Getting The Lord, We Get All !

Swami Mukundananda emphasizing on faith in God

Be brave and be sincere; then follow any path with devotion, and you must reach the Whole. Once lay hold of one link of the chain, and the whole chain must come by degrees. Water the roots of the tree (that is, reach the Lord), and the whole tree is watered; getting the Lord, we get all.

God - The Ultimate Bliss

One-sidedness is the bane of the world. The more sides you can develop the more souls you have, and you can see the universe through all souls — through the Bhakta (devotee) and the Jnâni (philosopher). Determine your own nature and stick to it. Nishthâ (devotion to one ideal) is the only method for the beginner; but with devotion and sincerity it will lead to all. Churches, doctrines, forms, are the hedges to protect the tender plant, but they must later be broken down that the plant may become a tree. So the various religions, Bibles, Vedas, dogmas — all are just tubs for the little plant; but it must get out of the tub. Nishthâ is, in a manner, placing the plant in the tub, shielding the struggling soul in its path. . . .

Radha and Krishna - the Distributor of the Ultimate Bliss

Look at the "ocean" and not at the "wave"; see no difference between ant and angel. Every worm is the brother of the Nazarene. How say one is greater and one less? Each is great in his own place. We are in the sun and in the stars as much as here. Spirit is beyond space and time and is everywhere. Every mouth praising the Lord is my mouth, every eye seeing is my eye. We are confined nowhere; we are not body, the universe is our body. We are magicians waving magic wands and creating scenes before us at will. We are the spider in his huge web, who can go on the varied strands wheresoever he desires. The spider is now only conscious of the spot where he is, but he will in time become conscious of the whole web. We are now conscious only where the body is, we can use only one brain; but when we reach ultraconsciousness, we know all, we can use all brains. Even now we can "give the push" in consciousness, and it goes beyond and acts in the super conscious.

We are striving "to be" and nothing more, no "I" ever — just pure crystal, reflecting all, but ever the same, When that state is reached, there is no more doing; the body becomes a mere mechanism, pure without care for it; it cannot become impure. Know you are the Infinite, then fear must die. Say ever, "I am the fragment of my divine Father."

Easy Cure to Common Cold

Common Cold

One of the common illness usually referred as common cold is also known as nasopharyngitis, rhinopharyngitis and acute coryza. The name common cold seems to be accurate as it appears very commonly. Colds are the most common reason that children miss school and parents miss work. The common cold usually causes a runny nose, nasal congestion, and sneezing. You may also have a sore throat, fever, cough, headache, or other symptoms.

Well over 200 viruses are implicated in the cause of the common cold; the rhinoviruses are the most common.  There are several reasons for common cold. Change in seasons, having bath instantly after getting up and exercise, getting wet in the rainy water and weak immune system are some of the causes. Most commonly it gets transmitted from person to person.

• Take more of vitamin C containing substances like Amalaki, papaya, citrus fruits etc.
• If there is cold with fever; take some hot water and mix little honey, ginger juice and a bit of baking powder into it before drinking. Drink it slowly and allow the body to sweat. While perspiring s/he should be safe from the wind.
• Crush the dried ginger and put into one liter water, mix some jaggery and cook it till it remains ¼. Sip it well.
• Take 3 grams of black pepper, 25 gram of jaggery and 5o gram of cord from cow milk. Grind the pepper and mix them well. Store it and take one gram every morning to reduce the effect of chronic cold.
• Take 7 cloves; boil it in 120 ml water till it is reduced to 30 ml. Take steam of it and drink it when it cools.
• Take some Tulsi leaves or pepper, boil with some jaggery and drink it.
• If guava fruit is fried with sand and then eaten it works wonder for removing the chronic cold.
• Grind and mix 100 grams of mustard seeds with 100 gram of turmeric powder with it and fry it in low heat. Then start taking 5-5 gram every morning and evening.
• Mix 30 gram of fennel seeds and 6 cloves in one liter of water and then boil it to the extent that only ¼ of the water remains. Now mix some sugar and have it.
• Fry a few of ajwain (Bishop's weed) and wrap it into a thin cloth, rub it on your palm and smell it from time to time which helps to relieve heaviness in the head.
• Take some ajwain and jaggery (four times more to the ajwain); then boil in a glass of water, when it comes to be ½ drink it and sleep with your body covered.
• Take steam every night before going to bed.
• Boil a liter of water with some salt, turmeric powder, salt, cumin seeds and tulsi leaves. Drink it every night before sleeping for two three days.
• Take half a kilo of spinach, 250 gram of turnips (along with leaves), 250 grams of tomatoes, 75 grams of coriander leaves and 25 grams of ginger. Cut them into small pieces and boil in about one liter of water in a cooker. Then sieve them through the thin muslin or other clothes. Add a little salt, some lime juice and roasted and ground cumin seed into it. And take it in cups after every two to three hours.

Attachment - The Root Cause of Stress

Swami Mukundananda

In the 21st century, stress has become a widespread ailment. While we boldly march forward harnessing nature with ever-new technologies, when it comes to the conquest of the mind, humankind seems to be standing still.

Stress leads to a gamut of negative emotions.

As the world speeds up with cell-phones, emails, faxes, and the Internet, an increasing number of people complain of stress. It is particularly common among high achieving company executives, and is sometimes called the executive’s disease. Stress leads to a gamut of negative emotions like tension, fear, distress, apprehension, and anxiety. On the physical level, it causes health problems such as headaches, acidity, ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

How do we define stress? For an engineer, stress is the force in a beam or a machine part that tends to distort, crush, bend, or break it. We humans too are subjected to forces at home, at work, and in the world at large. The tension and anxiety in our emotional being, as we adjust to our continually changing environment, is what we call “stress.” As babies, we experienced stress when we were hungry, and we cried out to our mother. As grown-ups, we experience it when our boss hints that our performance has not been satisfactory and we will soon lose our job. The situations for stress can be innumerable.

Meditation for Stress Management

Before we get into the techniques of stress management, we must bear in mind the distinction between the emotional stress within us and stressful situations outside. Stressful situations are not harmful in themselves; they are catalysts for progress. They inspire us to develop our abilities, as we attempt to face them. A world without stressful situations would be as insipid as a school class without exams. Good teachers never permit the latter, and God never permits the former. The Creator has designed the world in such a way that it continually throws up challenges and obstacles in our path. Ramakrishna Paramahansa said, “Life is the continuous unfoldment of a being under circumstances tending to press it downwards.” Hence, our goal is not to eliminate stressful situations. Instead, we wish to eliminate the emotional stress these situations generate within us.

How can we reduce or eliminate stress? Consultants on Stress Management offer a plethora of solutions such as time management, situation management, meditation, yoga, tai chi, etc. While these are wonderful activities in their own right, as solutions they all have one shortcoming. They deal with the symptoms of stress without tackling the cause. This is like suppressing fever, without curing the typhoid within. If we wish to get rid of stress, we must get rid of the cause. The first step in Stress Management is thus to try to understand the cause.

To explain it simply, stress develops when we are attached to a particular outcome, and things do not turn out the way we desire. If a businessperson decides to make profits, but the business runs at a loss, stress results. If a sales representative wishes to meet a particular sales target, but fails to do so, stress results. The reason for stress is thus our own attachment to a particular outcome, and our inability to adjust to any other outcome.

Once we understand the cause, the remedy is simple – learn to work without attachment to the results. The Bhagavad Geeta instructs: “You have the right to work, but not to the outcome.” Relish your work, but offer the fruit of your efforts to God. The outcome of our work is not in our hands in any case. It depends upon several factors such as circumstances, assistance from others, efforts of competitors, sheer luck, coincidence, will of God, and so on. Thus, wisdom demands that while working, we put in our best efforts, but when the results come, we be content.

But if we give up attachment to results, will it not decrease our performance at work? Definitely not. In fact, when we become free from negative emotions like tension, anxiety, apprehension, and nervousness – in most situations our effectiveness will increase. For example, competent surgeons conduct hundreds of operations on others, but they are unwilling to operate on their own children. They know that attachment makes them prone to error. All business people know that if they become anxious in conducting their business, they are liable to make mistakes. Thus if we can become detached from our work, we become even more effective. Accordingly, the Bhagavad Geeta does not describe a yogi as one who can perform a spinal twist, or one who can stop breathing for a few minutes, or one who can stand on one’s head in shirshasana. It says, “A yogi is one who can work in even the most agitating conditions, without any attachment to the results of his actions.”

Let’s take one step back. If attachment is the root cause of stress, how can we eliminate attachment? The Bhagavad Geeta gives a simple answer. It tells us, not to give up attachment, rather, to transfer that attachment to God. When we develop devotion or attachment to God, it will result in two benefits: Firstly, we will become free from the stress that results from attachment to the world. Secondly, our work will become an offering to God. This spirit of working in devotion is called Karma Yoga. Karma Yoga literally means union with God by offering the fruits of our works to Him.

Meditation to realize the Glory of God.

How can we reach this state of union with God while working? Throughout our waking state, we constantly perceive ourselves. “I am eating. I am walking. I am thinking. I am speaking, etc.” However, we fail to perceive the presence of God, who always resides within our hearts. We must now add this perception to our consciousness. At first, at intervals of an hour we must stop our work for a moment, and think, “God is standing before me. He is watching me. He is my witness and my protector.” Now, when we realize that God is the witness of all our activities, we will automatically be prevented from sin. Simultaneously, we will be reassured and strengthened by the feeling that the Supreme Lord is always with us as our protector and benefactor.

Then, we must practice the same at intervals of half-an-hour. In this way, we have to keep reducing the time interval until we reach the state where we constantly perceive the presence of God with us. With the mind fixed on God while working, we will feel the constant flow of spiritual energy. Our work and spiritual practice will go on simultaneously. The day we can live constantly in the presence of God, we will have accomplished success in Karma Yoga, and become totally free from stress.

Ways to Develop Memory and Concentration

Bygone are the days of ‘Susruta’. Now almost all the people are suffering from Memory problems. The ratio might be different between different people. Brain cells don’t produce other brain cells and thus their death means permanent loss.

So many reasons like digestive disorders, physical weakness, typhoid, continuous stress, any of the chronic diseases, by-birth mental defects and less than normal quantity of blood cause brain cell death. Absentmindedness, difficulty to memorize the lessons, forgetting to do the scheduled things, not recognizing the known persons are some of the symptoms of this disease. Though the brain cells cannot be produced they can be revived in certain manner.

• Drink a glass of bit juice every day; you can use it as salad either.
• Bite a sweet apple before meal daily to sharpen your memory.
• Eat the watermelon seeds with watermelon fruits.
• Use of peeper in food is beneficial to solve memory problem.
• Boil half a liter of milk with 4-5 leaves of Peepal (Sacred Fig tree). Filter the milk and drink it with some sugar candy mixed in it daily for some days.
• Take 25 gram of cream butter (Makkhan), mix some peeper and jiggery and lick it well.
• Regular use of ripe pumpkins as curry and daily use of honey serve to strengthen your brain power.
• Having mixed salad and regular fruit eating habit prevents memory loss.
• Create a habit of eating two walnuts every day; it is the panacea to increase memory power. But better soak it in water 3-4 hours prior to eating in hot seasons.
• Continuous use of cashews, peanuts etc work wonder in the field of increasing memory.
• The fluid intake should be sufficient. Insufficient fluid in the body causes memory loss.
• Cultivate the faculty of imagination. Whatever you want to remember try to visualize it which will help to remember and you will enjoy it too.
• Mental stress causes memory loss. So it should be avoided as far as possible and removed. The best way to remove stress and increase memory and concentration is meditation. Practice meditation for 10-15 minutes every day.
• Do some exercise daily so that the lazy body will not affect the mind and you will feel fresh. 
• Practice some eye exercises on a daily basis. Specially turning the eyeballs right and left is the most, after 10-12 times close eyes and do palming.
• Performing pranayamas like Anulom Vilom, Bhramari and asanas like Ardha Shirshaasan, Shirshasan and Sarvangasan are effective to improve memory and concentration.

You Are Where Your Mind Is !

You are where your mind is !

Our experience of happiness and distress in life is all a product of our mind.  Harboring positive thoughts, such as love, sacrifice, admiration, kindness, generosity, etc, makes us happy.  Holding negative thoughts, such as hatred, fear, anxiety, resentment, jealousy, etc, makes us miserable.  Thus, our experience of happiness and distress is not dependent upon our external situation, but upon the state of the mind.  Even while living in hellish circumstances, a trained mind can make us experience heavenly bliss.  On the other hand, even while living amidst heavenly luxuries, an uncontrolled mind can make us experience hellish miseries. Hence effectively, we are where our mind is.

The Puranas relate a story in this regard.  There were two brothers, Tavrit and Suvrit.  They were walking from their house to the temple, which was two hours away, to attend a discourse on the Shreemad Bhagavatam.  On the way, they got caught in a rainstorm.  They ran for shelter to the nearest building.  Entering it, they realized that it was a sinful place, where people engaged in vulgar dancing and drinking. 

The elder brother, Tavrit, was outraged.  “How awful!” he said, “Let us get out of this place and reach the temple.”

His younger brother, Suvrit, tried to pacify him.  “It is raining heavily outside.  What is the harm in remaining here until the rain ceases?  They are not forcing us to join them in their sinful activities.”

Tavrit was adamant and walked out of the building in a huff.  He got drenched in the rain for one-and-a-half hours, but reached the temple.  There he sat and heard Pundit ji’s discourse on the Shreemad Bhagavatam.  However, in his mind, he began thinking, “This is so boring.  I made a mistake by coming here.  My brother must be really enjoying himself with the wine, song and dance.”

Suvrit, on the other hand, was repenting.  “This place is so vulgar,” he thought.  “I made a mistake by remaining here.  I too should have braved the rain, like Tavrit, and I would have gotten to hear the holy message of the Shreemad Bhagavatam instead of having to watch this” 

When the rain finally subsided, both got out and began walking in each other’s direction.  As soon as they met, lightning fell on them and they died.  The Puranas say that Yamdoots, or the servants of Yamraj, the God of death, came to take Tavrit, and Vishnudoots, or the servants of Lord Vishnu came to take Suvrit.

“You seem to have gotten the wrong name,” said Tavrit.  “I was sitting in the temple.  It was my brother who was at the Inn.”

An uncontrolled mind can make us experience hellish miseries.

“We have made no mistake,” replied the Vishnudoots. You were physically at the temple but mentally at the Inn, while Suvrit was physically at the Inn but mentally he was at the temple.”  Thus, God gives us the fruits in accordance to where we keep our mind.

Hence, the Panchadashi states:

Mana eva manushyanaam karanam bandha mokshayoha

“Liberation and bondage in maya is decided by the condition of the mind.”  If it is attached to the world, it results in bondage, and the soul continues to rotate in the cycle of life and death.  But if the mind is attached to God, it results in liberation from the material realm.

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Tavrit sitting in the temple thinking of the brothel (blurb coming from his mind with image of the brothel).  Suvrit sitting in the brothel, thinking of the temple (blurb coming from his mind with the image of the temple).

The Art of Managing Your Mind

IIT and IIM alumnus Swami Mukundananda

Swami Mukundananda is an IIT and IIM alumnus, being an exponent of the Material Managerial skills and having undergone a rigorous internship under the divine guidance of his Guru, Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji, Learning the details of The Spiritual Science. By the Grace of Shree Kripaluji Maharaj, Swamiji has been teaching this unique art of managing one’s minds across the globe for more than past twenty-five years.

An uncontrolled mind is the subject for the vagaries such as lust, anger, greed, fear, jealousy, vanity, anxiety etc. that torment a person endlessly. To curb this infirmity, many people practice the art of positive thinking through their will power, not knowing that a human mind is helpless to bear the past karma. The Vedas, however explain that without a proper spiritual insight and proper self-knowledge, all means practiced to conquer the mind are fruitless.

Meaning & Nature of the Mind

It has been revealed in the Vedas, It is the Mind only that is the Root-Cause of Physical-Mental imprisonment and Liberation (Amrit-Bindu-Upanishad Shloka 2). What is this Mind, then? The Scientists fail to penetrate to the subtle mind, as they consider the brain as the mind. Brain is only a central processing unit, hard-wired with the physical organs of the body such as hands and legs. Moreover, while the Psychologists do admit the existence of Mind, they refrain from admitting the existence of Soul, the neutral source of Energy, through which, the mind functions.

Mind has been revealed as a subtle (not abstract) machine, through which a soul experiences and interacts with, the external world. A soul’s likes, dislikes, desires, tendencies, instincts are all stored in a part of our subconscious mind. Mind, however, functions in various modes and stages.

Types of Mind

Primarily, the subtle human mind can be divided into Four Partitions. Mind you, it is the one single mind that enacts four different roles simultaneously, as revealed in Shreemad Bhagavatam Puran (3.26.14).

Mann (The Desire-Weaving Machine)

The mann instinctively makes sankalpas and vikalpas or desires of sense gratification. The mann is heavily affected by the surroundings and past karmas of a soul. This being mind’s inherent function, the mind cannot be deprived of making desires. There is not a single moment, where mind can stop making sankalpas and vikalpas. (Shreemad Bhagavad Geeta 3.5), knowing this well, instead of annulling the mind, the devotees try to diver the thought-flow towards the Spiritual Realm by constant remembrance of the Lord’s Names and Divine Pastimes.

Buddhi (Intelligence)

Swami Mukundananda revealing on the mystery of mind.

Once the mann decides a particular thing or hatches a particular desire, the data is further processed to the Intelligence, where it is weighed taking into consideration social viability, status, personal image and other material constraints.

Both Mann and Buddhi carry out their jobs with the alliance of the memory faculty, wherein samskars (neural-images) of past infinite births are stored in the mind.

Chitt (Contemplation)

Once the Buddhi weighs viability and feasibility of a particular desire, the more evolved or status-conscious individuals churn the application furthermore in this highly advanced and subtle machine called chitt. Most of Para-psychologists, yogis and munis fail to breach the code of this subtle organ.

Ahamkar (Ego)

Ahamkar is not ego but the inherent sense of I or ‘I’-ness. It is of two kinds, the unreal and the real. The material Ahamkar, that of considering one to be a body or a sense of belonging to a particular cast, nation, ethnicity, species etc., is false ego. Whereas, considering one to be a Pure Atomic particle of God’s Marginal Potency aka Atma is Real Ego.

Stages of Mind

Human Mind can be divided primarily into three stages based on the level of its consciousness about its own entity.

Conscious Mind: Conscious mind is the mind that one is conscious about. The habits that we know we have, our limitations, vices, infirmities etc.

Subconscious Mind: Subconscious Mind is that sphere of our mind that we know but we cannot express through words or gestures.

Unconscious Mind: This more than 99.99% of our mind. All the material aspects that we do not know are stored in the unconscious mind of a soul.

Super-conscious Mind: This is the mind of a turiyaatita yogi, whose consciousness is able to reflect its optimum capacity, but this also is limited to the relativity of the yogi. It would be indeed very incompetent to conclude that such an individual receives the cosmic consciousness.

Divine Mind: This is a mind of a pure devotee who has been impregnated with Pure Love of God by his/her Guru.

Anemia

Less in Number of RBCs is anemia.

Though everybody’s answer to the question ‘whether they live to eat or eat to live’ would be the same, ‘Eat to live’. In fact people do not eat to live. They eat for eating, satisfying the taste buds.

Our body needs varieties of nutrients ranging from carbohydrates, proteins and fat to the number of vitamins and minerals. According to our body mechanism, we need different things in different quantities. It seems like we should think before eating. Due to the carelessness in the dieting, there arise so many disorders. One of them is anemia. Though excessive loss of blood or semen or malaria   is some other causes of anemia, uncontrolled and irrational diet is the main.

It is the condition where there are not enough RBCs in the blood. Tiredness, weakness, shortness of breath, lightheadedness and looking pale are some symptoms of this disorder.   

Anemia can be treated at home.

• Keep on drinking the juice of red tomatoes for some days.  This increases strength, alleviates tiredness and develops hunger.
• Grind some cinnamons and black sesame in equal quantity and drink it mixed with half a cup milk or water.
• Prepare a glass of sharbat (sherbet) with honey and drink it thrice a day.
• Eat 8-10 ripe sweet peaches daily for some days.
• Chew 10-15 cashews well and drink slightly hot milk instantly after it.
• Eat 5-7 chikoos (sapota) one after the other. Continue it for next few days.
• Drink a glass of bit juice three times a day.
• Use carrot in salad every day. This is very helpful to fulfill the deficiency of vitamins.
• To increase hemoglobin in the blood, take some juice of radish mixed with the juice of pomegranate in equal quantity.
• Prepare half a cup of onion juice mixed with the same amount of honey in it and drink it well.  
• Eat a few plums on a daily basis.

Do Not Ask God For The Worldly Things

Always ask God for His Love and Service.

If we approach God with worldly desires, our mind remains stuck in the world.  Then no matter how much devotion we do, our mind does not become pure.  It is like packing dirty water in a bottle, and dipping the bottle in the holy Ganga.  No matter how long the bottle remains in the Ganga, the water within remains dirty, since it did not even come in contact with the water of the Ganga. 

There is a humorous story to illustrate this point.  There were two neighbors, Ramesh and Dinesh.  As sometimes happens between neighbors, they developed great envy for each other. When one of them bought a new car, the other did the same.  One built a fence around his yard, and the other followed suit.  One repainted the exterior of his house, and shortly afterwards, the other also did the same.

After a few years of living as neighbors, their animosity for each other increased so much that they could not tolerate seeing each other.  Finally, Ramesh thought of an idea to get ahead of Dinesh.  He decided he would please Lord Shiv and ask Him for a boon.  The next day, early in the morning, at 5 am, he went to the temple of Lord Shiv.  He offered his obeisance to the Shiv Ling, and sat down under a tree in the courtyard of the temple.  He began chanting, “Om Namah Shivaya!” with the resolve that he would not stop until Lord Shiv appeared before him and asked him what he wanted.

However, sometimes evil minds think alike.  Dinesh too had gotten the same idea on the previous night, that he would get ahead of Ramesh by asking Lord Shiv for a boon.  So at 5.15 am he reached the same temple.  He offered his obeisance to the Shiv Ling, and sat down in the courtyard under another tree.  

God is ready to give us anything that we want.

Sounds of “Om Namah Shivaya” came to his ears.  He looked in that direction, and was shocked to see his neighbor Ramesh sitting under the other tree.  He immediately understood Ramesh’s intention, and resolved, “Let’s see whom Lord Shiv comes to first.”  He too began chanting the name of Shiv. 

At around 7 am other devotees too began coming to the temple.  They found both of them sitting, apparently in great devotion, chanting the Names of God.  They thought, “These two have such concentration of mind.  They must be great devotees.” 

At noon time, Mother Parvati said to God Shiv, “Ramesh and Dinesh are taking your name with such intensity.  Why don’t you go and give them your darshan?”

Shivji replied, “Parvati, they will not benefit from it.  But if you say so, I will go to them.”

He first appeared before Ramesh and said, “My son, I have come.  Open your eyes.”  Ramesh opened his eyes, and saw Lord Shiv before him.  Shivji asked, “What do you want?  Ask and I will give it to you.”

Ramesh said, “My Lord!  I will definitely ask.  However before I do, I have a question.  Have you given darshan to Dinesh as yet?”

“I have not,” said God Shiv.  “But after this, I intend to go to him.” 

Ramesh was now in a fix.  If he asked for a Mercedes, Dinesh would ask for two Mercedes; if he asked for a million dollars, Dinesh would ask for two million.  Finally, he had an idea.  He said, “O Lord!  Whatever you give to him, give me twice of that.” 

Shiv ji then went before Dinesh and said, “My son, I have come.  What do you want from me?” 

Dinesh too offered his obeisance to God Shiv.  He asked in the same manner, “O Lord, before I ask, please tell me whether you have given darshan to Ramesh.” 

“That I have,” replied Shivji. 

“What did he ask?”

“He said that whatever you get, he should get double of it.”

Dinesh was now in the fix.  Having performed such severe austerities, he would still remain behind Ramesh.  Finally, an idea came to him for putting down Ramesh.  He said, “Please make blind in one eye.”

Desire from God should be of Eternal Bliss.

Lord Shiv made Dinesh blind in one eye, and Ramesh became totally blind.  The people, who had been thinking that these two were great devotees, realized that they were not devotees at all.  Although they had been taking the name of God, their minds were steeped in worldly desires. 

True devotion is that where the mind gets attached to God.  If physically we worship God, but our mind is attached to the world, it will be devotion to the world and not to God.  Such devotion will not cleanse the mind from the afflictions of maya.  Hence, if we want to purify our mind, we must strictly follow the rule of not to ask God for worldly things.  It is such love that will cleanse the mind.

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Ramesh and Dinesh looking over each other’s fence.  Both having double storied houses, with cars in the parking lot.

Ramesh sitting under the tree.  Lord Shiv standing before him.  Both speaking to each other.  Dinesh sitting with eyes closed under the other tree.

Meat and Eggs – To Eat or Not to Eat?

By nature humans are vegetarian.

Humans have been created by nature to be vegetarians. Human beings do not have long canine teeth and a wide jaw to tear flesh like carnivorous animals do.

Carnivores have short bowels to allow minimal transit time for the unstable and dead animal food, which putrefies and decays faster. On the contrary, humans have a longer digestive tract for the slow and better absorption of the plant food.

The intestinal micro-organisms are different in the meat-eating animals as compared to humans—to aid meat digestion. The stomach of carnivores is more acidic than human beings—to digest raw meat.

Harmful Effects of Meat

Hormone-fed animals: Animals are fed synthetic hormones in order to accelerate their growth, increase fat deposits, and muscle mass. These are passed on to the consumers.

Cholesterol and Saturated Fats: This is high in meat, leading to hardening and narrowing of arteries, causing high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. Fat is where animals store their toxins, and that itself is passed on to the meat-eaters.

Avoiding meat means a healthy body and mind.

High Uric Acid: Protein from meat has high uric acid, which leads to arthritis, kidney stones, and high chances of kidney diseases.

Poor Source of Fibre: Meat does not contain a significant amount of fibre—thus leading to constipation.

Body Acidity: Meat is highly acidic, leading to acidity in body tissues and creating ground for diseases to breed.

Fear Factor: Whenever there is threat of danger, as a response to it, levels of certain chemicals and hormones increase in our body. When an animal is killed, the fear and pain releases many toxic chemicals which are ingested by us when we eat meat.

Heaviness and Lethargy: Meat-eating leads to dullness and lethargy in the body and mind too. So the scriptures say meat is tamasic food.

Meat and Cancer: There is a strong correlation between animal protein and several kinds of cancers.

Although meats may be rich in proteins, they are simply not worth the risk.

Eggs

Today, most sold eggs come from hens that are packed in small cages under bright artificial light, which lay unfertilized eggs under the effect of feeds, laced with hormones and antibiotics. Eating them can cause a highly acidifying and putrefactive excess of protein apart from the harm done by these hormone-induced eggs.

Nuts and Seeds – Source of Good Fats

Dry fruits - a good source of minerals like iron, calcium, and copper.

The term “dry fruits” is used to indicate the commonly eaten nuts, like almonds, cashews, pistachios, dates (khajoor), raisins (kishmish), figs (anjeer), apricots, and currants. 

These are a good source of minerals like iron, calcium, and copper. Many people shun nuts and seeds because they are rich in fats, containing up to 40 per cent of fats. However, they contain the good fats that are required by the body.

The benefits of consuming nuts and seeds are:

Dry fruits - a source of good quality proteins

• Nuts, seeds, and cashews are totally free from cholesterol, which is a risk factor associated with fats of animal origin. However, cashews contain high percentage of fat (up to 47%). So, consumers should not confuse fat with cholesterol.
• They have a blend of essential fatty acids and vitamin E. Walnuts has a special place, being the only ones in this category to have the much-needed Omega-3 fatty acids.
• They have a healthy percentage of essential minerals like magnesium and copper.
• They are a source of good quality proteins.

How to Eat Nuts, Seeds, and Dry Fruits?

• Wash them two or three times in water before eating. Before being packed they are subjected to fumigation with SO2. The fruit also absorbs this SO2. The only sweet dry fruit that is free from this contamination is dates.
• Frying or roasting leads to deterioration in the quality of fats and proteins. Excess roasting leads to the formation of toxins.
• Soak for about 4-5 hours in water, to soften the fibre and render nutrients.
• Eat them in limited quantity only. They are a dense source of nutrients.
• Vegetarians can easily get essential fatty acids and amino acids simply by eating a handful of raw nuts and seeds every day.

Fresh Fruits – The Complete Food

Fruits - rich in vitamins and minerals

They are easy to digest and metabolize, and are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are alkalizing and cooling to the body. They clean the digestive tract too.

When and How to Eat Fruits?

• Wash the fruit thoroughly before cutting or eating. This is important given the excessive use of pesticides on our farms.
• Eat fruit with the skin when possible, as the part inside the skin is rich in vitamins.
• Do not wash fruit after they have been cut. Vitamin C being water-soluble gets washed off.
• Ideally, fruit should be eaten 30-60 minutes before a meal, not after. This ensures timely digestion and passage from the stomach. If consumed after a big meal, it stays in the stomach for more than two or three hours until the other food is digested, causing a traffic jam. This causes the fruit to putrefy in the stomach, leading to flatulence, gas, and indigestion.



Fruits ripen on the trees are the best.

• Eat seasonal fruits. Fruits left to ripen on the tree with sunlight are best, rather than fruits taken from the cold storage plants.
• Many people believe that citrus fruits increase acidity. Citrus fruits do contain acids, but when these are assimilated and burnt in the body, they produce alkaline ash.
• Āmlā or Indian Goosebery (Phyllanthus emblica) requires special mention because it is the richest source of vitamin C. It contains twenty times more Vitamin C than a similar quantity of orange. One Āmlā can meet the daily requirements of vitamin C of four adults.

Vegetables – The Nutritional Powerhouse

Vegetables to safeguard against cancers and  bone problems

Vegetables are the main source of good quality food like vitamins, minerals, fibre, proteins, and carbohydrates. Many vegetables can be eaten raw. They can be consumed in different ways, such as a part of main meals or as snacks. Despite all the vegetables contain slight proportion of protein or fat, and fluctuating proportions of vitamins, dietary minerals, fibres, and carbohydrates, the nutritional content of vegetables differs significantly.

Daily diet should consist of adequate quantities of fruits and vegetables as they help prevent the danger of heart diseases and diabetes. They even safeguard us against different cancers and bone-related problems. One of the minerals, potassium is found in the fruits and the vegetables—surely assists us by avoiding the risk of the stones formation in the kidney.

Healthier Ways of Cooking Vegetables:

• Buy fresh, tender vegetables and cook them as soon as possible. Do not overstock your fridge.
• Wash the vegetables in running water properly before cutting them.
• Vegetables used in salads should be soaked in salted water for an hour and then washed in drinking water, before they are cut and consumed. This will neutralize the pesticides used in farming.
• Cut vegetables just before consuming them. Do not cut and store in the refrigerator, or buy pre-cut vegetables from the supermarket.
• The water in which vegetables are boiled should not be discarded as it contains the essential vitamins and minerals.
• Always cover the vessel with a lid while cooking. This will reduce the loss of vitamins due to evaporation.
• Do not overheat the oil to smoking point before adding the vegetables, as this destroys their inherent nutrients.
• Cook in minimum water. Adding excess water and then cooking with the pan uncovered until water evaporates, destroys all the vitamins.



Vegetables provide us adequate nutrients and the fibre

• Do not overcook the vegetables.
• When cooking green vegetables, add them to the cooking pan at the end, and add vegetables that take longer to cook, such as potatoes, in the beginning. After adding the green vegetable, stir for a few seconds and turn off the flame. This preserves the vitamins and enhances the green color and taste.
• Add salt at the end to gain more chances of preserving vitamins in the vegetables. In the Western countries, meals are preceded by soups. They are easy to cook and easy to digest. Soups are a good source of vitamins and minerals. They cause no strain on digestion.
• Carrot is the king of raw vegetables, containing the two most important antioxidants: vitamin A and C. Two or three medium-sized carrots meet our daily requirement of vitamin A.