Guru Nanak - Book of Saints-Swami Sivanand Maharaj

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

http://www.asitusi.com/guru_nanak_dev_ji.php

Whenever there is a big catastrophe in the land, whenever there is decline of righteousness,
whenever there are oppression and chaos in the land, whenever the faith of the people in GOD wanes, great men or saints appear, from time to time, to enrich sacred literature, to protect Dharma, to destroy unrighteousness and reawaken the love of God in the minds of the people. India was in a bad plight. Babar from Turkey invaded India, His armies assaulted and sacked several cities. The ascetic captives were forced to do rigorous work. There was wholesale massacre everywhere. The kings were bloodthirsty, cruel and turannical. There was no real religion. There was religious prosecution. The real spirit of religion was crushed by ritualism. The hearts of the people were filled with falsehood, cunningness, selfishness and greed. At such a time Guru Nanak came to the world with a message of peace, unity, love and devotion of God. He came at a time when real religion was replaced by mere rituals and forms. He came to preach the gospel of peace, brotherhood or the unity of humanity, love and sacrifice.
Nanak, the Khatri mystic and poet and founder of the sikh religion, was born in 1469 A.D. in the village of Talwandi on the Ravi river, in the Lahore district of punjab, on one side of the house in which Guru Nanak was born, there stands now the famous shrine called" Nankana sahib".

Now in Pakistan

http://photos.waheguroo.com/details.php?image_id=2898&s=7619d54a223f2698c938295623c6ec73

Nanak has been called the "Prophet of the Punjab and Sind", Nanak's father was Mehta Kalu Chand, known popularly as Kalu. He was the accountant of the village. He was an agriculturist also. Nanak's mother was Tripta. Even in his childhood , Nanak had a mystic disposition and he used to talk about God with saints. He had a contemplative mind and a pious nature. He began to spend his time in meditation and spiritual practices. He was , by habit, reserved in nature. He would eat but little.
When Nanak was a boy of seven , he was sent to Gopal Pandha to learn hindi. The teacher told Nanak to read a book. Nanak replied" what will it avail to know all and not have a knowledge of God?" Then the teacher wrote the Hindi alphabets for him on a wooden slate. Nanak said to the teacher, " Please tell me, Sir, what books have you studied? What is the extent of your knowledge?" Gopal Pandha replied. " I know mathematics and accounts necessary for shopkeeping", Nanak replied , "This knowledge will not in any way help you in obtaining freedom".
The teacher was very astonished at the words of the boy. He told him, "Nanak tell me something which could help me in the attainment of salvation", Nanak said, "O teacher! Burn worldly love, make its ashes into ink and make the intellect into a fine paper. Now make the love of God your pen, and your heart the writer, and under the instructions of your Guru, write and meditate. Write the name of the lord and His praises and write, He has no limit this side or the other, O teacher! Learn to write this account", The teacher was struck with wonder.
The kalu sent his son to Pundit Brij Nath to learn Sanskrit. The Pundit wrote for him "OM", Nanak asked the teacher the meaning of "Om", The teacher replied, "You have no business to know the meaning of "Om", now I can not explain to you the meaning of "Om", Nanak said, "O teacher! what is the use of reading without knowing the meaning ? I shall explain to you the meaning of "Om", Then Nanak gave an elaborate explanation of the significance of "Om", The sanskrit Pundit was stuck with amazement.
Then Kalu tried his level best to turn Nanak's mind towards worldly matters. He put Nanak in the work of looking after the cultivation of the land. Nanak did not pay any attention to his work. He meditated even in the fields. He went out to tend the cattle, but centred his mind on the worship of God. The cattle trespassed into a neighbor's field. Kalu rebuked Nanak for his idleness. Nanak replied , " I am not idle", but I am busy in guarding my own fields", Kalu asked him," where are your fields?" Nanal replied, " My body is a field. The mind is the ploughman, Righteouness is the cultivation. Modesty is water for irrigation. I have sown the field with the seed of the sacred Name of the Lord. Contentment is my field's harrow. Humility is its hedge. The seeds will germinate into a good crop with love and devotion. Fortunate is the house in which such a crop is brought! O sir, mammon will not accompany us to the next world. It has infatuated the whole world, but there are few who understand its delusive nature.
Then Kalu put him in charge of a small shop, Nanak distributed the things to saints and poor people. He would give away in charity whatever he could lay hands on in his father's house and in the shop. Nanak said, " My shop is made of time and space. Its store consists of the commodities of truth and self-control. I am always dealing with my customers, the sadhus and Mahatmas, contact with whom is very profitable indeed".
When Nanak was fifteen years of age, his father gave him twenty rupees and said, "Nanak, go to the market and purchase some profitable commodity". Kalu sent his servant Bala also to accompany Nanak. Nanak and Bala reached Chuhar kana, a village about twenty miles from Talwandi. Nanak met a party of Fakirs. He thought with in himself:" Let me feed these fakirs now, this is the most profitable bargain I can make". He purchased provisions immediately and fed them sumptuously. Then he came back to his house. the servant informed his master of his son's bargian. Kalu was very much annoyed. He gave a slap on Nanak's face.
The father thought that Nanak did not like sedentary work. Therefore he said to Nanak, "O dear son! Ride on a horse and do travelling business. This will suit you nicely", Nanak repllied "Revered father! My trade is divine knowldge. The profits are the purseful of good deeds with which I can certainly reach the domain of the Lord.
Then Kalu chand told Nanak:" If you do not like trade or business, you may serve in some office." Nank replied ." I am already a servant of God. I am endeavouring to do my duty honestly and whole-heartedly in the service of my Lord. I carry out His behests implicitly. I desire fervently to get the reward of devine grace from the Lord by serving Him untiringly and incessantly." On hearing this, the father became silent and retired from there.
There is a remarkable incident in connection with Nanak's visit to Mecca. At Mecca, Nanak was found sleeping with his feet towards the Kaaba, before which the Mohammedans prostrated themselves when performing their prayers. Kazi Rukan-ud-din, who observed this , angrily remarked. "Infidel! How dare you dishonor God's place by turning your feet towards Him?" He also kicked Nanak, Nanak silently replied" I am tired. Turn my feet in any direction where the place of God is not." Kazi Rukan -ud-din took hold of Nanak's feet angrily and moved them towards the opposite direction. The mosque also began to move . The Kazi was struck with wonder. He then recognised the glory of Guru Nanak.

Guru Nanak visited Hassam Abdal in the attock district in the North Western Frontier in 1520 A.D. He sat under a Pipal tree at the foot of a hillock. On top of the hill , there lived a Mohammedan saint named Vali Quandhari. there was then a spring of water on top of the hill. Mardana used to get water for the spring. Guru Nanak became very popular in a short time. The Mohammedan saint became jealous. He forbade Mardana from taking water out of the spring. Mardana informed Guru Nanak of the conduct of the Mohammedan saint. Guru Nanak said to Mardana." O Mardana! Do not be afraid. God will send water down to us soon." The spring that was on the top of the hill dried up immediately. There arose a spring at the foot of the hill where Guru Nanak halted . The saint was very much enraged. He hurled a big rock from the top of the hill down to the spot where Nanak was sitting. Guru Nanak stopped the rock by his open palm. The impression of his hand on the rock exists even now. For images ans story go to

http://pakistaniat.com/2007/01/29/pakistan-sikh-panja-sahib-hasan-abdal-guru-nanak/comment-page-3/

Now in Pakistan.

Then the saint came to the Guru, prostrated at his feet and asked for pardon. Guru Nanak smiled and pardoned the arrogant saint. There now stands a beautiful shrine by the side of the spring which is called: " Punja Sahib".
Nanak has given a beautiful summary of his teachings in one of his hymns as follows:-

Love the saints of every faith
Put away thy pride.
Remember the essence of religion
Is meekness and sympathy.
Not fine clothes,
Not the Yogi's garb and ashes,
Not the blowing of the horns,
Not long prayers,
Not recitations and tortuings,
Not the ascetic way,
But a life of goodness and purity,
Amid the world's temptations.
"Vahe Guru" is the Guru Mantra for the followers of Guru Nanak. The other important Mantra for repetition is :

"Ek Omkar Satnam Karta Purkh Nirbhav Nirvair,
Akalmurat Ajuni Savai Bhang Gur Parsad"

-God is but one, His name is true, He is the creator, He pervades the whole universe, He is without fear, He is without enmity, He is immortal, He is birthless, He is self-born and self -existent, He is the remover of the darkness (Of ignorance) and He is merciful", The Lord is eternal. He has no beginning and no end.
Guru Nanak invented the Gurumukhi characters by simplifying the sanskrit characters.

The holy Granth of the Sikhs is in Gurumukhi. It is worshipped by the Sikhs and the Sindhis. Every Gurudwara has a Granth Sahib, The holy Granth, popularly known as Adi Granth, contains the hymns of the first five Gurus.They were all collected , arranged and formed into one volume called Guru Granth Sahib by the fifth Guru. It contains a few selections from the hymns of Kabir and other contemporary Vaishnavite ( Hindu) saints, Later on, the hymns of the ninth Guru were incorporated in the holy Granth by the tenth Guru. The compositions of Guru Nanak are very extensive.
The Granth Sahib begins with the following: There is but one God whose name is true-the Creator", It contains a code of high morals . Purity of life , obedience to Guru, Mercy, Charity, temperance, Justice, Straightwardness, Truthfulness, Sacrifice service, Love and abstinence from animal food are among the virtues on which great emphasis is laid; while lust, anger, pride, hatred, egoism, greed selfishness, cruelty, backbiting and falsehood are vehemently condemned.

Guru Nanak settled down at Kartarpur towards the close of his life. His whole family lived there together for the first time. Houses for the dwelling of Nanak's family and a Dharmashala were also built Mardana also lived with the Guru. Every day the "Japji and Sohila"- The morning and the evening prayers composed by Guru Nanak-were recited in his presence. Guru Nanak reached his heavenly abode in the year 1538 A.D. at the age of 69. Guru Angad succeeded Guru Nanak. The other Gurus are: Guru Amardas, Guru Ramdas, Guru Arjun, Guru Hargobind, Guru Har Rai, Guru Har Kishan, Guru Teg Bhadur and Guru Gobind Singh.
May the blessings of Guru Nanak be upon you all!

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Sianala, Montreal, May 2008

Palm and Character

ॐ श्री गुरावे नमः !

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Shapes of hands and character.

The basic traits of a person can be determined by just looking at his or her hand shape, color, texture, skin quality, palm color, palm skin quality, nail type, nail color, signs on the nails.

One very important point to remember is that it is not possible to put your hand on certain hand type and say OK, your hand is square type, No.

Every human is unique in his or her own way, so forming groups is a total waste, but still an experienced observer can make out the very basic hand type after a very careful observation, every normal hand has two halves, the top part consist of the five fingers and the bottom part the palm base.

So based on the two parts of the hand, three combination are possible, as shown in the FigP9-a, FigP9-b and FigP9-c.

1)Small Fingers and Large Palm Base, Fig P9-a. also called as Fire hand if the palm is round and it belongs to extroverts and if the palm is square it is earth hand, these people do not like change.

2)Large Fingers and Smaller Palm base, FigP9-b, and if the palm is square such hands are also called as Air hands and these people are good writers and speakers, where as if the palm is rectangular, these hands are called water hands, and these people could be good musicians. 3) Equal Fingers and Palm base, FigP9-c The balanced hand, good at everything.





Fingers are the channels through which all the energy is pulled by the mind and body, and by the thoughts which rule the mind, that kind of energy is pulled maximum and the line related to that kind of energy develops better then other lines on the palm and as each finger has a planetary lordship, that planet if beneficial will give good results and if that planet is malefic, it will give negative or bad results, so to improve or reduce the power of certain planet, use the related gemstone on the finger and to improve wear it on your right hand (working hand) and to reduce the ill effects wear it on your non working hand, same for both males and females

Fingers and Planetary lordships:

Index Finger - Jupiter

Middle Finger- Saturn
Ring Finger-Sun
Little Finger - Mercury
Thumb -Venus (Actually it is the base of the thumb)
Base of the palm left side- Moon
Area between the thumb and the index finger- Mars

Area between the Moon mount and the Mercury mount- Mars

Let us deal with the Fingers first.

a) Length of the fingers: Generally speaking, long slender fingers in a women and long muscular fingers in men look good, so length of the fingers is like the snouts of the animals, bigger the snout better is the smelling power or capacity, so longer the fingers better is the energy pulling capacity, and long fingers belong to advanced or evolved humans and short fingers belong to primitive.

b) Thickness of the fingers: Thickness comes by virtue of their vocation or vocation of their forefathers, just by looking at a persons fingers one can judge what kind of fore fathers the person had, primitive working class or advanced thinking class, hard working labourers will always have thick and hard stub like fingers, if the vocation remains the same for few generations, the genetics change hence the physical looks.

c) Type of the fingers, FigP10, the following figure shows various types of nail tips or finger tips, basically it is the nails which give shape to the finger tips, I have listed five basic types, there are many more but are not very clear to distinguish.

Spatula and Square are not refined and sensitive, where as the pointed, conic and round are refined and belong to sensitive individuals, women generally have conic or pointed, but few can be always square and even spatula type, and men from lower class will generally have square or spatula type and men from higher class will have refined ones, artistic individual have pointed fingers and the best individuals have round tips.

The finger type can be smooth like most women have, smooth and knotted and knotted like in most men, knotted will have abundance of energy reserves and smooth will lack it, but the flow of energy in smooth will be smooth and in case of it would be like sudden jerks.

d) shape of the fingers: As described above, many people now a days have mixed shapes of fingers in one hand and different in the other, as every individual have various desires, hence various types of fingers, everyone wants to be great, rich, educated and learned, good relations, determined to reach the top, so all these energies when pulled by the mind, the physical form follows the thoughts.

e) Orientation of the fingers: If one observes the four fingers and the thumb carefully, one or two fingers are straight like a scale and rest are oriented towards the straight fingers, as in this modern days, everyone strives hard to accumulate material and money and as the middle finger is responsible for all this, and Saturn is the giver, so in most hands the middle finger would be straight and longer then all others, since money is the basic necessity.

Logically the index finger is supposed to be longer and the orientation of middle finger is supposed to be towards the index finger, because education is important and once attained it needs to be shared but in reality what is happening is people get educated to earn money, so the Index finger would be oriented towards the middle finger governed by Saturn, compared to the ring finger which is governed by the Sun, and the Sun is the Grah which gives power, authority, position in public office, etc. and once a educated man or women earns enough money the next goal is always to earn a public position for name, fame and to earn more money through power, hence the ring finger will also point towards the middle finger, but if natives desire is to reach the name and fame area without earning money or whatever he or she has earned will also be used to attain a public image, then the middle finger will orient towards the ring finger.

And the little finger is the basis for all of the above, Mercury rules communication, intelligence, relations, business acumen, etc. so If this finger suffers all areas will suffer, and this finger will have to orient towards other fingers, If little finger stands out from the palm, that native is living an unattached life.

f) Setting of each finger and all fingers as a team:

The way each finger connects to the palm is very important, because the mount of that finger or planet will form based on the connection, all fingers set like soldiers in a line is desirable but very rare, the best and normal is arch type connectivity which also moves towards materialistic goals, the little finger generally is set lower than all other fingers, reason, almost every child goes through tense moments in their lives and the people who give them this unnecessary tensions are, parents, teachers, friends, team mates, and it is never the enemies, enemies always make children stronger and independent, it is the close circle or circuit of people which short circuits the mind of the growing child, and due to these tensions the normal growth of the child takes a dip, this can be seen very clearly with the settings of little finger, another dimension is abuse, if a native was abused when he or she was a child, is clearly evident with the settings of the little finger and also the length of the little finger would suffer in such cases.

Another dimension to already problematic area, if the family lineage has been under severe tensions and pressures due to economic and social conditions, such individuals would genetically have low set little finger.

Now look at the Palm base, after the length, look at the width, thickness of the palm and also the thickness of the skin of the palm and back of the palm.

The palm is like the storage area, all the four fingers and the thumb connect here and the major and minor lines run in this palm to further facilitate the energy for better results and in the Palm we have Mars, Moon and Venus, energy, action, mind, and love or relationships, and whatever anyone earns or lives for, ultimately strives for the above three things.

Moon mount on the left side of the palm is for mind development and if set towards the wrist adds intuitive properties to the mind, and from this area starts the non familial relation lines and these criss-cross the other major lines, mostly the line of fate.

Venus mount is set on the right side of the palm close to the thumb, all the familial relational lines begin here and criss-cross the other major and minor lines.

Now putting these set of information together, one can determine the basic hand type.

Following are the main types of Hands.

a) Pointed type:

b) Conic type

c) Psychic hand

d) Spade or Spatula type,

d) Square type

e) Mixed type, this one is tricky, it can be of many combinations and is most common.
Thumb and the rest of the palm:Thumb is treated equal to the rest of the palm, that means Thumb carries equal importance like the rest of the palm, there can be four types of Thumbs based on their settings.

a) High set and primitive thumb, this thumb belongs to very primitive type of people, who lack flexibility, thinking power, will power, mind control, emotions etc it looks more or less like a birds appendages fixed and crude.

b) Low set and primitive thumb, this thumb belongs to primitive type of people, who lack individuality, independent thinking power, determination, they have little better faculties then the High set but they are rudimentary.

c) High Set but advanced thumb, this kind of thumb can be seen as a separate part of the entire palm and it is free with movement and flexibility, but as it is set high, it rests with the remaining palm and lacks independence and individuality as a thinker and as a doer, but it does have some flexibility.

d) Low set but advanced thumb, this kind of thumb is an asset to the entire hand, it is like a well developed hand, separate, flexible, independent, with excellent individuality and thinking power, will power and determination, Emotional, and excellent mind control, negative too independent and could work against the native in situations where every other member is a average primitive type, and in case the whole group is advanced independent type, this native can do wonders.



See the following figure, which demarcates the three dimensions of inner psyche, Emotion, Mind and will, if you find fine vertical lines on the first phalanges of your fingers, that is on the base of the fingers, it would mean that the current level of stress is effecting your will and body, if it reaches the second phalanges, it would mean the stress is effecting your mind, and it also suggests that you need a vacation, and the third one which is very rare only in people who are hanging on with fine threads of hope, the fine lines on third phalanges would mean the stress in your life is effecting your soul and your emotions would go upside down, and in such a situation a person is not in a position to take a decision.

And very important thing is when you take a look at your palm for length and width, better look at it on the back side of your palm, the types of hands are also called as fire, earth, water, air and ether hand etc. I will take up each type in detail in my future posts.

So the bottom line is when you give a handshake, in those few seconds one can get lot of information about the person you are meeting with, the nature of the person, the character of the person, and do not take this as an exercise, because in an exercise people will always manipulate their basic tendencies.

Simple example, Some time back in one of the Human resource classes way back in 1997 or 1998, certain exercise was given to four or five groups of people, each group contained four or five employees and everyone knew each other very well, they had to construct individual puzzles, so this guy, he is one of my favorites, and he happened to be my boss for a short period, he finished his part and then kept few pieces of the puzzle belonging to one of the member of the group under his elbow with a smile on his face.

The guide gave a call to stop the game and then went looking at all the tables, when he reached this table where my friend was sitting, he found that two members could not finish the task because few pieces were missing, he was sure that the organizer had supplied all the material after proper counting and checking, so he started searching people, and when he lifted this man's hand, pop came out the missing pieces, this man was so stupid that he tried to tell that he was not aware that those pieces were lying under his elbow, well he was caught red handed, but being adults no one said a thing, he kept convincing everyone that it was a mistake, but this is not important, the group lost the game because everyone in the group could not finish the task, I always tried to take handshake from this guy but he would never ever give his whole hand into your palm, even before you close your palm, his hand would slip out of it. :-))) and whatever he did in his home, office, outside, this was his basic behavior, I dropped him as a boss even before he could do damage to my reputation, and it was backed by the management appropriately.:-)) but only for a short while, then his antics caught up with me and our entire team of employees.

This was just an example, and there will be people who would like to squeeze your hand till you start crying, my father belonged to this category, he enjoyed it, in his huge hand every other hand would appear like a small tomato and he would go squeeze with a huge grin and later few suggestions to maintain your body and health. :-)))

Every time he would see a friend or anyone only men, his hand would project at him like a whale opening his mouth to swallow a small fish. :-))) and many people would fall pray to him but few would always escape unhurt, who knew him well.:-)) Large hands denote many capabilities and a small hands the desire to achieve, soft hands refined and diplomatic, hard and rough hands, blunt ways to handle public issues, fine texture also denotes refinement and hair well I am not sure about it, more male hormone more hair on the body, even this is not very convincing, hair has to do with primitive nature, more hair on the body more primitive mentality and less hair for both men and women would mean refinement in genetics.

So a hand can tell the basic character of any person, extrovert, Introvert, funny, friendly, etc. etc, so next time when you shake hands with someone do it properly, gently with few shakes and look in the eyes with a smile on your face, and do not clench teeth. :-))

More to follow.............need some time...:-)

ॐ श्री गुरावे नमः !

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Sianala, Montreal, May 2008

Herbs and Health

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Many people have been asking me and my wife for names of Indian Herbs which help Memory development. :-)

I personally never used any herb or any medicine to enhance memory, I think it has to do with my genes or may be the collective genome of Indian subcontinent is enriched in this aspect and the credit of course goes to the food that is eaten in this sub continent.

So what I am doing here is I am listing few herbs which Dr Deepak Chopra listed in his book, The Chopra Center Herbal Handbook and forty Natural Prescriptions for Perfect Health, casting around 10$ on Amazon .com.

Before I start, let me give few examples, which I myself have experienced with these herbs being very efficient in treating various diseases or ailments, and my profession has been to develop allopathic medicines :-))) and I did suffer from lots of occupational allergies from active pharmaceutical ingredients like Ranitidine, Diltiazam etc.

And what did we all use to get rid of these allergies, Homeopathy to Ayurvedic medicine, :-)) I myself used Homeopathy for two years, one of my relative suffered from severe acne all over his face and everyday when he would wipe his face with a soft towel, his face would bleed from various acne sprouts, and his facial expression would be like he had consumed the most bitter pill of his life, then one day on some one's suggestion, we went to a Kerala based Ayurvedic medicine outlet in Secunderabad, India, Amazing, with in few weeks all his acne vanished from his face as if he never had any, the medicine was ghee based and I remember he was advised to take it during winter only, worked wonders and I never saw acne again on his face and his food habits remained same high fat and protein, meat, chicken etc.

As I was studying, Medicinal chemistry as a specialization, I continued to pursue my career in Organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry. The beautiful science of Ayurveda remained in the background somewhere in the back of my head, it is now that I am looking at this beautiful science which is a gift to the human race by the Nature and unfortunately even in India it stays in the background, once during 1995, in IICT Hyderabad, where, then Prime Minister of India, Shri P.V.Narashima Rao, rebuked the IICT for running after allopathy based medicines and also insisted that medicine based on Nature be researched, well I am not sure how many people who heard him took his comments seriously, but clearly he was very upset with the kind of work IICT was doing, as far as I know, IICT Hyderabad is a organization where the Chemist and Chemical engineers are busy puling each others legs and the ultimate result is the projects fall on their faces all the time. I was a delegate representing my company in the conference, and as a delegate I could sit in the front two rows, while the Prime minister spoke.

Another example is my own mother, she suffered from some disease, which the allopathic doctors could not diagnose and for months she suffered from unspoken agony in hospitals, later he took her to a local Unani doctor in Agra, I think one or two weeks of Unani medicine, and pop, she was back on her feet.

Purification of the allopathy and isolation of Racemic mixtures and isomers, too much purity and as Mahatma Gandhi said, allopathy medicine is too effective, yes in an emergency nothing beats allopathic medicine but it never cures anything, even in the case of Cancer, allopathy medicine has failed and now most of the researchers are looking towards nutrient based or food based medicines.

Ayurveda, Ayur means life in Sanskrit and Veda means "Knowledge", so Ayurveda is the "knowledge of life", it is an oral tradition like Vedic knowledge it was also passed down from generation to generation, the two schools of Ayurvedic medicines are Charaka School and Sushruta School, both are thousands of years old, Charaka school mostly deals with internal medicine and Sushruta school mainly dealt with surgeries and acute diseases.

As people struggle with genomes and genes to identify and isolate and to engineer medicines unique to each and every person, Ayurvedic science has always emphasized on three types of patients, Vata, Pita and Kapha.

And Deepak Chopra says, according to the Ayurvedic framework, three issues need to be considered when approaching a health concern: the first is the nature of illness, the second is the nature of the intervention, and the third is the nature of the person who has the health problem.

" According to Ayurveda, the three primary levels that must be under-stood to maximize the value of an herbal medicine are,

1) The proportion of elements as carried in the taste of the herb,
2) The heating or cooling potency of the herb,
3) The special medicinal qualities that the Herb possesses".

Few examples of herbs.

Memory and cognitive functions.

Ginseng,
Gotu Kola- Centella asiatica,
Brahmi-Centella asiatica and
Ginkgo - Ginkgo biloba

Other items which are used on a regular basis in Indian meals are.

Turmeric- Curcurma longa
Ginger - Zingiber officinale
Garlic - Allium Sativum
Cardamom- Eletteria cardamomum
Methi- Fenugreek- Trigonella foenum-graecum
Tea- Camellia Sinensis ( Originally from China)
and many more which were not listed in this book.

Others wich are not part of Indian food but are very much used by many.

Neem- Azadirachta Indica
Guggulu - Commiphora mukul, gum.
Amalaki- Emblica officinalis
Lavender- Lavandula angustifolia
Tulsi- Holy basil- Ocimum sanctum
And there are many more which are not listed in this book.
I would suggest everyone to keep a copy of this book and try to incorporate in their daily medicinal intakes.
A simple question, why did the creator create such a large variety of herbs, trees, shrubs, plants, and vegetables, if human was supposed to eat meat based products.
May be the earth looks beautiful with so many green plants..:-))
Why few animals eat grass to induce vomiting when they suffer from indigestion.

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Sianala, Montreal, May 2008

God Exists

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Following text is from the Book, " God Exists", 
by Shri Swami Sivananda Maharaj.

GOD EXISTS

Every breath that flows in the nose,
Every beat that throbs in the heart,
Every artery that pulsates in the body,
Every thought that arises in the mind,
Speaks to you that God is near.

Every flower that wafts fragrance,
Every fruit that attracts you,
Every gentle breeze that blows,
Every river that smoothly flows,
Speaks of God and His mercy.

The vast ocean with its powerful waves,
The Mighty Himalayas with its glaciers,
The bright Sun and stars in the wide sky,
The lofty tree with its branches,
The cool springs in the hills and dales,
Tell me of His omnipotence.

The melody of sweet music,
The oration of powerful orators,
The poems of reputed poets,
The inventions of able scientists,
The operations of dexterous surgeons,
The utterances of holy saints,
The thoughts of the Bhagavad Gita,
The revelations of the Upanishads,
Speak of God and His wisdom,

God Exists.

Atheist want proofs for the existence of God. Can they give proof for the non-existence of God? No one has succeeded in showing proofs that God does not exist.

Even many educated men now say boldly that there is no God, that everything in this world goes on and evolves according to definite laws. Can law arise by itself? Can any law come out of nothing? Surely there must be an ultimate cause. That is God. That is the supreme Brahman or the Absolute. God is self-existent Being. He is infinitely powerful, wise and good.

The notion of God means an absolutely perfect being. An absolutely perfect being must have all the positive attributes, including the attributes of existence. So God must exist.

The existence of God cannot be proved by scientific experimentation. It is purely a question of faith and refers to the intuitive side of man.
The deepest craving, the deepest aspiration in man is for eternal happiness, eternal

knowledge and eternal Truth. Man should search for some supernatural entity which can satisfy his deepest cravings and aspirations.

As we explain everything within Nature by the law of cause and effect, so also Nature as a whole must be explained. It must have some cause. This cause must be different from the effect. It must be some supernatural entity, i.e., God.

Nature is not a mere chance collection of events, a mere jumble of accidents, but an orderly affair. The planets move regularly in their orbits, seeds grow into trees regularly, the seasons succeed each other in order.

Now Nature cannot order itself. It requires the existence of an intelligent being, i.e., God, who is responsible for it. Even Einstein, the great scientist, was strongly convinced of the creation of the universe by a Supreme Intelligence.

Everything in Nature has some purpose. It fulfils some function or other. Certainly every object by itself cannot choose a function for itself. Their different functions ought to have been planned or designated by a single intelligent Being or God.

The entire book is 90 pages thick.

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Sianala, Montreal, May 2008.

Shasrara

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Previous post: Chakras - VI - Agnya Chakra

The energy is Hakini Yogini ( हाकिनी योगिनी), 

हाकिनिरुपधारिणी  सहस्रदलपद्मस्था। (The Shakti is present in the Shasrara Crown Lotus in the form of Hakini Yogini). 

सर्ववर्णोपशोभिता।

Imagine shasrara as a lotus hanging downwards with its stem beginning from the brahma randhra, the place where shikha is grown and forming the spinal cord.

The Zodiac sign is Capricorn/Pisces.

The Mantra is ॐ. 

The Endocrine Glands connected is Pineal gland, melatonin -photoreceptors,

The no of Petals thousands.

The space in here is like a dome, The color is like light.

The area of Knowledge is Super-Conscious.

Shiva's abode, when kundalini reaches here and stays put with out falling down, it begins the cycle of flow of energy. 

Swami Sivananda Maharaj Said:

The SAHASRARA is the thousand-petalled lotus at the top of the head and is the
Abode of Lord Siva. 

When the Kundalini is awakened, it pierces one Chakra after another and
finally unites with Lord Siva and enjoys the Highest Bliss. 

Now the Yogi attains super conscious state and becomes a full-blown ज्ञानी  (Jnani). 

He drinks the कुला (Nectar) of Immortality, which drops from the kechari.(The place in the palate of the mouth Just in front of the Uvula).

The Shasrara is always awakened, only the sadhaka has to reach it, hence it is not a chakra, from inside it is a beautiful view, one should see it by themselves, words will not help, use all that energy and effort to control your Mind, Prana and Semen (In case of men).

I am not very sure about women, but there must be something other then just prana to work their way up or down the sushmana/ida/pingala nadi, women is a different technology, for me it is very difficult to understand it for obvious reasons, one thing Uterus is the seat of creation, hence it should either begin from there or end there, If you see YIN and Yang, they are depicted in opposite direction, so in case of women it might be top to bottom instead of bottom to top, I am still trying to understand, so that few serious women sadhak can benefit, because there is no use getting stuck in this examination hall (Earth) for ever, :-) and few people just want to own this examination hall only for their folks who look like them, :-) some because of skin color, some because of caste, some because of relations, and some because of their creed, like billionaires club. :-)

Logic, when a billionaire dies and leaves all his well maintained body, beautiful family and wealth, billions, where does he (Soul) end up ?, this is a point one needs to brood on, :-) they might end up in Haiti, or Yemen, or Syria, Sudan, or Somalia, or Pakistan, or in Saudi as a women, he or she might as well end up as a cow, or a mango tree, all based on their karma baggage, :-) it is not the God who will decide for them, it is them who decide for themselves and they as well might be born to very poor parents in some remote African village, or they might as well be born in the home of that employee who was denied his right to earn, :-) which means there is no use of earning billions and billions and billions, earn and keep what you need to live a dignified life or comfortable life, but the focus, energy and efforts should be towards SELF realization.

Three pointers which decide your next life.

1) Attachment
2) Desires
3) Disgusts (hates included)

If you are stocking billions and billions, you are actually stocking equal amount of rights of other people (souls) who have come to this Earth (Examination centre), the purpose should be to create as many earning centers as possible, this way the good karma which brought you the ability to make billions will be put to good use and you will remain in a good position as far as karma is concerned, because giving is the biggest virtue, it can be anything.

One should make sure they are giving something, Food, Clothes, Shelter, Employment, Money, and the supreme is knowledge.

One Maha Yuga = 12,000 Divine years.

In Satya yuga (4800 Divine years), Doing penance was the main path to reap maximum spiritual benefits.
In Treta Yuga (3600 Divine years), Gaining knowledge was the main path to reap maximum spiritual benefits.
In Dwapara Yuga (2400 Divine years), Performing Yagya karma (Fire oblations) was the main path to reap maximum spiritual benefits.
In Kali Yuga (The current yuga -  1200 Divine years, which commenced Approximately 5200 years ago), Charity is the main path to reap maximum spiritual benefits.

(One Human year = One divine day) 

Earth is the crossover point (Pit Stop), lower worlds below the Earth are where Materialists end up, and Upper worlds above the Earth is where the Spiritual beings end up, and Earth is the only crossover point.

An Atheist remains in the lower cycle which is from Earth to the lower worlds, and only way to move upwards is by going spiritual, and as it is very difficult to get a Human body, which is explained in the following Sanskrit Shloka, 

दुर्लभं  त्रयमेवैतधेवानुग्रह-हेतुकम | 

मनुष्यत्वं  मुमुक्षुत्वं  महापुरुषसंश्रयः  ||  

Atheists mostly remain stuck in the lower worlds and few who have morals move upwards towards the Earth, but they remain stuck in the lower cycle culminating every time at Earth.

Lower worlds are more materialistic, vanity and material wealth, at the same time they also lack morals, the morals are far lower then even the level of Morals on Earth.

Have a good yoga time.

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Sianala, Montreal, April, 2008

Chakras - VI - Agnya Chakra

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Previous post: Chakras - V - Visuddha Chakra

The sixth Chakra, the Agnya (Pronounced Aagneyya).

The Mandala is Avyakta Ahankara Manas Tattwa otherwise called as seat of mind.

The Zodiac sign is Sagittarius.
The ManTra is ॐ , 
The endocrine glands connected is Pituitary gland, the master gland.
The no of petals are 2, which are 2 yoga nadis appear like petals.

हंसवतीमुख्यशक्तिसमन्विता  two yoginis, हंसवति हं  and क्षमावति क्षं। 

The space in this Chakra is round and controls Sankalp and Vikalpa.
The colour of this Chakra is faint purple to white. शुक्लवर्णा
The area of knowledge is Super Conscious.
The energy is  Sakini Yogini (साकिनी योगिनी),

साकिन्यम्बस्वरूपिणी आज्ञाचक्राब्जनिलया। 
षडानना, मज्जासंस्था, हरिद्रन्नैकरसिका 

Sadashiva or Shambunada resides here.
The Granthi Sthana is Rudra Granthi.

Swami Sivananda Maharaj says:

The Agnya Chakra is situated in the Sushumna between the eyebrows, this is also known as Trikuti, this is the seat of the mind, this Chakra has two petals and is a beautiful white colour, he who concentrates on this most excellent Chakra destroys all karmas or actions of the past lives and becomes a Jivanmukta (living liberated sage), he gets all the eight major siddhis and the thirty-two minor siddhis.

The PDF document says:

Ajna Chakra is situated within the Sushumna Nadi and its corresponding centre in the
physical body is at the space between the two eye-brows. 

This is known as Trikuti. The presiding deity, Paramasiva (Shambhu), is in the form of Hamsa. 

There is Goddess सकिनी  (Sakti}. Pranava ॐ  is the Bijakshara for this Chakra. 

This is the seat of the mind. 

There are two petals (Yoga Nadis) on each side of the lotus (Chakra) and the vibrations of these Nadis are represented by the Sanskrit letters:— हं   and क्षं .

This is the Granthi Sthana (Rudra Granthi). 

The Chakra is of pure white colour or like that of the full moon (on the Purnima day). Bindu, Nada and Sakti are in this Chakra. 

He who concentrates at this centre destroys all the Karmas of the past lives. 

The benefits that are derived by meditation on this Chakra cannot be described in words. The practitioner becomes a Jivanmukta (liberated man while living). 

He acquires all the 8 major and 32 minor Siddhis. All Yogis and Jnanis too concentrate to this centre on the Bijakshara, Pranava!(OM). 

This is called Bhrumadya Drishti (gaze at the space between the two eye-brows).

EIGHT MAJOR SIDDHIS

An accomplished, Purnayogi in the path of Kundalini Yoga is in possession of eight major
Siddhis, viz., Anima, Mahima, Laghima, Garima, Prapti, Prakamya, Vasitvam and Ishitvam.

1. Anima: 

The Yogi can become as minute as he pleases.

2. Mahima: 

This is the opposite of Anima. He can become as big as he likes. He can make
his body assume a very large size. He can fill up the whole universe. He can assume a Virat
Svarupa.

3. Laghima: 

He can make his body as light as cotton or feather. Vayustambhanam is done
through this Siddhi. 
In Jalastambhanam also the power is exercised to a very small degree. 
The body is rendered light by Plavini Pranayama. 
The Yogi produces a diminution of his specific gravity by swallowing large draughts of air. The Yogi travels in the sky with the help of this Siddhi. 
He can travel thousands of miles in a moment.

4. Garima: 

This is the opposite of Laghima. In this the Yogi acquires an increase of specific
gravity. 

He can make the body as heavy as a mountain by swallowing draughts of air.

5. Prapti: 

The Yogi standing on the earth can touch the highest things. 
He can touch the sun or the moon or the sky. 
Through this Siddhi the Yogi attains his desired objects and supernatural powers. 
He acquires the power of predicting future events, the power of clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathy, thought-reading, etc. 
He can understand the languages of the beasts and birds. He can understand unknown languages also. 
He can cure all diseases.

6. Prakamya: 

He can dive into the water and can come out at any time he likes. The late
Trilinga Swami of Benares used to live for six months underneath the Ganges. 
It is the process by which a Yogi makes himself invisible sometimes. 
By some writers it is defined to be the power of entering body of another (Parakaya Pravesh). 
Sri Sankara entered the body of Raja Amaruka of Benares. 
Tirumular in Southern India entered the body of a shepherd. 
Raja Vikramaditya also did this. 
It is also the power of keeping a youth-like appearance for any length of time. 
Raja Yayati had this power.

7. Vashitvam: 

This is the power of taming wild animals and bringing them under control. 
It is the power of mesmerising persons by the exercise of will and of making them obedient to one’s own wishes and orders. 
It is the restraint of passions and emotions. 
It is the power to bring men, women and the elements under subjection.

8. Ishitvam: 

It is the attainment of divine power. 
The Yogi becomes the Lord of the universe.
The Yogi who has this power can restore life to the dead. 
Kabir, Tulsidas, Akalkot Swami and others had this power of bringing back life to the dead.

MINOR SIDDHIS

The Yogi acquires the following minor Siddhis also:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst.
2. Freedom from the effects of heat and cold.
3. Freedom from Raga-Dvesha. (Emotions)
4. Doora Darshan, clairvoyance or Dooradrishti. (Telepathy)
5. Doora Sravan, clairaudience or Doora Sruti and Doora Pravachana.
6. Mano-Jaya, control of mind.
7. Kama Rupa: The Yogi can take any form he likes.
8. Parakaya Pravesha: He can enter into another body, can animate a dead body and enter into it by transferring his soul.
9. Iccha-Mrityu: Death at his will.
10. Devanam Saha Kreeda and Darshana: Playing with the gods after seeing them.
11. Yatha Sankalpa: Can get whatever he likes.
12. Trikala-Jnana: Knowledge of past, present and future.
13. Advandva: Beyond the pairs of opposites.
14. Vak-Siddhi: Whatever the Yogi predicts will come to pass by the practice of Satya,
Prophecy.
15. The Yogi can turn base metal into gold.
16. Kaya-Vyuha: Taking as many bodies as the Yogi likes to exhaust all his Karmas in one
life.
17. Darduri-Siddhi: The jumping power of a frog.
18. Patala-Siddhi: Yogi becomes Lord of desire, destroys sorrows and diseases.
19. He gets knowledge of his past life.
20. He gets knowledge of the cluster of stars and planets.
21. He gets the power of perceiving the Siddhas.
22. He gets mastery of the elements (Bhuta Jaya), mastery of Prana (Prana Jaya).
23. Kamachari: He can move to any place he likes.
24. He gets omnipotence and omniscience.
25. Vayu-Siddhi: The Yogi rises in the air and leaves the ground.
26. He can point out the place where a hidden treasure lies.

Between Agnya Chakra and Shasrara there are other two Chakras names Soma and Manas Chakra, but they are minor, like this some other text says, there are total 144 Chakras. 

The main Chakras in any text are seven.

More to follow: Shasrara.

ॐ नमः शिवाय!

Sianala, montreal, April 2008