TEMPLES IN RURAL RUSSIA

Fueled by Ayurveda and Yoga true temples like this mushrooming in many villages of Russia. Russians might not have hi-tech temples of the western world, but they do real rituals as we do in southern India. The worship like this will directly allow the diving cosmic to enter the devotees thorough the tree.

No wonder the wrested interest are trying to put ban on sacred Bhagavat Gita

YAMA NIYAMA OF YOGA

Eight folds of Ashtanga Yoga is like a ladder, stepping stones to Raja Yoga. Likewise all eastern philosophical entities are inextricably linked to one another. When one talks about the objectives of life Viz Darma-Artha-Kama-Moksha, one cannot separate it out. All four may be distinct; but like a vestibule in a train, they are interconnected.

Dharma is fulfillment of duties to oneself, family, to his employer, state, and society in general. In another words the job done systematically according to norms is called Dharma. And according to ones skills and abilities one can earn money in legitimate way and such money or possessions earned in legitimate way only will under the preview of ARTHA.

Enjoyment of Artha is called karma, i.e, our legitimate pleasures we get by virtue of our legitimate possessions. It could be possessions like cars, houses, money or sex. Flirting with somebody else's girl friend does not come under true KAMA.

APARIGRAHA is an important aspect of Niyama in yoga, non-possessiveness, non-holding through senses, non-greed, non-grasping, non-indulgence, non-acquisitiveness.

Even yoga teachers forget this important aspect of Niyama and see yoga as a way to earn money and such money earned is not ture 'Artha.' Even inaction sometimes can be considered as bad karma when one remains mute witness to atrocities and never raise his/her voice. Even the company of evil people can have negative impact on us as we are all answerable to the law of karma.

EMMA AND INNA

Still remembering you....Emma.......എന്‍റെ ദേശത്തിന്‍റെ കഥയിലെ എമ്മ എന്ന മദാമ്മകുട്ടിശ്രീ ധ ര നയച്ച അവ സാ ന എഴുത്തിലെ ഏടാണ്.... ഇന്ത്യയെ സ്നേഹിച്ച സ്വിസ് ജര്‍മന്‍ യുവതി. തീജ്വാല തലമുടിയോട് കൂടിയവള്‍ . ശീധരന്‍ എന്ന കാമുകന്‍ പിറക്കാന്‍ പോവുന്ന കുട്ടികളുടെ നിറം ആലോചിച്ചു അവളെ ഉപേഷിച്ചു.

ഞാന്‍ ഇവിടെ റഷ്യയില്‍ മറ്റൊരു 'എമ്മയെ' കണ്ടു. പേരിലും ഉണ്ട് സാമ്യം, INNA, ഇന്ന പക്ഷെ ഭാഗ്യവതിയാണ്. അവളെ കൊണ്ടോട്ടിക്കാരന്‍ മുഹമ്മദ്‌ അന്തസ്സായി മിന്നു കെട്ടി, രണ്ടു കുട്ടികളും പിറന്നു. ദേശത്തിന്‍റെ കഥയിലെ ശ്രീധരന്‍ ഭയന്ന പോലെ ചുവന്ന ചെമ്മീനിന്‍റെ നിറം ആ കുട്ടികള്‍ക്കില്ല. ഇന്ത്യയിലും റഷ്യയിലും ആയി അവര്‍ സുഖമായി ജീവിക്കുന്നു. Dear Mohammed you proved to be a bigger hero than the hero of the "Jnanpeed-winning novel Oru Desathinte Katha. God bless you!

KOTTAKKAL THOUGHTS

WHERE WILL WE WASH OUR SINS?

Woke up by an early phone call from an old college mate who was a staunch leftist and was the biggest critic of Aryavaidya Sala and referred it as 'aarante Vaidyasala.' We have even slogans like "Aaaradaa eee PK VARIER" during our student strikes against AVS. This friend was a leader in many strikes agaisnt AVS during our college days, I was plesantly surprised and amused by the paradigm shift in his attitude. Today he referred PK Varier as "satwa personified." But, which magical Gangawater will wash away our sins for calling padma laureate Varier as "EDAaa."

HERBAL MEDICINES AND WEST

It is known from reliable sources that from April 31 2001 all Ayurvedic, Chinese and otherr ormedicine has been banned all over European Union, but not in Eastern Europe of which Russia is a part. So no threat for herbal practitioners in this part of the world. It's height time that we concentrate more on documentation of clinical success so that we can prove it beyond doubt that herbal medicines do act positively.

As the research comes from west, it will be followed by rest of the world and many modern doctors in India like Dr.Saritha will be deliriously happy to read this news. On further reading I found that there exists even a ban on ginger (dry ginger) in some western countries citing reason that it can be harmful to the body. It was found that ginger can increase bleeding time and can cause problems if ingested. The surprising fact is that there are many modern drugs which are available over-the-counter in US (OTC) which are even more harmful. Aspirin has the same effect.

Don't be amused if westerners have to take a prescription to buy ginger from Malls.

We live in a world where cigarettes, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages are available everywhere knowing the side and after-effects of these harmful materials which is the direct cause of many an incurable disease including heart-related disease and cancers. No doctor raises his eyebrows and are focused only on the anything eastern or herbal.

One of the reasons why Kerala has high level of life expectancy in spite of having poor per capita income is availability of different systems of medicines coupled with malayalis robust commonsense to chose. As someone rightly said "for a westerner common sense is not so common."

As a practitioner of herbal medicine I can only empathize/sympathise with the poor patients who are denied these herbs in America and Europe.

Every year thousands of westerners are visiting India in general and Kerala in particular seeking quality Ayurvedic treatments. I will not be surprised if modern medical experts in these countries give warning to visitor to this part of the world to 'keep away from herbal medicine' akin to terrorists threats in some rogue countries.

GHEE AND CHOLESTEROL CLINICAL NOTES BY DR.SANKARAN NAMBOODIRI V.M.

SNEHAPANAM

HERBAL TRUTHS

There is no clear-cut demarcation of food and medicine in Ayurveda; at the same time there are many scientifically proven rules in Ayurveda by which a medicine acts on the human body. Ayurveda has a proven pharmacology that works on the principles of Six-taste theory and ‘hot and cold potency’ theories. There are rules and exceptions within this taste theory. Almost all herbs and edible items available in our country are documented in all classical Ayurvedic texts including Charaka Samhitha and Astanga Hrudaya. The seers of India who wrote these books has even mentioned the qualities of meats including pork and beef which is often considered taboo by many in India and abroad.

The Ayurvedic or herbal medicines are more relevant in this age of antibiotics. Irrational use of antibiotics has made many a bacteria resistant to these dugs and new generation antibiotics are hard coming. If the microbes get resistant, administration of many antibiotics will become obsolete. We have to look at the Ayurvedic principles which treat diseases by ‘correcting the imbalance of humors (three doshas) which are based on universal laws of nature which are eternally true.

MODERN MEDICINE AND AYURVEDA

Many a modern medical doctor is skeptical about the feasibility of Ayurvedic or herbal medicine. This opinion arises from lack of basic knowledge in Ayurvedic principles. To understand pharmacodynamics of Ayurveda one needs to have a basic knowledge about the five-element theory (Five Great Elements of Material Existence), thri dosha theory (three humor theory), concept of six-taste and their influence on doshas.

Modern medicine is based on scientific truths supported by the physical and molecular chemistry taking place within our body. The greatest advantage of modern medicine is its immaculate and infallible theories about how drugs act on somatic cells both within the body and in laboratories. The success of modern medicine in the last one hundred years is mainly due to the modern pharmacology’s success to combat bacterial diseases. Apart from this in the case of viral diseases modern medicine had lesser ammunition to fight with. But this drawback was nullified to some extent by the success achieved thru vaccination.

Mother Nature considers every living thing in this planet as equal. Like humans even bacteria and other microbes are also nurtured by it. Nature is a great leveler and it gives equal chance to its entire offspring including microbes.

We humans are selfish and take the lives of other organism for granted. Consider a honey bee or hornet attacking humans. An attack by these insects is always triggered by human intrusion. As far as honeybee is concerned it is protecting the colony from invaders. They defend their colony by sacrificing their life. (a honeybee can sting only once). They die in the process of protecting the colony. Likewise the microbes which attack us whenever they get a chance in the shape of an open wound. They are trying to do their ‘karma.’ We have all the right to protect ourselves from these microbes. Antibiotics are the biggest friend of a modern doctor to fight bacteria. Most of the time many practitioner of modern medicine use these medicines irrationally and ending up in microbes gaining tolerance to these drugs.

History of Ayurveda

Ayurveda is the name given the ancient Indian science of healing. It is at least a couple of Millennia old. According to some schools of Ayurveda it was a secret revealed by Brahma, the cosmic creator, from his deep meditation. This knowledge reached mankind thru the sages of ancient India who were in deep meditation in the caves of mighty Himalayas. When saddened by the ill health of the mankind they sought to alleviate their sufferings.

A slightly less spiritual and possibly more rational explanation is that these sages experimented with the only aid they had at that time – herbs, to perfect a system of medicine which more and more people are turning to today, as an alternative to Modern Medicine, which though is very fast acting.

Ayurveda
Ayurveda is the indigenous medical system of India. The word Ayurveda literarily means knowledge of life. It is not only a system of medicine but knowledge and advices about the lifestyle to be followed by healthy people. It gives much importance for the preventive aspect as well. Ayurveda aims proper health and disease-free life.

History of Ayurveda

The origin of Ayurveda dates back to the period of Vedas* which dates back to 4000 BC. Sages of ancient India imparted this divine knowledge to mankind through their vision and insight.

Indian culture is an amalgamation of Dravidian and Aryan civilizations. Ayurveda has also gained considerably from this. Later on there has been contribution from Buddhists who in turn took this divine science to rest of Asia. Interestingly it was Srilankans who propagated Ayurveda to the western world in the late nineteen nineties, especially to German-speaking areas of Europe.