Spiritual Prescription: Practical exercises to achieve inner happiness or silence

Contemplation of scriptures, association with saints (satsang) and vairagya to material objects promote yogic discipline or yoga abhyasa.

To achieve inner happiness of silence one must learn to control the Prana Vayu through breath control exercises.

Consciousness or chitta is the immovable silent state of consciousness, which gets controlled by the process of breathing through the Prana Vayu (which in turns controls the thoughts). One can therefore achieve a state of silence by controlling the breath.

There are many techniques of breath control described in the Vedic literature like yoga sutras in Patanjali, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Vashshistha, and Srimad Bhagwat.

One of them Pranayama is the talk of the universe today. Most spiritual leaders today are promoting Pranayama as the process of stimulating inner powers.

But there are many other techniques which can be learnt to get the same powers. Most of them are either forgotten or done only by people practicing advanced meditation techniques.

Meditation is nothing but continuing concentration on the object of concentration. Routinely, a person cannot concentrate for more than 3 seconds as a new thought appears within 3 seconds. The first lesson is to concentrate uninterrupted for 12 seconds. The day one is able to do this, he or she has learnt meditation. Then one can go the second stage of concentrating for two minutes and so on. 

There are many types of yoga practices.

·        Being in the company of holy people (satsang), a person starts recognizing the world as unreal. At this stage, concentrating and meditating for a long time one can become firm in the practice of one tatva or the object of concentration. This leads to control over the movement of prana. 

·        When one practices methodically, over a period of time the process of exhalation (rechaka) and inhalation (puraka) and holding or cessation of breathing (kumbaka) - the steps in pranayama – and merges in the meditation, then also the movement of prana is checked.

·        The movement of prana can also be checked with the fixation of consciousness in the subtle rhythm of the sound (ardha matra) at the end of the word AUM.

·        With the practice of rechaka pranayama, cognition merges in the shunya state of akash (void) on the support of prana vayu, and then also the movement of prana is stopped.

·        Prana vayu is also controlled by the practice of kumbaka.

·        When the tip of the tongue is fixed at the orifice of the palate, the prana vayu goes up on account of khechari mudra, and then, too, the movement of prana is checked.

·        Within the distance of 12 digits (finger breadths) from the tip of the nose, by fixing the vision on it, the movement of prana is also checked.

·        When one concentrates on a spot 12 digits above the palate, then also the movement of prana is checked.

·        The movement of prana is also checked by concentrating on trikuti, the spot between the eyebrows.

·        Free from all vasanas, when one meditates for a long time on the consciousness in the akash of the heart, then also the movement of prana is checked.

·        When one undertakes for a long-term continuous practice of breath that goes up to the distance of 10 digits from the spot between the two eyebrows then also prana is stabilized.

·        When one is engaged in atma abhyas after fixation of the tongue against the palate for a long term then also prana is controlled.

What are three types of Vedanta thoughts?

There are three main schools of thoughts in Vedanta

·        Dualistic or Dvaita

·        Qualified Monism or vishistha Advaita

·        Advaita Vedanta or Absolute monism

All these perceptions are true. All expound the relationship between the individual Jiva (soul), this world or nature (Jagat) and the Ruler of the universe or God (Spirit or Brahman). 

Dualism, mainly propounded by Madhvacharya (1199-1278) maintains that the individual soul and the Spirit (supreme soul) are different and there cannot be unity between the two. Spirit is the Ruler of this universe and is creator, sustainer, and the destroyer. Mostly, the path of dualism is path of Bhakti Yoga.

Qualified monism of Ramanujacharya (1040-1137) differs from dualistic thought on the ground that whatever we see or perceive is, in fact, God and nothing else. The universe includes the nature and us. Thus Soul, Jagat and Spirit are one. Just as an individual being has a body and a soul, so also God has universe as the body and He is the soul of all souls. We are on of the cell of the universe.

Advaita Vedanta: Advaita literally means “not two”. This is the highest concept as realized by Adi Shankaracharya (788-820). Advaita Vedanta maintains that the Highest Reality or Existence or Truth cannot be two, but must be one. It has to be all pervading, only One, and Infinite.

Many scholars have talked about this philosophy

·        That the soul exists is the main gist of Upanishads. According to Sri Shankaracharya one can sum up the entire message of Vedanta in three crisp aphorisms. Brahma Satyam, Jagat Mithya (there is only one truth and that is Brahman or the spirit) “Jivo Brahmaiva naparah” means that every jiva - the apparent limited and finite entity is actually the infinite and limitless Brahman, and nothing else. Every Jiva is basically God himself with his limited identity.

·        One of the two Hindu principles that symbolize the outcome of freedom of thought was conceptualized four thousand years back by some unnamed rishis in Rig-Veda as, “The Universal Reality is the same, but different people can call it by different names” (Ekam Sat Viprah Bahuda Vadanti). The other one is “This world is one family” (Vasudaiva Kutumbakam)

·        “Om Poornamadah Poornamidam

     Poornaat Poornamudachyate

Poornasya Poornamaadaaya

Poornameva Avasihyate”

The whole is whole; if you take away the whole away from the whole the whole still remain. (That is infinite, This is infinite. From the infinite, the infinite has come out. Having taken the infinite out of the infinite, the infinite alone remains. In Vedanta ‘That” represents super consciousness, the God or the Brahman and “THIS” the visible universe).

·        One may ask that if the Whole is divided into parts, how can the individual part be taken as the Whole. Advaita Vedanta maintains that there is only one Reality as Absolute Consciousness. Out of ignorance we perceive this One Reality as multifarious. This cosmic ignorance is called Maya.

·        There are 3 stages of spiritual life. Dwaita (dualism); Vishishtadwaita (Qualified Non dualism) and Adwaita (Non-dualism). Man passes through all of these. In the first stage, God and man are separate, and then man realizes he is God but still 2 exist. For if he says, I am God (that means there are 2, he and God). Only in the advanced stage of realization does man say, There is no ‘I’ and only God. Here he claims God and I are one and all traces of ego (self identity) are lost.

Spiritual Prescriptions: Meaningful Coincidences - Synchronicity

If you bump into someone you haven’t met for a long time, then it is advisable to stop and talk to him or her. Remain aware of a message from the universe that they might be carrying for you. Follow the coincidence through, and you’ll be amazed to find where it takes you.

Time and again, we all experience coincidences that has some special meaning or significance, and that appears to defy the laws of probability. Most of us tend to ignore them as something amusing or insignificant.

Today scientists define these coincidences as “Synchronicity.” In laymen terms, they mean ‘coming together of seemingly unrelated events.’

Deepak Chopra calls ‘Synchro Destiny’ as the inherent Power of Meaningful Coincidence (present in everyone) to manifest ‘Abundance’ in one’s Life. ‘Abundance’ may include material wealth, emotional well-being, spiritual fulfillment, ability to fully experience love and compassion, and feel the joy and being able to spread it to others. 

Synchro-Destiny is more than a coincidence as it contains a purpose or a meaning, has a direction and a force of intention. All these come from within us, and each one of us has the power to activate these.

‘Synchro-Destiny’ as a phenomenon is not uncommon and is highly significant. Every meaningful coincidence has a force and direction, and it requires understanding and participating in the process of meaningful coincidence. It requires lending our attention and intention in order to bring the process to fruition. When this happens, there occurs a spontaneous fulfillment of desire in the field of infinite possibilities. It is not about waving a magic wand to gratify ego-based desires. It is about something very different - it’s actually the fulfillment of intentions that exist at much deeper levels, and of desires that are based in spirit rather than ego.

To understand the genesis at Synchro-Destiny, one needs to know that that our lives are truly connected at every moment to the creative power of the universe (called ‘Brahman’ in Vedas). These connections require acquiring a state described in Vedic description as ‘Ritam bhara pragya’ [Ritam (rhythm), Bhara (full of), Pragya (mind), or in other words “a mind full of rhythm”]. It represents that state of mind where the thought waves are synchronous with the order of the universe and where the microcosm and macrocosm are in coherence with each other.

Consciousness or the ‘soul’ is the silent state of mind with full powers. These powers are hidden under the smoke of mind, intellect and ego which is controlled by the software of action, memory and desires. The interface between the two layers, the disturbed and the undisturbed state of consciousness, is what the “ritam bhara pragya” is. Once you cross into this state, the intentions becomes powerful and one start experiencing spontaneous fulfillment of desires.

In Vedas, this term is loosely translated as “a state where only truth is known”. It is said that if one can be conscious in this state, a desire can be manifested as it is right at the level of manifestation onto the physical plane. This is also the level where one experiences the Siddhis or super normal powers as described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.

Deepak Chopra in his latest book on this subject describes seven key principles for mastering Synchro-Destiny.

1.     The existence of the Conscious Energy Field: It indicates the presence of an underlying intelligence within and outside the body. The whole universe can be called as an extended part of our body. (Sri Ramanuja, the proponent of qualified dualism). When one lives one’s life with an appreciation of coincidences and their meanings, one has connected to the underlying field of infinite possibilities.

2.     Creating Cosmic Connections: Creating Cosmic Connections means creating a human environment in which Synchro-Destiny can take place. In mastering Synchro-Destiny, the ability to create positive human relationships is much more than a tactic or a manipulative necessity, and is rather very fundamental to life, in the same way as ‘gravity’ or ‘having air to breathe’ is fundamental.

3.     Mastering Inner Dialogue: Controlling the disturbed state of consciousness.

4.     The art of Penetrating the Conspiracy of Improbabilities: It means learning to recognize meaningful coincidences and to see them as opportunities rather than just little breaks in your daily routine (synchronistic moments).

5.     Harnessing Emotional Turbulence: Once we understand that the universe really is our extended body, it becomes very clear that negative energy within ourselves is very self-destructive. Emotional Turbulence is a major barrier to the spontaneous fulfillment of desire. Transforming negative energy into a higher level of awareness is the fifth principle of mastering Synchro-Destiny.

6.     Learning to use the Infinite Organizing Power of Intention: Understanding that beyond known forces like gravity or electromagnetism that control the universe, there is a strong internal thought force called ‘intention’.

7.     Celebrating the Cosmic Dance: When you have mastered Synchro-Destiny, and have learned to synchronize your life with the universe itself, you are Celebrating the Cosmic Dance.

Once you follow these principles, the following transformations take place.

o       You see the world as an extension of your inner self, as part of the bigger biosphere.

o       Through relationships you learn about your non-local self (spiritual, soulful self) and the higher realm that connects us.

o       You become aware of when your thoughts are coming from the spirit and when they are coming from the ego.

o       You understand the power of intention and how it works.

o       You let go of the grievances and resentment which overshadow your spiritual self.

o       You value both the masculine and feminine aspects of your being.

o       You start appreciating the wonders of the universe and stay alert to coincidences.

SynchroDestiny can be learnt as a procedure that involves gaining access to a place deep within us (restful alert state of consciousness during meditation), willfully recognizing and noticing the coincidences in the daily routine and looking for the message behind them; and using the power of intention to take advantage of them.

It can be learnt in stages: 

·        Stage 1: Start seeing coincidences while they are happening in daily routine.

·        Stage 2: Develop an awareness of coincidences while they are happening and take advantage of the opportunities they may be presenting. Awareness translates into energy hence the more attention you give to coincidences, the more is the likelihood for them to happen.

·        Final stage: Become fully aware of the interrelatedness of all things, how each affects the next, and how they all are ‘in sync’ with one another. ‘In sync’ is a colloquial way of saying ‘in synchrony’, which means operating in unison, as ‘one’. This synchrony is choreographed by a great, all pervasive higher intelligence that lies at the heart of nature (Universe), and is manifest in each of us through what we call the ‘soul’. By applying attention and force of intention to these coincidences, we can create specific position outcomes in our lives.

Quotes

“Synchronicity can be defined as a non-causal but meaningful relationship between events or states of mind within the human psyche and events in the outside world. Putting it more simply, we can call synchronicity as the experiences of “meaningful coincidence”. We have all had experiences that we intuitively recognize as meaningful, though we would be hard pressed to explain them in rational terms. In fact, these “meaningful coincidences” are not coincidences at all but spontaneous realizations of the underlying interconnectedness of all things within the Universe.” (Laurence Boldt - Tao of Abundance)

1.     Acausal (karmically connected) Atemporal Non-Local Quantum Mechanics Interrelatedness: (Deepak Chopra)

2.     As Heraclitus put it, “The unseen design of things is more harmonious than the seen.” 

3.     James Redfield, in the ‘Celestine Prophecy’, describes the first insight as about following meaningful coincidences. Coincidences, if followed through, are seen as a way of evolving to a higher level of vibration consciousness. When we are in the flow, we experience more synchronous events and hence more pleasure and less pain. The flow of coincidences is our path to higher grounds of evolution.

4.     The Law of Synchronization or the Harmonics of the Universe: It is taught in metaphysics, according to ancient writings....also according to modern mystics, including the respected Carl Jung that everything in this Universe, at any given moment at time is synchronized to everything else all working together, interlocked and interdependent and all related. The inseparable astrology itself is a pure demonstration of this Law.

5.     C G Jung: “We talk about synchronicity when two or more seemingly ‘pure chance’ events coincide to form a connection that has a special meaning for the perceiver.

Why don’t we light a lamp in Mandir with Vanaspati Ghee?

Only Satvik and health-friendly offerings are made to God. Whatever is not offered to God should not be taken or taken only in a limited quantity. Vanaspati ghee is hydrogenated oil and is linked to heart attack, diabetes, blood pressure, paralysis and cancer. Lighting of a lamp in a mandir is always done either with oil or clarified butter (pure ghee).

Why do we not offer onions to God?

Anything that grows under the ground is not offered to God. According to Vedic science, anything which is grown under the ground is Tamasik in nature and produces sluggishness, heaviness and extreme aggressiveness. 

Not only onion, all food products grown under the ground are not offered to God and are not supposed to be eaten during spiritual fasts. People who are spiritually oriented like monks, rishi munis avoid underground food altogether. Some people try to convert Tamasik food into Satvik food by slow heating them or by sprouting them or by soaking them in water. That is one reason why boiled potato is eaten during Vrat.

Spiritual Prescription: Kayotsarga

Shavasana is a term used in Hatha Yoga, which means lying like a corpse. In mind body language, it is called mind body relaxation. In terms of psychiatry, it is called progressive muscular relaxation. Mahavira in his teachings called it as Kayotsarga.

Kayotsarga does not mean only lying like corpse but also abandonment of the body. It is a state of restful alertness where the mind is alert but the body is at rest. All meditative practices begin with Kayotsarga. It is the very foundation of spiritual sadhana. 

In terms of physiology it increases alpha rays in the brain and in the language of neurology it creates a parasympathetic state of the body. 

The process involves lying still and being aware of each and every part of the body getting relaxed gradually and in turn. Awareness or the concentration is on the body being relaxed and the process of relaxation. In yogic language, it is also called as yoga nidra as before completing the process most people fall asleep. This is one procedure, which is often used by counselors in patients with insomnia.

During the process of Kayotsarga one is neither in the past nor in the future as one’s awareness is in the present on the process of relaxation. Being in present, it detaches one from attachments and desires and prepares one for the next phase called meditation. 

One of the mind body principles is that during a state of relaxation and restful alertness, the mind become suggestive. This principle is also used in hypnosis. In fact, the initial trans-state is based on this principle. 

Kayotsarga is the state of the body required to win over any pain and this is one reason why during any painful procedure the person is often asked to relax and give way. In the process of Kayotsarga as the body is in a deep state of relaxation, all physical and mental sufferings are relieved. With relaxation of the body most pain would disappear. 

There are several studies, which say that yogic shavasana or Kayotsarga can reduce blood pressure by 20/10 mmHg. The 10-day Vipasana Meditation is also based on prolonged Kayotsarga. It is supposed to be very effective.

Slower and deeper breathing is another way of achieving the same benefits as that of Kayotsarga. Both balance prana. Yoga sutras of Patanjali involve both of them before going into meditation. If one practices Kayotsarga, breathing automatically slows down. Kayotsarga is often done in the beginning of dhyana and at the point of culmination of dhyana. 

Kayotsarga is a state of making body completely free of motion and tension. The fundamental principle of Kayotsarga is slower and deeper breathing. Unless the breathing is slow it is not possible to relax the body. One cannot do Kayotsarga successfully if the breathing is fast. 

It is also combined with many visualization techniques. Once the full body is relaxed concentrating on a mantra or on a particular portion of the body may help in healing. Dean Ornish in his book reversal of heart disease also used this technique with focus on heart and showed that even heart diseases are regressible. Many people use this for relieving migraine.

Kayotsarga is the process which distinguishes the body from the soul. The detached feeling of the body is what the first stage of meditation is.

Afternoon nap is nothing but Kayotsarga. The best way to rest for a heart patient is to practice Kayotsarga. During the process of Kayotsarga the immunity develops and the prana becomes balanced. 

Facts about Soul and the Spirit

·        Energy is the raw material of the universe.

·        Information is the organization of energy into reproducible patterns.

·        Consciousness is living information and energy (living energized information)

·        Consciousness is, therefore, intelligence.

·        Intelligence is information and energy that has self-referral or the ability to learn through experiences and the ability to reinterpret and influence one’s own information and energy states.

·        Consciousness is live, advanced, software-driven energized information.

Nearest example: Advanced computer software which can type, correct, interpret, edit and store spoken or read information.

How can ego be managed?

In Indian ancient Vedic literatures Snakes symbolizes Mind and Naga (Cobra) the Ego.  

The mind symbolizing Snake represents the duality and unpredictability of the mind, which can only be controlled by consciousness which is depicted by Lord Krishna not killing but controlling the mind (Kalia).

Ego is depicted in Vedic literature by Naga and is an essential component of ‘who you are” (mind, intellect, ego and consciousness).  

Ego is an essential part of life but one should learn to be ego fugal and not ego centric.  That means learn to have your ego in and not ego out.  There are certain Vedic principals for controlling ego.

Always control your ego by directing it towards consciousness.  You should be egoistic about your dharma and fulfill the values of life.  

Directing the ego towards consciousness is depicted by Sheshnag in the neck of Lord Shiva; Sheshnag protecting Krishna at the time of birth and Sheshnag protecting Lord Vishnu when sleeping in the ocean.  

Directing the ego towards consciousness shifts one from disturbed to undisturbed state of consciousness.

If one cannot control the ego then one must learn to kill it.  Ego cannot be killed by mind but can only be killed by taking conscious based decisions.  In Vedic language, Rama (consciousness) can only kill Ravana (ego), and in Mahabharata, Lord Krishna (consciousness) can only kill Kansa (ego). Lakshman (focused mind) cannot kill ego (Ravana).  Ego will always overpower the mind. 

 

Never hurt somebody else ego

It is also a Vedic saying that if you hurt somebody else ego, he or she will never leave you.  The festival of Nag Panchami is observed in the month of Shravan for the same reason.  

In Hanuman’s journey to Lanka, when Hanuman meets Simhika (ego) he could overpower her by observing humility which means he became smaller in size and came out of her mouth.  Humility therefore is the answer when somebody is in egoistic attack.  

In Nag Panchami, we worship Naga and offer milk, which again indicates learning and observing humility in front of egoistic behaviors. 

Following are the situations where you can hurt somebody else ego. 

1. Allegations of financial embezzlement

2. Calling a man as impotent.

3. Calling women as old.

4. Alleging somebody as a person of bad character.

5. Talking ill about the caste.

6. Talking ill about the religion.

There is an ancient saying that if you kill male Naga, the female Naga captures your picture and will always take revenge.  In terms of Vedic saying, it indicates that if you hurt somebody else’s ego his feminine ego will always keep it on the priority list in the mind and will take revenge at the earliest instance.

Why know all the pathies

Nature exists because of the presence of five elements – Air, Water, Earth, Space and Fire. Disruption of these five elements will result in natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides, floods, forest fire, rain storms etc. Balancing these five elements, therefore, is very important. These same five elements are responsible for formation of a body and these five elements can be balanced by using the five elements of the nature through nature cure. The science which deals with balancing these five elements and using them as a part of therapy is Naturopathy.

These five elements form three humors or Doshas called Movement, Metabolism and Structure (allopathy). These are termed as Vata, Pitta and Kapha in Ayurveda and Psora, Syphilis and Sycosis in Homoeopathy. As per theDosha theory, the body has to perform three functions as to provide structure to have movement and metabolism as the main function. Imbalance of the three Doshas is responsible for disease and the science which deals with balancing the Doshas is Ayurveda.

These three Doshas in the body form seven Dhatus which are formed from the food eaten. The seven dhatus are: Rasa (Plasma), Rakta (Blood), Mamsa (Muscle), Medha ( adipose tissue),  Asthi (Bone), Majja (Bone marrow), and Shukra (sperms and ova). These seven Dhatus are formed in a sequence. Any impairment in this formation at any step will have dhatu formation above that step and impaired dhatus formation below that step. For example, a Dhatu dysfunction at the level of muscle ( mamsa)  will have normal Rasa and Rakta but impaired Medha, Asthi and Majja.

The seven dhatus form cells and the organs, which are the basis of allopathic modern medicine. Balancing of Doshas and dhatus is handled by Ayurveda.

As per modern system of medicine, human body is made up of matter. If you break the matter, it is converted into atoms, sub atomic particles – protons, electrons, neutrons, photons, quantum, energy and ultimately void in sequence. Therefore, a matter can be converted into non-matter.

Non-matter can be at the level of energy or void. The science which deals with drugs which work at the level of matter can be allopathy (drugs working at the level of receptors), homoeopathy (similarly acting drugs in tincture form) and Ayurveda.

When non matter is used as therapy in the form of energy, the science is potentized homeopathy or bharma therapy in Ayurveda.  This form of therapy may have no traces of elementary substances in its formulation.

The science which deals with the void or consciousness and makes one aware of this consciousness is Yoga and Meditation.

Void is beyond energy. Energy is produced by combining various individual waves present in the void. This void with energy uses the so-called Higgs Boson particle, which attracts different waves to convert the non-matter into matter. 

This void which is the potential has no dimensions or weight and can be equated to the consciousness which ultimately makes the matter.

Therefore, all the above branches of medicine work at different levels and do not compete with each other and, therefore, can be combined. 

As Chanakya said, it is important for one to practice ones profession by knowing the weaknesses and strength of other competitors.

Unless at the MBBS level we are taught the strengths and weaknesses of other pathies, we will never be able to justify our pathy or justify combining it with other pathies in complicated cases.

 We often make a mistake and tell a patient that this disease has no cure. This should never be said. Instead, we can say that there is no cure for this disease in my pathy or I have no cure for this disease.

Consciousness can also be understood by way of a computer. In computer language, my physical body is hardware, my Pran Vayu is electricity, Udaan Vayu is operating software, my mind is MS Word, my intellect is MS Excel, my ego is MS PowerPoint and my consciousness is the local internet connection called www.god.com/drkkaggarwal. And this page will be connected to a bigger internet in the cloud called www.GOD.com/drkkaggarwal.

This will similarly connect each one of us. Whatever I speak, a temporary Internet File is made and is posted in my page in the cloud internet. If you are connected at that particular moment, you can read my file. Therefore, all of us are interconnected with each other through the cloud consciousness called God.

The body has a receptor (lock) for each and every drug (key) and these receptors (locks) were not made by God for drugs (key) to be invented by pharmaceutical companies. The very fact that my body has a Lock means that I have an original key (drug) i.e. my body has the capacity to produce each and every that drug. My body is the largest pharmaceutical armamentarium in the world and my consciousness contains the key for each and every receptor in my body. 

One can use artificial keys (pharma drugs) when the original key is lost (till it is found), key is broken (till it is reformed) or key is lost permanently (you need lifelong medication).

 It is possible to combine most of the pathies provided you have read about these systems and understand them. Ayurveda can give answer to many unanswered questions in allopathy.

1.             As per Ayurveda, in acute heart attack, a Vata person will get chest pain, Pitta person will get chest burning and Kapha will get chest discomfort.

2.              As per Ayurveda, in acute rheumatoid fever, a Vata child will present with joint pain, pitta child with joint inflammation and Kapha child with joint fluid accumulation.

3.              Alcohol will cause intoxication in Vata people, liver failure in Pitta people and liver damage in Kapha people.

4.              Using the above mentioned Dhatu theory, it is possible to know which organ will be spared or which organ will be involved in a particular disease. For example, disease of Rasa and Rakta, plasma and blood disorder will have protean manifestations and we do see this in sepsis.

5.              According to Ayurveda, we have five different types of movements: Pran Vayu and Udaan Vayu (controls the brain stem reflexes); Vyaan Vayu (controls the cardiovascular movements); Samana Vayu (controls the GI movements) and Apana Vayu (controls expelling movement like urine and stool). Brain stem death, which is unexplained in Allopathy is best described in Ayurveda. Ayurveda states that Pran Vayu and Udan Vayu leave the body in brain stem death; the remaining three Vayus can stay and managed with the help of ventilator. Therefore, in a patient with brain stem death, you can have complete gastrointestinal function, normal circulation function and normal urination in the body.

Vedic philosophy 

1.             As per Vedanta, stress is the reaction of the mind to interpretation of a known situation. Therefore, stress management technique involves change of interpretation (cognitive behavior therapy); preparing the body and the mind to bear the stress( yoga) and or to change the situation. 

2.             The science which deals with stress management teaches us to shift from the sympathetic to parasympathetic mode and involves pranayama, meditation, relaxation techniques etc.

3.              As per Vedic text, one link between your consciousness and the physical body is the Triad of Man, Budhi and Atma (Mind, intellect and ego). Vedantic or spiritual medicine deals with managing mind, intellect and ego and shifting one from disturbed to undisturbed state of consciousness.

4.             Pranayama is the gist of Vedic treatment and involves slower and deeper breathing. It shifts one’s awareness away from the sympathetic mode of wear and tear to the parasympathetic mode, which is healing and relaxing and enables one to be in touch with the consciousness, which provide roots for self cure by producing internal environment of healing through production of natural drugs. 

 5.              Slower and deeper breathing can be learnt by various pranayama techniques ( also called parasympathetic breathing techniques), which involve abdomino-thoracic al breathing. This procedure can be combined with various sounds to provide parasympathetic healing. 

6.             In Vedic text, chanting of vowel sounds produces interleukin-2, a painkiller and the chanting of nasal consonants produces delta activity in the EEG. It is the same delta activity which is seen after one takes a tranquilizer such as Diazepam. In medical science, therefore, chanting of Aum, which is a combination of a vowel sound and a nasal consonant, will provide physical and mental healing. 

7.             Quite often in Vedic scriptures, the first stage of hypnosis treatment is based on the theory that a relaxed mind is amenable for self cure. In a relaxed state of mind, you are in touch with your consciousness and whatever intent you have, it is likely that the body will try to fulfill it by producing various medical reactions. This therapy is used in Vedic science in the ways of visualization meditation which can help cure many disorders, one example being migraine.

8.              Most of our rituals were made to heal and provide natural cure. For example:

a.             Santoshi Mata Ka Vrata was observed every Friday by menstruating ladies to prevent iron deficiency anemia as they were supposed to take Gur (iron) and Chana (proteins) on an empty stomach (Vrata).

b.             The weekly Vrata of ancient times (not eating cereals once in a week) was responsible for preventing metabolic syndrome at that time.

c.             The daily Baithak in a mourning period for 13 days after the death of a near one was the original Narration 

Exposure Therapy.

d.             The first successful CPR was done by Savitri on Satyavan.

e.             The first successful IVF was the birth of Kartikeya.

f.              The first successful asexual reproduction was the birth of Lord Ganesha.

g.             The first successful head transplant was of Lord Ganesha

h.             The Bhagwad Gita, where Lord Krishna gives 18 sessions to Arjuna is cognitive behavior therapy. In the first session, he only listens to him, in the second session he gives detailed counseling, from third to seventeenth session, he reasons out everything, creates fear (Virat Swaroop) and yet consoles (I am with you) and in the last session, again revises what he has taught.

i.              The concept of Neti Neti again formed the basis for differential diagnosis in medical treatment.

j.              Parasympathetic breathing originated from Pranayama.

k.             The nasal wash technique practiced all over the world, once again were originated from Jalneti of yoga.

l.              The parasympathetic exercise of west today originated from traditional yoga.

m.           Haldi or curcumin today has been proven to contain tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha blocker. TNF promotes inflammatory response in the body.

n.             Red pepper today has been proven to contain agents that heal neuropathic pains.

I personally feel we should follow the directions of Chanakya and every pathy should be introduced in modern system of medicine so that we know the weaknesses and strengths of these pathies. Unless we know that we will not be able to justify our system of medicine.