Acupressure For Health

कराग्रे वसते लक्ष्मी, करमध्ये सरस्वती ।
करमूले स्थिता गौरी, मंगलं करदर्शनम् ॥
The Bengali meaning is
করাগ্রে বসতে লক্ষ্মীঃ করমধ্যে সরস্বতী ।
করমূলে স্থিতা গৌরী চ প্রভাতে করদর্শনম্ ॥
lakShmI in the finger tips, saraswatI on the palm
shaktI is situated in the wrist, it is auspicious to see the hands

karAgre vasate lakShmI, kara-madhye saraswati
kara-moole sthitA gaurI, mangalaM* kara-darshanam.

* maGgalaM (G = nasal of ka-group in ITRANS, like 'n' in pang, fang, sink, sing etc)

there is another variation as it appears in AchAra-pradeepa as follows -
करमूले स्थितो ब्रह्मा, प्रभाते करदर्शनम्
but i think it makes more sense to use the gaurI. more on that below.

this shloka is to be recited in the morning. when you get up, just sit in the bed, don't rush out to get ready. say this shloka with eyes still closed, and open them by the fourth part (mangalaM karadarshanaM) and see your hands and smile. after this still don't rush out, say another shloka (coming up in next post), and THEN get down from the bed.

this exercise is so good, that it helps you stabilize your blood pressure. if after lying for 6-7 hours, you suddenly get up, there can be a pressure drop in the brain and this is known to be the most important factor in early morning strokes. both shlokas when said slowly will take about 1-2 minutes which is sufficient to get your brain used to new blood pressure.
There are many beliefs, faiths and for many we don't know the reason or there might be no reason but to simply strengthen the faith (maybe superstition?)

in hinduism a central idea is that the creator entered the creation, and enlivened it! that is why we say that there is the divine in all of us, all life forms, even inanimate things। that is why the supreme is also called 'antar-yAmI' (अन्तर्यामी) i.e. one who moves inside (us, living things).

the shine of the diamond, the stickiness of the gecko feet, the long snapping tongue of a frog, the "7 tons a day feeding frenzy" of an orca whale are all the same divine shining! but what does it mean to say that the divine is in us?

and what about the trinity of creator, sustainer and the transformer (also called the destroyer)? how do we interpret them in tangible ways, for those who are more into GYaan yoga (ज्ञान-योग) than bhakti yoga (भक्ति-योग) ?

there are three phases of a thing - creation (coming into existence), sustenance and destruction (going out of existence). destruction is just a type of transformation.

creation needs knowledge, hence the creator brahmA's (ब्रह्मा) consort is saraswatI (सरस्वती) - the divinity of knowledge. sustenance needs resources, hence the sustainer viShNu's (विष्णु) consort is lakShmI (लक्ष्मी) - the divinity of wealth, resource, prosperity. transformation needs energy, hence the transformer shiva's (शिव) consort is shakti (शक्ति) - the divinity of energy, also called as pArvatI (पार्वती) gaurI (गौरी) etc.

now the shloka!
lakShmI is in our fingers. why? because all we do to make resources, create or earn them, to type in a blog, to make a space shuttle or to plough the fields, we do it because of the opposable thumbs! because we can HOLD things in our hands and make tools etc. imagine if we didn't have the fingers and opposable thumbs! any progress ever? see the pigs and lions, still as they were!

the palm like a book! the destiny on our palms! we make our own destiny with knowledge! or maybe they just didn't find a better place for saraswatI :) but there lies saraswatI.

and the wrist, the power to use the hands is from the wrist, where lies the shakti, pArvatI. also, just like shiva is mahAdeva ('greatest god', explanation in later posts), pArvatI being shakti is the most important one! she powers the other two! imagine without energy to work or think would your body or brain be of any use? you first need energy, only then can you do anything.

the divine manifestation is divided in three main categories - creation (kartA, कर्ता) , sustenance (bhartA, भर्ता), transformation (hartA, हर्ता) . and all these are powered by the three goddesses! and all these three powers are right there in your hand.

so when you get up in the morning, don't whine, but rise and shine!
the entire power of this universe - create, sustain and transform - is in your hands!
be glad you have your hands, think for a moment if you didn't! it will be like you were without the divine force!

while you have this faith in the divine, please do not let anyone take advantage of you because of your faith. that is not faith anymore, that is your foolishness and others' selfishness! beware of fake gurus, and fake godmen! the real ones don't ask for any favors, they don't try to save god or truth. we all HAVE to pay for our actions!

so why is the version with "gaurI" better than that with "brahmA"? well, the other two are the goddesses, and wrist goes well with power, energy.

[sun photo,courtesy Karasán Krisztina]
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and now the shloka at hand:

kara = hand
agra = front, ahead; agre = in the front (-e suffix for in, on) [careful, it is not the same as the city Agra of the Taj Mahal, that should be correctly written as AgarA (आगरा)]
karAgre = in the front of the hand i.e. fingers
other words: agra-ja = born (ja) ahead (agra) = elder brother
agra-jA = elder sister (jA = born, feminine)

vasate = lives; root vas, vasati - singular, third person

lakShmI = the divinity of prosperity (material and spiritual); consort of divine lord viShNu, the sustainer
from the word lakShya = goal
----

kara-madhye = palm;
madhya = middle, (of hand); madhy-e = in middle

saraswatI = divinity of learning, knowledge; consort of divine lord brahmA, the creator
----

kara-moole = in wrist
moola = base, root; mool-e = in the base
kanda-moola-phala = stems, roots and fruits (diets during fasting that avoid grains)

sthitA = situated
gaurI = pArvatI, shaktI, consort of shiva; fair colored; consort of shiva the transformer.
mangalaM = auspicious
kara-darshanaM = looking at hands.

Fasting For Health Part-V

Symptoms During a Fast

Certain symptoms are liable to appear when a patient abstains from food for the cure of a disease. One need not be alarmed at their appearance as they are either indicative of the body's cleansing efforts or merely accidental to a fast. The commonest among them are thick coating on the tongue, foul or ether like breath, dizziness headaches, stomach pains, heart palpitation etc. The reason for the coating of the tongue which frequently increases day after day throughout the early stages of the fast, is that Nature employs every avenue of elimination possible, so the tongue is also used for this purpose. The coating generally clears at the conclusion of a fast when natural hunger is felt. The tongue should be cleaned daily with a tooth brush and mouth rinsed with pure cold water. Like the tongue the breath also begins to give evidence of the internal state of the body and is offensive for the part of the fast. Sometimes the breath smells like ether owing to the presence of acetone which is indicative of a functional disorder with decay of organic matter. In such a case the fast may be broken with a small amount of fruit juice or thin oatmeal gruel. Dizziness and sometimes fainting are experience during initiation as a result of anemic condition of the brain caused by the excessive flow of blood into the large abdominal blood vessel owing to slackness of the nerves of the sympathetic system. If these symptoms do not pass off quickly, they may be treated by placing the patient in a prone position so that the head is kept lower than the feet. The blood supply will be directed towards the brain and the patient soon recover. Application of cold water to the forehead and rubbing hands and feet of the patient will also be found helpful in reviving the patient.

Where Fasting is indicated and where it is not
It is not advisable for a man to fast who has nothing the matter with him. If the nutrition of the body has been properly managed no fast at all is necessary because there is no sickness to cure. Fasting is not a natural process for when the body needs food you must give it. Fasting would only be a natural process when the body is in an unnatural condition. In case where the accumulation of poisons in the system has given rise to diseased condition which have advanced or developed to an extent that the system has not sufficient power to eliminate them, you have to stop food in order to give the body that power. Nature is the best guide in ascertaining whether you need food or require a fast. If you do not feel hungry omit a meal and wait for the next.
Fasting is specially efficacious in all acute disease.In chronic disease the body is so encumbered with waste matter and the vitality is often so low, that it is sometimes advisable to enter on a fast more carefully and gradually. In most of the chronic cases the system has become overloaded with morbid matter owing to the sluggish and atrophied condition of the eliminate organs such as skin, kidneys, intestines etc. During a fast additional quantities of waste matter are produced in the form of broken down tissues which are used up in bodily nourishment. This may cause serious aggravation and complication. it is therefore wiser to build up the blood on a normal basis by natural diet and to put into order the eliminate organs by natural methods of treatment before undertaking a fast.
How to fast

Before launching on an absolute fast it is necessary to prepare the body for 

Fasting For Health Part-IV

Dangers of the Fasting

“Extremes” they say “are always dangerous.” This is true even in the case of fasting.

According to circumstances fasting may do a great deal of good or a great deal of harm. Judicious fasting is beneficial and rids the body of disease, but when carried to extreme it amounts to starvation which is detrimental, and ultimately destructive to the body. The distinction must always be kept clear in mind between fasting and starvation. When a fast is begun the system begins to oxidize and eliminate the useless material which has been accumulated in the body in the form of assimilated food and the waste which is choking and congesting the small blood vessels. This effete matter which is actually the cause of disease is the first thing that Nature disposes of before it draws upon the tissues of before it draws upon the tissues of the body.

Fasting never kills, it is only starvation that results in death and long before the stage is reached food must be taken. Fasting is not starving. The destructive and degenerative conditions observed in animals kept for the sake of laboratory experiments are due to ‘starvation’. Fasting does not result in organic deterioration nor do any pathological changes occur in the body during a therapeutic fast.

Due care must be taken not to confuse ‘habit hunger’ with ‘natural hunger’. Habit hunger is the craving or desire for food experienced at the daily meal time after the commencement of the fast. This must be resisted by drinking water or diverting the mind elsewhere. A day or two after commencing the fast the tongue will generally become coated and the breath foul. This is an indication of the fact that effete matter is present in the system and the body is throwing it off through all the available exits and that the fast is really needed. When the has been successfully completed the tongue becomes pink and breath sweet and there is a natural desire for food, not a false hunger. The natural desire for food is an exquisite sensation that can only be known to those who have experienced it. The disappearances of foul coating on the tongue and of the offensive odour of the breath are important signs of the complete removal of internal refuse. If on taking the fast for a day or two there is no change in the tongue and breath, it is indicative of the fact that a long fast is not needed by the body.

Fasts are sometimes ineffective:

Troubles deep rooted from years of ill-health cannot miraculously disappear by a week’s fast or more. The right path has been indicated in fasting and it entirely rests with the patient to follow it successfully to the final goal.

Lack of faith and determination are also the chief factors in destroying the efficacy of a fast. Faith which is said to ‘move mountain’, goes a long way towards removing sickness. Those half-willed and half-witted people, who pay good money to undergo a properly supervised fast and then slink out and eat a meal in the nearest hotel, are not worth troubling about. To them fasting will do no good for their life.

Want of rest during the course of a fast is also harmful. During the period of a fast strain is put upon the reserve forces of the body and it demands rest for the conservation of all its energy for the work of toxin elimination. Light exercise, such as walking may be taken in moderation in order to prevent stagnation but hard exertion is apt to prove injurious.

Among other obstacles to success in fasting are fear, the anxiety of friends and relatives, the too early breaking of the fast and the use of wrong foods and drinks after-wards. Go slow; resume your meals gradually and patiently. Do not think that you must eat twice as much now, because you did not take anything for so long. It is better to begin with a liquid diet daily adding some solid food until you reach the normal quantity.

Above all, importance must be attached to the right mental attitude during a fast. Fasting generally leads to pessimism. The depression of physical function during the course of a fast arouses and increases the psychic functions and may produce intense emotionalism. There is a close affinity between one’s mental state and physical state. Be of good cheer and drag your mind deliberately away from the contemplation of disease or other gloomy thoughts. Getting all ‘fussed up’ is an indulgence for which one must pay a stiff price. Let not emotions such as anger, sorrow, fear, or envy gnaw at your heart and destroy your harmony and poise. Build castles in the air and be bright as sunshine. Thus you will be able to derive the highest benefit from a fast,

Fasting For Health Part-III

Fasting an Ancient Practice

Fasting has been practiced in all countries from the most ancient times. In early times fasting was used in connection with religion for moral, mental and spiritual purification. It was also practiced by all the people of the lower cultures in which it was supported by the rudimentary science which takes the form of magical lore, as well as by a variety of crude religious beliefs. 

The Christian ‘Lent’ is paralleled by the Mohamedan Fast of ‘Ramzan’. The Hindu and the Jain ascetics practiced severe fasting in conjunction with numerous other austerities. Primitive ‘Buddhism’ is in favour of moderation rather than extreme self-deprivation, but in practice in its various developed forms; the religion covers a considerable amount of fasting especially in Tibet. The higher Taoism of China and Confucianism enjoin periods of strict abstinence.

It should not however be understood that in India fasting was practiced only under religious superstition. The therapeutic effects of the fast were also greatly recognized. It was used for the prevention and cures of various ailments and was endorsed by writers on medicine and surgery. From the point of view of health it will be highly beneficial to fast at least once a fortnight. Many Hindus take only one mill a day during the rainy season. This is a practice based upon the soundest hygienic principles. For when the air is dump and the sky cloudy the digestive organs are weaker than usual, and hence there should be a reduction in the quantity of food.

There are several kinds of fasts in Hindu religion. Cereals, beans and pulses are prohibited in almost all fasts while no restriction is placed upon fruits, vegetables and milk – the continued use of a large amount of cereals being regarded as the cause of unhealthy accumulations in the body. A fast is known as “Chandrayan Vrata” in which the faster daily diminishes one morsel of food with the waning digit of the moon till he comes to ‘Amavasya’ when he takes nothing because the moon is not visible. Then he begins his food with one morsel and increases it daily by one morsel till the arrival of full moon. Thus a complete course is finished during the period of four weeks. Fast is also recommended during the period of a ‘Solar Eclipse’. The association of fast with the non-appearance of sun is a matter of great hygienic value. Light of the sun being the source of all vital energy the vital power of our system are naturally at a low ebb when that light is screened from us. Consequently the system is ill equipped for digesting and assimilating food. The Jains follow the same principle in talking their evening meals before sunset.

Fasting For Health Part-II

The question of proper nourishment is of the very first importance because the other two functions are closely connected with it. Eating anything because it tastes nice is not exactly what the body needs. For the sake of gratifying the palate we go on stuffing in every sort of food, time in and time out, whether the stomach requires it or not. Over-eating is the great curse of humanity and this alone is responsible for many of the ills from which man suffers. The disgruntled man who declares peevishly that he is “Fed up”, generally speaks the literal truth. At the same time it must also be admitted that an average person is not entirely to blame for not paying attention to correct diet. It is ‘Society’ that often insists that every one shall overeat and over-drink. People consider it unsocial to eat a little and dub the one who resorts to a fast as cranky. It should be remembered that when more food is put into the body than is required by it, the stomach is unable to cope with it and consequently it passes it down into the small intestine in an undigested and fermented condition. There too, the intestinal juices are unable to act properly on the fermenting mass and hence it is further pushed down into the colon unabsorbed and mal-assimilated. This putrid matter clogs the colon, begins to decay there and generates toxins. The toxins thus produced pass into the blood stream through the walls of the colon, causing toxemia and defective circulation – the root cause of most of the ailments of man.

The common attempt of a Doctor is to suppress the symptoms which the body begins to show on account of the presence of effete matter in the system by administering medicines. He does not try to find out the real cause of the disease and remove it. He labours under the false idea that disease is something which can be “caught” or which enters into the body from outside, and therefore, he uses various drugs such as purgatives, emetics, diaphoretics etc. Strictly speaking, the drugs do not ‘act’ upon the living body, the body ‘reacts’ against the drugs. Some drugs are more readily expelled through the bowels, some through the kidneys, some through the skin. But, in the process of eliminating drugs, much of the vital activity is expended and the system becomes quite prostrate, so that the after-effects of drugging prove to be more harmful than the disease itself. Sometimes there is a temporary relapse but the disease reasserts itself in an aggravated form after some time and refuses to yield to any process of cure.

Human ailments can only be removed by building health and not by doctoring symptoms of the so-called disease. Healing is a physiological process, inherent in the body economy. No substitute can perform the work. The only scientific treatment is that which removes all morbid obstructions from the body, purifies the blood and thereby helps every organ of the body to function properly and normally.

Foremost among the methods of purification stands fasting, which of late years has become quite popular. “Fasting” is the only method by means of which the body is cleared of its corruption, in as much as fasting permits the effete material already contained to be disposed of, and at the same time allows no introduction of new material into the body. We ought to stop food when the system has not sufficient power to eliminate the food poisons. Digestion and assimilation of food require a great deal of energy, and when the energy at the disposal of the body is used in that direction, there is not sufficient energy left for the elimination of poison which causes disease. When we fast that energy is diverted from functions of digestion and assimilation and is used by the self-healing principle in the system towards house-cleaning and elimination of disease matter.

Fasting For Health Part - I

You will hardly find one in a thousand who does not constantly complain of something wrong with this system. Why should it be so? The Doctors may locate the cause of the trouble elswhere, but the plain fact is that almost all bodily ills have their origin in the wrong habits of living, among which, abuse of the stomach stands foremost. Over-eating, use of unnatural foods as are invariably served at dinners, hotels, resturants and other places of enjoyment, and lack of excercise, not only derange the digestive system but choke up the body with poisonous matter, giving rise to all sorts of ills. Evidently, the treatement should consist in stopping all clogging foods and ridding the body of the disease matter, already present in it. The right way to accomplish this is to 'fast the disease matter out', as animals do when they are ill.

It is a pity that, under the influence of modern civilization, the people of India have discarded this natural method of cure which was so strongly advocated by the ancient healers of their country. In west on the other hand, the method has been brought to the forefront by the efforts of eminent naturopaths and there has grown up a large literature on the subject. It is time we should also revive the old practice.

I have written this bolgg in which I have tried to present the subject in an understandable form. If the perusal of the blog induces even a small fraction of the suffering humanity to try the fasting cure and thereby regain their normal health, I shall consider my efforts amply rewarded.

What is Disease and How Fasting Helps Remove Disease – 

Disease is nothing else but an effort of the body to expel from the system the waste matter which has accumulated owing to a long continued unnatural mode of living. Disease is then, a curative process, a process of purification and a remedial action. It is the normal ‘reaction’ of the body to an unfavorable environment. Internal Obstructions are lodged in the system in the form of filth – toxins or waste matter. They depress and hinder healthy action or normal physiology. The entire system rebels against the presence of this foreign mass, and the Vital Force, under the control of the Law of Life, strives to save the body by struggling with might and main to remove the dangerous accumulations. The human body is composed of millions and millions of tiny cells, each little cell being an individual life by itself, absorbing food, eliminating, functioning, growing, reproducing and dying. There are different groups of cells of different kinds such as the muscular cel’s, the fatty cells, the body cells, and so on. The health of the body depends on the health of each individual cell, and in order that each individual cell should function properly, it must have food – proper food and nourishment, secondly, it must have proper drainage, and i.e. it must be able to get rid of the residue left after the assimilation of food. The third necessity of the cell is the proper supply of nerve force. It is the nerve force going along myriads of nerves to different parts of the body, to different tissues, and to each individual cell, which gives these cells, and consequently the organs, the power to function properly – the power to absorb food and to eliminate the waste matters which are produced as a result of the absorption of food. A disturbance in any of the three requirements of the cell, feeding drainage and nerve supply of them ensures good health.

Ponchomokar Sadhana (Five M’s) of Mother kali

There are three way of Tantric sadhana – 1> Posyachar, 2> Birachar and 3> Divyachar. “Ponchomokar” is the part of Birachar sadhana of Tantra. Modyo(Wine), Mangso(meat), Motsyo(fish), Mudra(posture) and Moithun (sexual intercourse) collectively, five essential tantric practices or rites called as “Ponchomokar” sadhana.The Yogic explanation of these “Pochomokar” is as follows:

Modyo(Wine) –

“Somdhara khored ya tu brohmorondrat boranone.

Pitanondomoyostang jo swo ebo modyosadhoko”. - Agomsar

A sadhak who drink the stream of nectar exuded from “Sahasrar” (the central pore of the palate) called as “Modyo” sadhak. An indication in human body may be as same as one can drink wine.

Mangso(meat) –

“Ma Sobdadrosona gneya todongsan rosonaproyan.

Soda jo vokshoyodebi so ebo mangso sadhoko”. - Agomsar

Sadhak do not want to eat meat for this purpose.A man who practice or exercise of restraint in speech called as “Mangso” sadhak.Tongue in human body performs two types of work one is to speak with someone and the other is to taste food. So a sadhak must control his apeech and intake of food to achieve his goal.

Motsyo(fish) –

“Ganga Jomuna modhye motsyo dou choroto sodah

Tou motsyou vokshoyed jostu swo bhobe motsyo sadhok”. - Agomsar

In this case ‘Ganga’ means “Ida” nadi and ‘Jamuna’ means “Pingola” nadi. What is ‘Nadi’? Yogis said that man has three main flows of energy, which they called the ‘Nadi’s, Ida, Pingola and Sushumna, and which have been roughly translated as mind, body and spirit. The third flow is the result of the balanced interaction of the first two. They also said that man functions mainly in the first two areas of body and mind, Ida and Pingola, the third aspect being dormant until it is stimulated by ‘Yog’ or some other discipline. Man who control his ‘Prana’ by way of ‘Pranayam’ is called ‘Motsyo’ sadhak.

Location of the Chakras

Mudra(posture) –

“Sohosrar e mohapodme kornica mudrita nochet”. - Agomsar

A man who awake his ‘Kundolini’ to ‘Sahasrar’ and realize ‘Atma’ (spirit) is called as ‘Mudra’ sadhak. What is kundolini? Everybody should know something about kundoloni as it represents the coming consciousness of mankind. Kundolini is the name of a sleeping dormant potential force in the human organism and it is situated at the root of the spinal column. In the masculine body it is in the perineum, between the urinary and excretory organs. In the female body its location is at the root of the uterus in the cervix. This centre is known as ‘mooladhar chakra’ and it is actually a physical structure. It is a small gland which you can even take out and press. However kundolini is a dormant energy. To awaken Kundolini you must prepare yourself through ‘pranayam’ and different ‘kriyas’ as stated in ‘Tantra’.

Moithun (sexual intercourse) –

“Ferostu Kumkumavaso Kundomodhye byabosthito.

Mokaroscho Bindoorupo Mohajonou sthito priye”. - Agomsar

To raise the kulakundalini and unite it with Paramashiva, the nucleus consciousness at pineal gland the “sahasrara chakra”. When a sadhak stands at the position of “Ajapa-japa” then only he feel ‘Brahmananda’ the infinite joy this is ‘Moithun tattva’.

Tantra is really trying to free and raise shakti energy so that living liberation can be achieved. The tantrikas were not indulging in the Pancha-Makara for simple pleasure. In fact, during maithuna, orgasm was not allowed. And besides, there were many other Tantric practices that didn't involve any of the Pancha-Makara. Pranayama and physical exercises had no stigma in and of themselves.