned for or obligations unfulfilled), another lifetime may be required to expire that karma. Thus, an aging or ailing Hindu will be seen going around to friends and enemies, giving love, help and blessings, working to resolve conflicts and differences, offering apologies and fulfilling all known obligations. Ideally, he executes his own will, distributing his properties and duties to heirs, charities and endowments, not leaving such tasks to others.

 

That done, he turns to God, reads scriptures, attends temple and amplifies meditation and devotion. He may pilgrimage to sacred spots or retire to a secluded place to practice japa and yoga sadhanas. The family takes care not to disturb these efforts, nor his retirement from social obligation or interaction, realizing he has entered life's final stage, that of the renunciate, or sannyasin.

 

Making the Transition Consciously: Knowing that a conscious death is the ideal, the Hindu avoids excessive drugs or mind-numbing medical measures. He cultivates detachment as death approaches, knowing that loss is not suffered when something is given up voluntarily, only when it is taken from us by force. He is grateful for life, but not angry with or fearful of death. Dying is not unlike falling asleep. We have all experienced death many times in past lives. The astral body separates from the physical body, just as in sleep. The difference is that the silver cord connecting the two breaks at the moment of transition, signaling the point of no return.

 

Scriptures speak of leaving the body through one chakra or another, departing in a level of consciousness of a particular chakra, which then determines where in the inner worlds a person will find himself after death. Those who depart full of hatred and resentment go to the world of those who also died in lower consciousness. Those with love in their heart enter a world where abide others with similar attainment. Therefore, during transition a person must strive to be in the highest possible state of consciousness, concentrating on the top of the head and holding to lofty thoughts as he succumbs. A woman in California narrated: "Shortly before my husband died, he held my hands and asked me to recite the Lalitha Sahasranama and to say the mantra we were initiated into. He repeated after me in a loud voice when suddenly his face began to shine with a luster, and he became overjoyed and beaming. He started almost shouting in joy that he was seeing the temple and the Deitie! s--Siva, Ganesha and Muruga--smiling at him. In this glowing way he passed away shortly thereafter while I recited the mantra in his ear."

 

Those who die suddenly, through accident or murder, have no time to prepare. Traditionally, full death rites are not performed after such deaths, because rebirth is expected almost immediately. For the same reason, rites are not accorded children who die young, before adolescence. In India, bodies of accidental-death victims and children are buried in a common grave or put in a river. Since neither is possible in Westernized countries, cremation is accepted.

 

Funeral and Memorial Rites: Hindus traditionally cremate their dead, for swifter, more complete release of the soul. Burial, which preserves the bond, is generally forbidden. Death's anniversary is called Liberation Day. For saints, it is celebrated rather than the day of birth. To some extent, the funeral rites serve to notify the departed soul that he has, in fact, died. It is possible for a disoriented soul, not understanding that he is on the other side, to linger close to the physical plane. He can still see this material world, and even observe his own funeral. Some of the ritual chants address the deceased, urging him to relinquish attachments and continue the journey. The rites are also for the living, allowing the family to say a respectable and dignified "farewell," to express grief, loss and the mosaic of emotions they naturally encounter.

 

The deepest significance of the funeral rites lies in their yoking the inner and outer worlds, Bhuloka and Devaloka, and their recognition that a family consists not just of its living generations, but its ancestors as well. Often a group of souls will sequentially incarnate into the same extended family, so that, for example, a grandson may be the returned soul of the father. In this way collective karma and dharma are worked through. Those in the inner worlds help relatives living in the outer world. When their turn comes in the outer world, they strive to attain spiritual progress that is only possible in physical incarnation. Ceremonial uniting of the deceased with his forefathers and yearly honoring of ancestors keep open the inner communication which makes the family prosperous and preserves its longevity.

The Vedas proclaim, "When a person comes to weakness, be it through old age or disease, he frees himself from these limbs just as a mango, a fig or a berry releases itself from its stalk" (Sukla Yajur Veda, Brihadharanyaka Upanishad: 4.3.36).

 

Rites of Transition
Hindu death rituals in all traditions follow a fairly uniform pattern drawn from the Vedas, with variations according to sect, region, caste and family tradition. Most rites are fulfilled by the family, all of whom participate, including the children, who need not be shielded from the death. Certain rites are traditionally performed by a priest but may also be performed by the family if no priest is available. Here is a simple outline of rites that can be performed by Hindus in any locality. Variations are noted and suggestions made for Hindus in Western countries.

 

1. As Death Approaches
Traditionally, a Hindu dies at home. Nowadays the dying are increasingly kept in hospitals, even when recovery is clearly not possible. Knowing the merits of dying at home among loved ones, Hindus bring the ill home. When death is imminent, kindred are notified. The person is placed in his room or in the entryway of the house, with the head facing east. A lamp is lit near his head and he is urged to concentrate on his mantra. Kindred keep vigil until the great departure, singing hymns, praying and reading scripture. If he cannot come home, this happens at the hospital, regardless of institutional objections.

 

2. The Moment of Death
If the dying person is unconscious at departure, a family member chants the mantra softly in the right ear. If none is known, "Aum Namo Narayana" or "Aum Nama Sivaya" is intoned. (This is also done for sudden-death victims, such as on a battlefield or in a car accident.) Holy ash or sandal paste is applied to the forehead, Vedic verses are chanted, and a few drops of milk, Ganga or other holy water are trickled into the mouth. After death, the body is laid in the home's entryway, with the head facing south, on a cot or the ground--reflecting a return to the lap of Mother Earth. The lamp is kept lit near the head and incense burned. A cloth is tied under the chin and over the top of the head. The thumbs are tied together, as are the big toes. In a hospital, the family has the death certificate signed immediately and transports the body home. Under no circumstances should the body be embalmed or organs removed for use by others. Religious picture! s are turned to the wall, and in some traditions mirrors are covered. Relatives are beckoned to bid farewell and sing sacred songs at the side of the body.

 

3. The Homa Fire Ritual
If available, a special funeral priest is called. In a shelter built by the family, a fire ritual (homa) is performed to bless nine brass kumbhas (water pots) and one clay pot. Lacking the shelter, an appropriate fire is made in the home. The "chief mourner" leads the rites. He is the eldest son in the case of the father's death and the youngest son in the case of the mother's. In some traditions, the eldest son serves for both, or the wife, son-in-law or nearest male relative.

 

4. Preparing the Body
The chief mourner now performs arati, passing an oil lamp over the remains, then offering flowers. The male (or female, depending on the gender of the deceased) relatives carry the body to the back porch, remove the clothes and drape it with a white cloth. (If there is no porch, the body can be sponge bathed and prepared where it is.) Each applies sesame oil to the head, and the body is bathed with water from the nine kumbhas, dressed, placed in a coffin (or on a palanquin) and carried to the homa shelter. The young children, holding small lighted sticks, encircle the body, singing hymns. The women then walk around the body and offer puffed rice into the mouth to nourish the deceased for the journey ahead. A widow will place her tali (wedding pendant) around her husband's neck, signifying her enduring tie to him. The coffin is then closed. If unable to bring the body home, the family arranges to clean and dress it at the mortuary rather than lea! ve these duties to strangers. The ritual homa fire can be made at home or kindled at the crematorium.

 

5. Cremation
Only men go to the cremation site, led by the chief mourner. Two pots are carried: the clay kumbha and another containing burning embers from the homa. The body is carried three times counterclockwise around the pyre, then placed upon it. All circumambulating, and some arati, in the rites is counterclockwise. If a coffin is used, the cover is now removed. The men offer puffed rice as the women did earlier, cover the body with wood and offer incense and ghee. With the clay pot on his left shoulder, the chief mourner circles the pyre while holding a fire brand behind his back. At each turn around the pyre, a relative knocks a hole in the pot with a knife, letting water out, signifying life's leaving its vessel. At the end of three turns, the chief mourner drops the pot. Then, without turning to face the body, he lights the pyre and leaves the cremation grounds. The others follow. At a gas-fueled crematorium, sacred wood and ghee are placed inside the coffi! n with the body. Where permitted, the body is carried around the chamber, and a small fire is lit in the coffin before it is consigned to the flames. The cremation switch then is engaged by the chief mourner.

 

6. Return Home; Ritual Impurity
Returning home, all bathe and share in cleaning the house. A lamp and water pot are set where the body lay in state. The water is changed daily, and pictures remain turned to the wall. The shrine room is closed, with white cloth draping all icons. During these days of ritual impurity, family and close relatives do not visit others' homes, though neighbors and relatives bring daily meals to relieve the burdens during mourning. Neither do they attend festivals and temples, visit swamis, nor take part in marriage arrangements. Some observe this period up to one year. For the death of friends, teachers or students, observances are optional. While mourning is never suppressed or denied, scriptures admonish against excessive lamentation and encourage joyous release. The departed soul is acutely conscious of emotional forces directed at him. Prolonged grieving can hold him in earthly consciousness, inhibiting full transition to the heaven wor! lds. In Hindu Bali, it is shameful to cry for the dead.

 

7. Bone-Gathering Ceremony
About 12 hours after cremation, family men return to collect the remains. Water is sprinkled on the ash; the remains are collected on a large tray. At crematoriums the family can arrange to personally gather the remains: ashes and small pieces of white bone called "flowers." In crematoriums these are ground to dust, and arrangements must be made to preserve them. Ashes are carried or sent to India for deposition in the Ganges or placed them in an auspicious river or the ocean, along with garlands and flowers.

 

8. First Memorial
On the 3rd, 5th, 7th or 9th day, relatives gather for a meal of the deceased's favorite foods. A portion is offered before his photo and later ceremonially left at an abandoned place, along with some lit camphor. Customs for this period are varied. Some offer pinda (rice balls) daily for nine days. Others combine all these offerings with the following sapindikarana rituals for a few days or one day of ceremonies.

 

9. 31st-Day Memorial
On the 31st day, a memorial service is held. In some traditions it is a repetition of the funeral rites. At home, all thoroughly clean the house. A priest purifies the home, and performs the sapindikarana, making one large pinda (representing the deceased) and three small, representing the father, grandfather and greatgrandfather. The large ball is cut in three pieces and joined with the small pindas to ritually unite the soul with the ancestors in the next world. The pindas are fed to the crows, to a cow or thrown in a river for the fish. Some perform this rite on the 11th day after cremation. Others perform it twice: on the 31st day or (11th, 15th, etc.) and after one year. Once the first sapindikarana is completed, the ritual impurity ends. Monthly repetition is also common for one year.

 

10. One-Year Memorial
At the yearly anniversary of the death (according to the moon calendar), a priest conducts the shraddha rites in the home, offering pinda to the ancestors. This ceremony is done yearly as long as the sons of the deceased are alive (or for a specified period). It is now common in India to observe shraddha for ancestors just prior to the yearly Navaratri festival. This time is also appropriate for cases where the day of death is unknown.

Hindu funeral rites can be simple or exceedingly complex. These ten steps, devotedly completed according to the customs, means, and ability of the family, will properly conclude one earthly sojourn of any Hindu soul.

 

Recommended Resources: Caring for Your own Dead, Lisa Carlson, Upper Access Publishers, PO Box 457, Hinesburg, Vermont 05461. Dialogue with Death, Eknath Easwaran, Nilgiri Press, Box 477, Petaluma, California 94953. Funeral and Other Sacraments After Death, Jnana Prabodhini, 510 Sadashiv Petha, Pune 411 030, India. Grihya Sutras, Sacred Books of the East Series, Motilal Banarsidass, Bungalow Road, Jawaharnagar, New Delhi 7, India. Hindu Samskaras, Dr. Raj Bali Pandy, Motilal Banarsidass. Life After Life, Raymond A. Moody, Bantam Books, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036. Meditation and the Art of Dying, Pandit Usharbudh Arya, Himalayan Institute, Honesdale, Pennsylvania 18431. The Transition Called Death, Charles Hampton, Theosophical Publishing House, 306 West Geneva Rd, Wheaton, Illinois 60187. Dilemmas of Life and Death, S. Cromwell Crowley, SUNY Press, Albany, New York 12246.

 

PUBLISHER'S DESK

 

Hindu cremation rituals at someone's death

Transcript from one mail regarding cremation ritual…

 

http://mailerindia.com/hindu/veda/index.php?death

 

 I wonder which of you can explain the rituals that we go through when we cremate our parents in this tradition.  What is the significance of the following?  I went through this myself and had some things explained to me or even followed a little remotely with my broken knowledge of Sanskrit.  I would like to know what some of you know or have heard about the true meaning or reason for these rituals.

 

 

1.       Starting every ceremony with a request of forgiveness for errors in procedure (and Ganesha to remove obstacles in the performance)

2.       The homam

3.       Lighting the fire at the top of the head for the mother

4.       Lighting the fire on the heart for the father

5.       Laying out the bones and paying obeisance and dousing oneself with ashes, mud, etc. (A method of grieving the dead person)

6.       Interring or dissolving ashes in the Ganges or the Cauvery (Lower Ganges) or the Sea and not looking back (final goodbye)

7.       13 days of pindam (food for the souls during the departure?) – In the river (symbolic of the river being the journey of life?)

8.       Black sesame for the dead, and white sesame for the living

9.       Vignopadayam on the right for the NOW (living), and the left for the dead

10.   Significance of the 10^th day

11.   Clearing at the 13^th day (Release of grief?)

12.   Donating a cow on the 13^th day (soul to not follow Yama and his buffalo to Naraga?)

13.   Feeding 3 priests (representing the dead, the living and Brahma?)

14.   Gifts to the Priest (I take this as a leftover from ancient tradition where the priest probably stayed at the house and performed the ceremony and therefore is given fresh clothes, umbrella, sombu, etc.?)

15.   No celebrations for a year (mourning period for the house)

16.   3 days of repeat of pindam, etc. at the 1^st year anniversary

17.   Final celebration and feast and release at the anniversary of death

18.   Yearly shradha at the anniversary

19.   Monthly tharpanam at Amavasya

 

Why do we only go back 3 generations and why also only the male side of the father and their wives?  Why not the maternal grandparents, and great grandparents? 

 

16 healthy Ayurvedic mantras

16 healthy Ayurvedic mantras

Dr Mandakini Vaisakar | July 18, 2005

http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2005/jul/18ayur.htm

Having a bout of indigestion?

Feeling uncomfortable after a spicy meal?

Get Ahead brings you 16 practical Ayurvedic mantras to incorporate into your daily diet.

 

1. Instead of using plain water in beverages, use water in which cumin seeds have been soaked overnight. Cumin seeds have a cooling effect on the body and are an effective digestive.

2. Add flavour to juices by making ice cubes out of fruit juices, lemon juice and rose water.

Lemon juice is an excellent source of Vitamin C while both lemon juice and rose water have a cleansing and cooling effect on the body. They blend with any fruit juice without causing any side effects, even as they enhance the flavour of the drink.

3. When making juices, use castor/ powdered sugar (colloquially known as pitti/ khada shakkar) instead of cubes or grains. Pitti/ khada shakkar is good for health as it is not processed as much as ordinary sugar.

If you do not have powdered sugar, grind 250 grams of sugar in a mixer and keep handy. Use approximately one spoon of powdered sugar (seven to eight grams) per glass of any juice. It takes less time to dissolve.

4. Excessive sugar consumption can contribute to dehydration, so switch to natural sweetners such as honey, raw sugar or jaggery.

5. Use glucose powder to add energy to your drink.

6. Substitute cow's milk with soya milk. Soya milk is high in protein and adds nutritional value to your diet. Here's how to make it.

Soak soya beans overnight in water.
Drain the water next day.
Blend the soaked beans with three cups of very hot water for three minutes.
Cool till warm to the touch and filter through a muslin cloth by squeezing.
Simmer soya milk on a stove for 20 minutes.
Stir and allow to cool.
Use it to whip up some yummy milk shakes.
7. Substitute table salt with saindhave mamak (rock salt).

8. Substitute chocolate-flavoured health drink powders like Bournvita, Complan and Horlicks with plain cocoa powder to add more nutrition value to the drink.

9. For garnishing juices, use chopped fresh fruit and dry fruits.

10. Want extra spice in your food? Use generous amounts of ground dry ginger blended with powdered sugar, chaat masala and cinnamon powder.

11. Never mix more than three types of fruits while making a juice; the combination of different fruit enzymes could cause acidity and digestion problems.

12. Citrus fruits (orange, sweet lime, grapefruit) can be consumed in combinations (say orange and sweet lime, sweet lime and grapefruit).

However, citrus fruits should not be combined with any other type of fruits as their enzymes can chemically react with other types of fruit enzymes, causing allergies in extreme cases.

13. Never combine citrus fruits and milk as it leads to an undesirable curdling of milk and renders the combination futile

14. Vegetable juices (cabbage, carrot, beetroot) should preferably be diluted in the proportion of 7: 3 (vegetable juice: water).

15. Never have strong concentrated juices (unless recommended) early in the morning on an empty stomach.

Dilute the juice with water and then consume it.

16. Try to drink freshly prepared fruit juices only. Juices that have been stored without preservatives for a long time undergo oxidation and lose a considerable amount of their nutritional value.

(Dr Mandakini Vaisarkar is a doctor and Ayurvedic practitioner. )

Barefoot Medicine

Barefoot Medicine
Friday May 20 2005 15:30 IST

Ratna Rajaiah

http://www.newindpress.com/sunday/sundayitems.asp?id=SEL20050520060337&eTitle=Living&rLink=0

 

 

“People do better when they're free,
and the foot does better when it’s free.’’
— Dr Lynn Staheli, Director of Orthopedics, Children’s Medical Center, Seattle

 

Have you noticed how the floor in some homes, humble mosaic though it may be, always feels wonderfully clean and satiny when you walk barefoot on it? Well, you can bet almost anything that the reason for this is because its residents mostly go barefoot inside the house and have been doing so for a long, long time. Which is also why the simple red oxide floors in so many traditional South Indian homes are like maroon silk, so beautifully smooth that no modern day tile can match it. You can sleep, live, even eat off that floor. Now, while this might be a good reason for me to propound the practice of walking barefoot, it's not the most important one. Which is that walking barefoot is a simple but very effective way to keep healthy.

Sounds ridiculous? Okay, hang on and let me prove it to you.

 

Anatomy of a foot

For most of us, our feet are not things that we pay much attention to. Women do when they paint and pamper and bejewel them, because pretty feet are a measure of feminine beauty. But healthwise, the only time we pay attention to our feet — as with many other parts of our body — is when they begin to hurt. The fact of the matter is that the human foot is such a complex and vital part of the human body that it has been called an organ. According to Chinese medicine, each organ in the body is represented — through around 300 nerves — to a specific point on each foot. Massaging these reflex points — a system of therapy called reflexology — is used to help stimulate vital functions, eliminate toxins, activate blood circulation and ease nervousness. In Ayurveda, the padabhyanga or foot massage is used to relieve insomnia, improve circulation and fertility, and energise the belly, pelvis and colon.

 

However, modern medicine also acknowledges the role of the feet in good health. Anatomically, the indications are many. Twenty five per cent of all bones, 52 to be precise, are in the feet, not to mention 33 muscles, 31 joints and over 100 ligaments, along with 250,000 sweat glands, more per square inch than anywhere else in the body. These release nearly a cup of moisture every day to keep the skin moist and supple. All coming together to make two delicately complex, sophisticated bits of mechanical engineering, which will probably carry you across some 45,000 miles by the time you are 35! That’s a lot of wear and tear, but what we don’t realise is that if your feet aren’t in good condition, many other parts of your body are going to start packing up.

And all you have to keep your feet, and much else of you, in great shape is to walk barefoot!

 

Barefoot shoes

But first, a true story. Karl Mueller, a Swiss engineer, suffered from chronic and acute pain because of a bad back, bad knees and weak Achilles tendons. He tried everything in the book. Needless to say, nothing worked. Except that he noticed that the pain eased when he walked barefoot on uneven ground around the paddy fields in South Korea, where he was at the time. When the pain lessened, he decided to design a shoe that would mimic the effect of walking barefoot. Mueller named the shoes after the Masai tribe in Kenya, the magnificently tall, elegantly gaited warrior herdsmen who are known to walk distances of over 100 kms barefoot, because of which they suffer no back or joint problems. Ironically, the name is ‘‘Masai Barefoot Technology’’.

 

Today, almost 10 years later, the MBT shoes are almost a cult in the West. The European Union has declared them a Grade 1 medical device, doctors recommend them to treat and prevent back, hip, leg and foot problems. Sports therapists and body trainers use it improve posture, strengthen the back, tone and slim legs, stomach and buttocks, even knock off offending cellulite! One claim even goes so far to say that one hour of walking in a pair of MBTs is equivalent to three hours of hard exercise at the gym.

 

The thing is, we are designed to walk barefoot, and for millions of years we did.Then we decided to wear footwear, which was okay with open sandals and slippers, but then shoes came along. Again, this was not a bad thing, until they changed to fashion accessories and symbols of power, wealth and fashion, because of which the ill-fitting shoe was born.

Today, millions of us squash our feet into ill-fitting, poorly ventilated shoes or high-heeled footwear. Worse still, we make our children wear them. To top that, we walk less and mostly on hard, smooth surfaces like urban concrete. This means that many critical parts of our musculo-skeletal system — the feet, ankles, spine, pelvis — which should be flexible and supple, become painfully rigid and prone to displacement.

 

Barefoot medicine

But the good news is that what costs Westerners an exorbitant Rs 6,000-7,000 a pair is free for us. You see, barefoot walking is an old Indian tradition, and we’ve all done it at some time or another. It’s time to do it again. Because walking barefoot, preferably on uneven ground, is equivalent to having your entire spine, pelvis and legs gently and constantly massaged, keeping it well irrigated with blood, flexible and supple—everything that the MBT shoe claims to do.

 

Specifically, walking barefoot helps prevent or alleviate:

(a) Back ache — One of the most common and probably the most disabling disease. According to one estimate, between 50 to 75 per cent of adults suffer from it;

(b) Flat feet — When the arch of the foot falls, it becomes the main root of many chronic and painful leg, pelvis and back problems;

(c) Varicose veins; (d) Damaged or slipped spinal discs; (e) Athlete’s foot — A fungal infection causing itching scaling, inflammation, pain and blisters, usually caused by closed, poorly ventilated footwear. (f) Achilles tendonitis — Inflammation of the tendon that attaches to the back of the heel bone, an ailment Karl Mueller suffered from. (g) Corns, hammer toes, calluses, blisters, ingrown toenails and bunions.

 

And believe it or not, many barefoot enthusiasts claim that it improves your resistance against cold and similar infections, recommending that 15 minutes of barefoot walking on a cool, moist lawn is sufficient to the keep your feet wonderfully warm all night long!

 

The wonderful bonus of barefoot walking is that you will have great looking feet and legs! And your walk will be naturally graceful and elegant — like a Masai warrior! Not to mention a general feeling of well-being and fitness evident in the spring in your step.

In many cultures, like our own, the feet have social and religious significance. To bare the feet is a sign of respect and courtesy. We do so before entering a place of worship or, as is still the tradition in much of India, a home. We touch the feet to pay obeisance, even to beg for forgiveness. In Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism, the feet of the Divine are worshipped as the lotus feet, where the devotee craves and seeks Divine bliss.

 

So after you read this article, take off your footwear and look at your feet. These are the seat of a vibrant, healthy and active life. These are your constant connection with Mother Earth. Would you not want to touch that beautiful bountiful Mother with your bare skin every now and then? But I put it badly. In the words of a barefoot bhakt, John M Harder: ‘‘Why hike barefoot? Because it is an exercise in reverence, vulnerability and respect in which we humbly admit to our dependence on the earth for our very existence. It symbolises our willingness to open up instead of being closed to the natural world around us. Maybe in this exercise, we will begin to realise our interconnectedness to the whole of life and to each other.’’

 

Barefoot champions

Abebe Bikila was an Ethiopian shepherd who ran the marathon in the 1960 Rome Olympics — barefoot. Not only did he win the gold medal, he shattered the world record.

Zola Budd was only 16 when, in 1984, she shattered the 5000 m world record, more than six seconds faster than Mary Decker's existing record. She did it barefoot.

 

At the Olympic Training Center in California, America’s fastest runners always warm up and cool down barefoot, for many reasons. Firstly, it’s been found that shoes over time desensitise the tiny sensors in the feet, which eventually grow lazy and weak, affecting the entire leg and leading to serious, chronic injuries and strains. ‘‘You see a lot of athletes with great engines but flat tires,’’ says an Olympic coach, Brooks Johnson. ‘‘Barefoot running quickly pumps the tires back up.’’ Secondly, research shows that the fastest runners move in a way very similar to that of a person running without shoes. So it might just help you to crack that gold medal!

 

Barefoot babies

Even if you don’t, let your children go barefoot for at least some part of each day, because they’re the ones that benefit the most. Here’s an extract from a 1992 study by Udaya Bhaskara Rao and Benjamin Joseph in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. ‘‘The incidence of flat feet among children (4-13 years old) who used footwear was three times as much as among those who didn’t. In Europe and America, flat feet are a common reason for attendance at children’s orthopaedic clinics. In India, children are seldom treated for flat feet. The few children who are come from affluent urban families and wear shoes. In our clinic, we have never seen a child from the farming community or from the family of a manual labourer who complained of flat feet. We suggest that children should be encouraged to play unshod and that slippers and sandals are less harmful than closed-toe shoes.’’

 

Vedic Indian Marriage Rituals - Meanings

 

Vedic Indian Marriage Rituals http://www.indianslivingabroad.com/matrimonial/marriage-vow.asp

 

A few of the vedic marriage rituals common to most Indian marriages are:

The Grasping of the Hand [Pani-Grahana] Himself facing the East while she faces the West, the bridegroom takes the bride's hand... "O Sarasvati, gracious one, rich in offspring, you whom we hymm first of all the Gods, may you prosper this marriage." "I seize your hand." The Treading on the Stone [Asmarohana] The bridegroom says the words while she stands up: "Come, beautiful one." And lets her put the tip of the right foot on the stone saying: "Come, step on the stone; be strong like a stone. Resist the enemies; overcome those who attack you. The Oblation of Parched Grain [ Lajahoma ] The bridegroom pours some parched grain into the bride's joined palms: This grain I spill. May it bring to me well-being and unite you to me. May Agni hear us." He then causes the bride to spill the grain into the fire, saying: "This woman scattering grain into the fire, prays: Blessings on my husband. May my relatives be prosperous. 'Svaha!' The Circumambulation of the Fire [Agnipradakshina] Then they walk around the fire, the bridegroom repeating: First now they bring to you in bridal procession this Surya, guiding her steps in circular motion. Return her now, O Agni, to her husband as rightful wife, with hope of children to come." Then the entire rite is repeated twice more, beginning with the rite of the fried grain. At the fourth round she pours into the fire all the fried grain from the mouth of the winnowing basket saying: "To Bhaga svaha!" The Seven Steps [Saptapadi] While the bride takes the seven steps to the Northeast, the bridegroom sings the following verses: One step for Vigour, Two steps for Vitality, Three steps for Prosperity, Four steps for Happiness, Five steps for Cattle, Six steps for Seasons, Seven steps for Friendship. To me be devoted." After the seventh step he makes her remain where she is and says: With seven steps we become friends. Let me reach your friendship. Let me not be severed from your friendship. Let your friendship not be severed from me. Touching the Heart [Hridaysparsh] He then over her right shoulder touches her heart saying: I hold your heart in serving fellowship, your mind follows my mind. In my word you rejoice with all your heart. You are joined to me by the Lord of all creatures. The Departure [Grihapravesa] She then abandons her father's house; they let her depart. They carrybehind the couple the sacred fire in a vessel. They should keep thefire constantly alight. When they reach his house, he says: Enter with your right foot. Do not remain outside." They sit in silence until the stars are visible. Looking at the Polestar [Dhruvadarsana] After sunset he shows her the polar star, saying: You are firm and I see you. Be firm with me, O flourishing one! Brhaspati has given you to me, so live with me a hundred years bearing children by me, your husband.

 

Worship - The Hindu Way

 

 

WORSHIP - THE HINDU WAY

The word Puja came from the Dhathu "Puj", which means to worship, to honor, to welcome. The root of the word Puja is "Yaja" Deva Poojaayaam" means the service or activities that one cannot avoid from doing to propitiate or please God. Every country, state, religion, caste, family and even individual has its/their/his/her own belief and ways of performing Puja.

 

Whatever may be the method or system or practice that one adopts or follows, there are, as per Hindu scriptures 4, 5 (Panchopachar), 8, 10 (Dasopachar), 13, 16 (Shodashopachar), 24, 32, 64 or 108 types of Upacharas or activities or services to propitiate God. The daily worship generally consists of sixteen phases or items according to a conventional practice usually referred to as Shodasopachara Puja. These sixteen items are not always necessarily the same throughout. They differ from occasion to occasion and may be from place to place or person to person. But a common sequence popularly followed by majority of the devotees is as follows:

Avahanam - Invocation
Asanam- Offering a seat
Padyam- Water for washing the feet
Arghyam- Water for washing the hands
Achamaneeyam- A few drops of water for sipping
Snanam- Bathing with water, milk or honey
Vastram- Garments to cover the body
Yajnopaveetam- The sacred thread placed across the left! shoulder and the right bottom part of the trunk
Gandham- Sandal paste
Pushpam- Flower or flowers
Dhoopam- Burning incense for fragrance and to intensify the feelings of devotion
Deepam- Lighting to remove darkness, symbolizes enlightenment
Naivedyam- Food for nourishment
Tamboolam- Betel leaves with nut and other ingredients, a condiment that signifies completion of a meal.
Neerajanam- Offering of camphor enkindled to have a better look of the Supreme both within and without
Atma Pradakshina Namaskaram- Prostration before the Lord as a mark of self-surrender after making a parikrama.


(1) Aavahan or Invocation or Praan Prathishta: We invite the Invisible Supreme Soul to manifest through the idol or photo that we keep in front of us for our prayers or Puja, or we imagine that God is residing in it or we imagine that God manifested in and through the idol or photo accepting our prayers or imagine that the idol or photo has life and God is accepting our prayers through the Idol or photo.

(2) Asan or Simhasan or Throne: As we cannot and do not have the capacity to offer a magnificent throne to Lord, Who is the owner of the whole universe, we offer HIM a seat, according to our capacity, thinking that HE feels comfortable, and start decorating it inwardly with all kinds of precious stones, jewels, gold, flowers, cushions, etc., the best we can think of and request the Lord to be seated to accept our offerings.

(3) Padyam. This includes the symbolic offering of water for washing the feet. This custom dates back since the days when very few used to wear shoes or chappals and those days without convenient transport facility. Offering water to wash the dust and dirt off the feet. It is also a sign of respect to offer water to wash one's feet. We can see the references to this act in our scriptures, especially with reference to Rishis, Sages, etc. We also do Pada Puja (worshipping the holy feet) to Sain! ts in our houses.

(4) Arghyam: As we imagine God has assumed the shape of a human being with two legs, two or four hands, one or more heads, etc., moved by our prayer, we offer HIM water with a feeling that HE would like to wash HIS hands before accepting our offerings, as we do before doing something good or important, sacred or taking food.

(5) Achaman: We do Achaman (i.e., we sip water three times with mantras like Om Govindaya Namaha, Om Narayana Namaha, Om Madhavaya Namaha, etc.) facing or sitting towards East to cleanse our inner-self (Antharangam) with the water purified with Mantras, so that any thoughts that we might have entertained either before or after starting Puja will vanish from our mind. Like this, we purify ourselves. As we cleanse our body by taking bath, we cleanse our inner-self by taking water saturated or purified with Mantras.

Again here water is offered to God with a view that HE washes HIS face. It is the tradition in our houses that wh! enever any guest comes from outside, after ushering him into the house, we give him water for drinking as well as washing or at least sprinkling water on the face so that the guest feels relieved of the tiredness and strain of the journey.

(6) Snanam/Bath: Bath given to the God with Ganga Jal or milk, or honey, or with perfumed water, etc.

(7) Vastra Yugmam: Then we offer good clothes to God and decorate HIM with excellent quality clothes, according to our capacity, as we do to our children on their birthdays.

(8) Yagnopaveetam: We then offer HIM Yagnopaveetam, a sacred thread placed across the left shoulder and the right bottom part of the trunk.

(9) Gandham: We offer God scented chandan (sandal paste) so as to give coolness to HIS body. The royal kings used to do this in the olden days. We offer Oordhwapundram or decorate God with Tilak or some such decoration to God's face. The next step is Alankar God with Abharanas or jewels. As we feel that by wea! ring such and such ornaments, we look beautiful or we beautify ourselves with all kinds of alankaras, the same way, we should also feel that the Lord is Self only and we should decorate HIM with the same feeling and purpose so that HE looks beautiful.

(10) Pushpa Puja (Archana): We offer flowers to God with a lot of love and devotion to please HIM. Of late it has become a practice to offer broken or withered flowers, may be due to scarcity and sky-racketing prices of flowers, but, in fact, it must not be done so. God is full of compassion and mercy and HE does not protest, as HE understands our compulsions. We should offer a flower for each one of HIS sacred and kalyana name that we recite, whether it is Ashtothra or Sahasranama.

 

Here we should always remember one very important point that most of us just throw flowers and Akshatas at God, in a routine way. But, it is not the right procedure. We should recite the n! ames of our Lord with a lot of love and affection and with each name that we recite with love and bhava (feeling), we offer a flower to the Lord in such a way that first we bring the flower near to our chest or heart and offer it at the feet of Lord with a feeling that, Oh God! I am offering my heart (Colorful Hridaya Pushp) at Your Lotus Feet. Kindly accept it and remove all my Doshas such as Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Mada, Macharya, Irsha, Dwesha, Ahankara, etc. Kindly take me into your fold my Lord. That is the essence or meaning behind offering colorful flowers to Lord. Bhava is very important in all our spiritual (of course, even in social) activities.

 

The same method is applicable while offering Akshitas or Kumkum or any such offering to Lord. It should always be humble, and never routine and mechanical. In other words, Archana is the heartfelt offering of Love to God. In Archana a devotee calls God with a variety of names as a loved one is called ! by different names affectionately.

(11) Dhoopam: Dhoop represents the Gandh (fragrance) aspect of the senses. A Satvic sense of depicting a pure Gandha sense is the Dhoop. As we give Dhoop to babies in our residences, which is still in vogue in villages, especially in rainy season, so as to make the skin dry
and fresh and protect them from diseases like cold, etc., due to high content of water in the air, we offer Dhoop to Lord also.

(12) Deepam: Deepam is the Tejas or fire aspect. We light the lamp immediately after Dhoop with a view to see Lord more clearly and also to witness the beauty and majesty of the Lord is after alankaras. The words Tamasoma Jyothirgamaya, indicate the essence of bhava behind keeping a lamp in front of the Lord. The spiritual significance is: Oh God! Light my heart with the prakasha of knowledge and dispel the darkness of ignorance. It also signifies that the (true) Atman is revealed if one lights his heart with the lamp of Pure Love and Right Knowledge. With this bhava at heart, we light a lamp (Diya) or lamps in front of God. The other angle to this is that the lamp indicates auspicious sign. It has an important ! position in the Puja of Hindus.

 

The main reason for keeping the lamp in front of God is that it is a sign of good omen (Mangala or Shubha kaarakam). The other reason is that in the olden days, where there was no electricity or limited use of electricity, our ancestors used to keep lamp(s) in front of God, so as to see HIS image or photo or HIS Divya Rupa clearly. Probably, even today one can notice in olden temples, in the sanctum sanctorum, that they do not keep or allow electricity bulbs.

 

They show the God to devotees with the help of Aarati. Another reason, which I feel true, is that after we decorate God we perform Aarati, immediately after offering Dhoop with an anxiety or eagerness or desire to see how the Lord looks and see the Deity to one's heart content. The light in front of the Deity will help us to see the image more clearly, especially in the smoke of Dhoopam.

(13) Naivedyam: Naivedyam is the Rasa (taste) aspect of the senses. We offer all kinds and varieties of delicious food items, which include sweets, fruits, etc., to God, with all love, as if Ma Yashoda is feeding Krishna, or Mata Sabari is offering fruits, although tasted first, to Lord Rama. See the Bhava here. In fact, I was told that coconut is not compulsory in Puja, but somehow it has become a part of it now. (The meaning and purpose of breaking a coconut is
dealt with separately and will follow later).

(14) Thaambulam/Betel Leaves: As we offer Nut-powder (Supari)! or Paan to guests at the end of a meal, we offer Lord betel leaves with supari (nut powder and spices) so that HE digests easily whatever we offered to HIM to eat. Here we should not offer HIM money, as it is
offered only when we offer Dakshina.

(15) Neeraajanam: After completing all the above Upachaaraas to Lord, we do Neerajanam with a view to remove any Drishti Dosha (evil sight) as we all know that HE has a wonderful personality and added to it, HE has been decorated so well and looking so handsome that it is very difficult for a devotee to take away his sight from HIM. This we do with pure love as we do it to our own small children. It is the practice in our houses/temples that immediately after Aarati, we pay our respects to that camphor flame by putting our palms over it and putting those hands on our eyes. But, I was told that, it is wrong, because the intention behind giving Aarati is to remove any evil sight (Drishti Dosha) and also to show God more clearly to ! the devotees, but not for a! ny other purpose. As we do not pay respects to such activity when we do it for our children, the same way, we should not do it in temples or at homes after Aarati.

 

And that flame should be kept aside and sprinkle a few drops of water to remove Dosha, as we wash the legs and hands of our children and wipe the eyes with water, immediately after removing Drishti Dosha. Neerajanam signifies the end of Sakara or Bahya (outward) Puja and is at the end to denote that all the Doshas and impurities will vanish in thin air after burning the Ajnan in the Jnanagni or Tapas.

(16) Atma pradakshina, Mantra pushpam and Uavasana: We offer flowers and Akshatas with Mantras to Lord. It is done mainly to highlight and explain the divinity, greatness, compassion and love of God over HIS subjects or devotees. After doing all the above, if knowingly or unknowingly we commit any mistake, either in the performance of Puja or in our Bhava, we request God to forgive us, as we are human beings and our Manas or mind is subject to flirtations, and keep us in HIS Karuna Dhrishi (Merciful eyes) always so that we will not repeat such mistakes in future. Al! so we request HIM to bless us as we wish to offer all the above upacharas every day to HIM.

 

Then we do Pradakshina, not only around the Lord, but als! o around ourselves, to indicate that my Lord you are in me as Soul and doing Atmapradakshina means doing Pradakshina around YOU only. Then we do pranam (prostration) and then offer Kshama Prardhana or Aparatha Kshamapana, with a view to offer all the mistakes at the Lord's Lotus Feet. Having manifested in and through the idol that we kept in our Puja Mandir and accepted our prayers and sevas, now we request the Lord to take rest in our hearts and live there forever, so that the divinity is manifested through us and ultimately we realize our innate divinity within and without, in other words, we merge in HIM thus removing the ignorance forever. The Sevas both in Sakara or Nirakara procedures are performed with a view to reach Him ultimately, which is known as Puja.

 

In the Sakara or Bahya Puja style, the devotee directly (if he knows the significance) or indirectly worships his Ishta Daivam through offer of sevas in the shape of external articles to the object of worship, thereby invo! lving Pancha Tanmatras (i.e., Sabda, Sparsa, Rupa, Rasa and Gandha) or Panch Jnanedriyas (i.e., Eyes, Ears, Nose, Tongue and Skin) while offering Dhoopa, Deepa, Naivedya, Alankaras to the Lord.

The gross aspects of the Pancha Tanmatras in Puja are the Pancha Upacharas. They are Pushp, Dhoop, Deep, Naivedya and Gandh. The corresponding Pancha Mahabhoothas (Five Elements) are Sky/Ether (Akasam), Air (Vayu), Fire (Agni), Water (Jal) and Earth (Prithvi), which indicate respectively the vastness of heart, the fastness of manas, the tejas, the amrit and the patience (saburi) aspects of human being. In Manasik Puja, the devotee mentally dedicates everything at the sacred feet of his Ishta Daivam. In fact, Manasika Puja is considered superior to Bahy! a Puja. In other words, Puja should not and cannot be a rigid and systematic procedure, without which one cannot offer oneself to God, but it should be more of love oriented or! bhava pradhana offering to God.

 

Then only the heart opens up, otherwise it would be a routine and mechanical procedure to be followed. Through Puja, the devotee's love and sense of belonging for his Ishta Daivam grow and thus the Bhava or relationship with Ishta Daivam matures and finally the devotee will succeed in establishing in his real self (Swa-swarup) through gradually experiencing oneness with the Ishta Daivam. Having understood what Puja is, now let us try to analyze and understand the essence behind Sakara and Nirakara or Bahya and Manasika Pujas.


Arranging the Articles: First of all, before sitting in front of our Ista Daivam, we keep all articles that are required for performing Bahya Puja wholeheartedly and successfully.

Physical freshness: Purity of body is conducive in making the mind pure, so that only purity emanates from us. So, we keep ourselves fresh before we start any Puja or any sacred work in order to get only right feelings and thoughts while we are performin! g Puja, and also emanate only such statements from us. Freshness also helps us to keep our concentration on what we are doing or offering to God. One should wear vibhuthi, chandan, namam or kumkum. Then we do Pranayamam before Sankalpam.

Sankalpam: Sankalp or Sankalpam, literally means, taking a firm decision or forming a firm opinion. No work can be successfully accomplished without dedication. Like-wise, no Puja can be performed satisfactorily without invoking HIS blessings through sincere devotion and complete surrender. We pray to Lord to bless us to successfully fulfil our resolve to worship HIM through performing HIS Puja with heart, mind, soul and all senses together.

 

Here in Puja, Sankalpam means reciting those words which will indicate what, who and where we are. Unless one starts any work, especially the one which is being done for the society at large, with pure and sacred sankalpa, the end result will be disastrous. Sruti Smruti Puranokta Phalaprapyartham, which means, t! hat in Srutis (Vedas), Smrutis (Manu Smriti, etc.) and Puranas, it has been said that any karma being done with a desire should be started with a pure and sacred Sankalpa to get the expected result. The idea behind praying for the Sankalpasiddhi is to eradicate the feeling of doership or Ahankar.

In other words, the result of Puja is thus offered to God. To achieve this object, first one should visualise the purpose or goal and plan meticulously what work should be done to achieve that particular goal and then start seeing the other points such as, who is the doer, where it is being held, when it is being performed, what is being done and what is the re! sult of it. Once these have been identified and verified, then one needs to take Dhruda Nischay (firm resolve or Sankalpam) to do it according to the prescribed rules and regulations of that particular karma.

 

These points have been included, probably, to make the devotee know and remember the place, the year, the month, the gotram, birth star, the thithi (star) or day, etc. I personally feel that it was included in our system or tradition in olden days because the people from Brahmana varna were ordai! ned to do all Puja ceremonies, astrological predictions, ceremonies in temples and society, etc., and if they do not remember the important points such as the time, day and date, the position of grahas, the name of the month or year or the relevant thithi, etc., they may err in their decisions and calculations resulting in wrong predictions. Now it has become a part and parcel of the Puja so as to tell God every day in which Kal(time)/Yug we are in, where (which area) we are offering Puja, which is the current year (name of the year -- there 60 names), month, ayana (side), paksha (shukla/krishna - i.e., first half or second half of the month) date and day (thithi), etc.
Kalasa Sthapanam or Kumbha: This involves invoking Lords Vishnu, Rudra and Brahma, four Vedas, Gayathri, waters from all oceans and sacred rivers, such as, Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna, Thungabhadra, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu, Cauvery, etc., in the water of Panchapatra, then sanctifying the vessel with Gandham, Kumkum, Akshata and Pushpam. After invocation, the Kalasodaka has to be sprinkled on all Puja materials and the persons performing Puja for purification.If Sankhapooja is to be done, then purified water has to be filled in the Sankha, then Puja offered to Sankha add a few drops of Sankhodaka to the vessel and then sprinkle the water on Puja materials and the persons performing Puja or Self (Atmanam ca Prokshyan). Then, Ghantanadam is to be done. Kumbha means water-pot.

 

It symbolises fullness. Sanyasins and eminent persons are welcomed with a Pur! na-Kumbha (a pitcher filled with holy water). All the sacred rivers like Ganta, Yamuna, Saraswati, Krishna, Godavari, Kaveri, etc., are supposed to flow into the Kumbha, filling it.The Kumbha stands for generative power. Hence it is associated with the Divine Mother, the Grant Creation. In worship, the deity is invoked to enter the Kumbha, remain there throughout the Puja and then go back to His or Her own abode. As the Kumbha is meant to serve as a temporary image of the deity, its various components are equated with various parts of the deity.

 

Thus the jar represents the body of the deity; the water in it stands for blood; the nine gems (navaratnas) placed in it represent the nine-fold spiritual power (siddhis); the kusha grass in the pitcher stands for blood vessels; the triple strands of yarn over the mouth of the jar stands for the nerves; the tower wound around the vessel is the skin, the coconut placed at the mouth of the jar represents the face, the kusha grass over the coconut stands for Lord Siva and the mango leaves above everything else stand for the matted locks of Siva.

During Kumbha-abhishekam the sanctified water in the vessel is poured over the pinnacle of the vimana above the garbhagriha of the deity. The is the climax of the consecration ceremony and huge crowds of men, women and children throng to get a sprinkling of the sacred water on their heads (taken from the Vedanta Kesari, February 2000 - A Monthly Journal of the Ramakrishna Order) The absolute God cannot be grasped by the huma! n mind, so we require symbols. If the devotee is very philosophical man, his symbol may be very abstract in nature: a vast expanse, the infinite sky, something unlimited. These are other images and conceptions, though subtle. A person who cannot think in an abstract way prefers to have more concrete symbols. So he has been given forms of the anthropomorphic type.

This is consistent with the three major conceptions of God: God the Absolute; the personal God with qualities, such as kindness and love, but no form; and the personal God with both form and qualities. In Hinduism, we find that the personal God has not only qualities, but a variety of forms as well. And why should this not be so? From a psychological point of view, the ideal needs to be presented according to the understanding of the devotee, all the while reminding him that it is through the worship of the form that he is to reach the formless aspect of the divine.

 

This is the idea behind image worship in India. Image worship does not mean that some inert substance such as wood or stone is being worshipped. The image is also not a mere icon. It is a symbol of the lord. It r! eminds the devotee of the Lord, just as a photograph reminds us of the thing photographed (Ref. "Concept of God in Hinduism" by Swami Swahananda from The Vedanta Kesari, February 2000)

The idol is a support for us in spiritual childhood. A form or image is necessary for worship in the beginning. It is an external symbol of God for worship. It is the reminder of God. The material image calls up the mental data. Steadiness of the mind is obtained by image worship. The worshipper will have to associate the idea of infinity, omnipotence, purity, perfection, freedom, holiness, truth and omnipresence. It is not possible for all to fix the mind Absolute. A concrete form is necessary for practicing concentration.

 

To behold God everywhere and to practice the presence of God is not possible for the ordinary man. Idol worship is the easiest form of worship for the modern man. Idol worship is not just limited to Hinduism. Christians worship the Cross. They have the image of Cross in their mind. The Muslims keep the image of the Kaaba stone when they ! kneel and do prayers. The people of the whole world keep some image or the other in their mind. The mental image is also a form of idol. Everyone is thus idol worshipper.

Pictures, drawings, symbols etc. are all forms of idol only. Idols are not the idle fancies of sculptors, but are shining channels through' which the heart of the devotee is attracted to God and flows towards him. Many would say, "Oh God is an all pervading formless being and how can God be confined to this idol!" Are these people ever conscious of His omnipresence? Do they always see Him alone in everything? No, It is their ego that prevents them from bowing ! to the idols of God and with that motive, they put this excuse forward. The idol is a substitute or symbol. The image in a temple though it be made of stone, wood or metal is precious for a devotee as it bears the mark of his Lord, as it represents something which he holds holy and eternal. A flag is only a small piece of painted cloth, but to a soldier it stands something that he holds very dear. He is prepared to give up his life in defending his flag.

 

Similarly, the image is very dear to a devotee. It speaks to him in its own language of devotion. The image arouses devotion in the devotee. A piece of ordinary white paper or colored paper has no value. We throw it away. However, if there is the stamp of Government on the paper (currency note), we keep it safe in pocket. Even, so an ordinary piece of stone has no value for us. We throw it away. However, if we behold the stone idol, we all bow our heads with folded palms, because there is the stamp of beloved lord on the stone. When you worship an image, we do not say; "this image has come from Punderpur.

 

It was bought by Shriram. Its weight is 50 lbs. It is made of white marble. It has cost me Rs. 500/-" No! We superimpose all the attributes of the Lord on the image and pray. When our devotion and meditation become intense and deep, we do not see the stone image. We behold the Lord only who is pure Consciousness. Image wo! rship is very necessary for beginners. By worshipping the idol, the Lord is pleased. The idol is made up of the five elements. The five elements constitute the body of the Lord. The idol remains an idol, but the worship goes to the Lord. If you shake hands with a man, he is highly pleased. You have touched only a small part of his body and yet he is happy. He smiles and welcomes you.

Even so, the Lord is highly pleased when a small portion of his cosmic body is worshipped. An idol is a part of the body of the Lord. The whole world is His body. The devotion goes to the Lord. The worshipper superimposes on the images the Lord and his attributes.! This is one of the easiest forms of self-realization. It is one that suits the majority of people today. A look at the picture of God will elevate our mind to divine heights.

 

This is truly a wonder and a miracle. The idol or photograph of any God or Goddess is not just Stone or paper or whatever other material but is a symbol of the true deity so that we can focus our attention to the deity. With constant Puja, even a personal photo or idol worshipped by a devotee acquires a distinct identity of its own and starts responding to the devotee.

The idol of a deity in a temple is all the more powerful since the Deity is invoked by Mantras and regular Pujas. As prescribed in the AGAMA SASTRAS, Yantras are also installed under the idols to increase the power of the deity many fold. Thus a powerful aura is built around the idol. Any object, be it ARATI, kum kum, turmeric, sandal paste, or holy water or even the clothes used to adorn the deity acquire a part of the aura.

 

Thus we get a part of the deity's powerful and beneficial aura when we bring any of these sacred objects near to us. Scriptures say that humans have nine RANDHRAS, (Navarandhras) i.e., orifices in our physical as well as astral bodies. Out of them, seven are in our head (mouth, two nostrils, two ears, and two eyes). The other two are meant for excretion of waste products from the body situated at the posterior end. Thus when we bring t! he palms, which are placed over the ARATI to our eyes, not only our eyes but our nostrils too get charged with the positive aura. When we hear the hymns and bells, our ears get purified. When we take the holy water our mouth gets purified. When the SATHA GOPURAM (the bell shaped piece in a Hindu temple with the feet of the God, placed on the head of the devotee by the priest at the end of the worship) is placed on our head our SAHASRA CHAKRA gets charged.

Thus ARATI and other holy articles which are taken into the close proximity! of the deity and are then given to us act as carriers or vehicles of the positive energy from the deity to us. The purpose is thus probably different from the ARATI given to small children to protect them from evil eye. The first is of course to do with light. Many temples in India are dimly lit and Arati gives an opportunity to get a better view of the God. Thus the light is physical and the devotion it evokes in the mind of the devotee helps kindle the spiritual light. While Arati is performed with many types of lamps, camphor is the most common ingredient in all temples.

 

Camphor has excellent medicinal properties; especially it protects against many dis! eases in a hot climate that pervades most of India. The camphor and other aromatic substances purify the atmosphere and when the devotees place their palms over the Arati and bring the palms to their eyes and nose, they absorb the medicinal benefits. This is born out by the books on Homeopathy. The camphor used for Arati lasts for a little time thus signifying the short span of human life and the Avidya or Agnana caused by the attachment Maya, in the shape of physical and sensual pleasures. Thus, Arati inspires the devotee to seek God who is permanent and all pervading. "Make hay while the sun shines" is a popular adage. Since Arati lasts for a little time only, it compels the devotee to focus his attention on the God.


Bells are usually rung while the Arati is given. The rhythmic sounds of the bells have a nice soothing and calming effect on our mind and help us seeing and se! nsing the shapeless God in the physical image that is being worshipped in front of us. In many temples, the Arati is also accompanied by chanting of Vedic Mantras or beautiful songs, which extol the virtues of the presiding deity, especially the all-pervasiveness. This activity reinforces the devotion of the devotee in his chosen path to reach spiritual enlightenment. Shri Sri Yogananda Paramahansa said, "When an offering is made of flowers or incense or flame from oil lamps or candles on the altar, they represent the devotion of man to God.

 

The flowers symbolize the fragrant love of the devotee; the incense conveys reverence; the flame typifies the light of calmness in which is revealed the Divine De! ity, residing on the altar of the heart" One may see the ritual of worship not as a mere physical exercise but as a real means through a communication between the self and the supreme is established. Understanding of such a communication is essential to reap the harvest of spiritual benefits.. Rituals may not be limited to the act of reinforcing one's stance on earth, a religious identity. It should be the vehicle that leads one to the understanding of the entity that is fundamental to the origin of all religions. Such a communication can only be unifying and not divisive.

This series may be aptly concluded by a quote from Ishopanishad, the mention of which is also made in Sri Sai Satcharitha:

 

Isa vasya midam sarvam yatkinch jagatyam jagat tena tyaktena bhumjidha ma grudhah kasya cit dhanam God is omnipresent and HE owns this universe. We should, therefore, enjoy it with a feeling of sacrifice, to the extent that is necessary for us and the rest should be left to others in the society and never ever feel jealous of others.

 

The readers are also requested to visit http://www.mantraonnet.com/practices.html. for a good collection of explanations for different questions pertaining to the spiritual practices followed in Hinduism.
(Concluded. Contributions to this above series by Sai devotees SV Swamy, India, and Mala Gupta, UAE are gratefully acknowledged)