Saraswati - Speaking of Curing Diseases Through Yoga

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Speaking of Curing Diseases through Yoga
2011, Swami Durganand Saraswati
ISBN 978 81 207 6377 7
E-ISBN 978 81 207 9069 8

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Preface

By the grace of the Almighty, like the words Dharam Karam in India, Yoga is also now a household name especially in the Western countries. Therefore, the number of books on yoga is increasing day by day. After going through some books, I thought it to be needful to disperse the blessings of Yoga, especially in respect of curing diseases to the pupils who are sincerely eager to turn over a new leaf by adopting a full-fledged yogic way of life, or who are unluckily suffering from various kinds of diseases because of which they live a stressful life and waste thousands of money but of no avail or of a temporary consolation only.

The yoga of asanas is the most scientific variety of ontology ever deciphered till this day under the Sun. There is no system which can challenge the hygienic validity in so shortest a time as Yoga is capable of. We should worship the foot-dust of the lotus feet of the Seer sages by whose magnanimous benedictions we can try to practise yoga today.

Yoga of asanas and pranayamas (breathing exercises) are as old as the Sun God. The historians are not unanimous in their opinions as to the oldness of this spiritual knowledge. Countless manuscripts have been destroyed by jealous, narrow-minded, communal and base-born torturous kings; another wave of worldly play had started; again destroyed and again another destruction. This has been the play for a long time out of memory.

To come to the subject, the bone of contention of the world of hygiene which is connected with Yoga of physiological exercises, is diet or food. Diet is a substituting theological or philosophical word for food on the ground that Sages looked upon human beings as great sufferers of misery a cancerous disease and, hence, they use this word diet. A most sorry state of affairs of the day is that there is no or hardly any food or drink which is perfectly healthful except water of some places a fact which is known to Naturopaths than any man in the street.

There are at least two reasons which count for such a pathetic state: One is overpopulation and the other is misguiding guidance or commerciality. The rise in population being out of hands of the government of many countries, the production is needed to boost up in order to feed the extra mouths every year. It is impossible to produce more food in a natural way since the soil capacity decreases every year. So, under the compulsion of circumstances, inorganic food stuff has made an unrestricted access into the world markets. The result being that a lay man is absolutely unaware of the real nature, character or taste of the real food.

Edibles, thanks to the research of food technologists, look apparently attractive but produce a highly incurable effect on the human economy. Nowadays cows are being injected to become fat for procuring more meat; the result of such an absolutely unintelligent policy has given birth to epidemic diseases among cows leading to a loss of money, perhaps, millions. Readers may have become aware of this fact through newspapers. Adulteration is no more a secret nowadays. It is no matter of the day. The fruits that are sold in most markets of the world are ripened artificially by using a heavy amount of toxic chemicals, especially carbide gas which is used to burn lamps. Injurious insecticides are spread on them against premature damage. So is the case of vegetables.

Cows milk, the most balanced food, is highly injurious in most cases; first of all, the milk is produced artificially for, cow is served with the food that is highly chemical. Cows live hardly on green grass the food that should be given to them. It is, perhaps known to many readers that green grass has been in use by a number of Yogins among whom the name of Durbasaji is well known. Durba or Doorba means green grass. According to media reports, milk is now being manufactured from even animal skin, potato, etc. Such is the state of the food product. According to Srimad Bhagvad Gita, Man is what he eats. One day I prepared some aubergines but could not eat them on account of its excessive bitterness. I tried giving it to the cow but it also refused to eat it.

However, diseases can be brought to a minimum number only if the dietetic rules are followed as far as practicable, and yoga asanas are practised regularly with patience. Idleness is known to be one of the greatest hindrances of yoga. Everybody should practise yoga keeping an eye to his health. Diet is again, more important than practice of Yoga especially when the object is to uproot a particular disease.

Fast food which is catching up fast with the young generation is also the cause of many diseases. God knows better, how such misguiding ideas crop up in a human mind. The rule of cooking food is that food should be prepared slowly and not fast. It should be cooked on a low temperature. The fire too should be wooden and not gas, electric or kerosene oil which is injurious to health. If a research is done on the nutritive value of both the kinds of food fast food and the food cooked with wooden fuel, it is sure the former would be proved to be of less nutritive value.

Ignorant people are carried away by advertisements and by repeatedly treading on the wrong path, the wrong path itself is mistaken for the right one. This is Kali Yuga; except love and life, everything seems to be possible by way of money. The wrong paths of human life are looked upon as fashion or an inescapable way of life in some cases. A vast majority of human beings have lost their common sense to look into the affairs of the world in its proper perspective. The reason is non-practice of Yoga and spirituality and, therefore, unveiling of spiritual acumen. Habitual use of heavily artificial or poisonous foods could be another formidable reason for such wrong notions. Despite all these misconceptions, may God bless them. Wrong food is the root biological cause for all the nefarious activities we come across through the mishaps taking place all over the world.

Swarga Ashram,
Rishikesh, Uttrakhand

Swami Durganand Saraswati

Of those
who remain absorbed
in the absorption of the Absolute
Almighty many-many times in the caves
of the Himalayas, of those whose heart is hurt
and moved at the distress of the real aspirants
and of those who render most useful
services to the humanity,
Swami Durganand Saraswati
is one so far as my personal experience
goes. This books is sure to
render yeomans
services both to the
aspirants and patients.

Dr. David Wells, USA
Veteran Yoga Teacher
and Ayurvedic Doctor