Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Chapter 10 - Life Is A Play  Day 54 Our mind and intellect judge people and situations. This is because there is a lack of sattva, purity. Sattva means the quality of understanding something as it is.  Do not come to a conclusion about anything or anybody in your mind. A murderer and thief became the sage Valmiki in an instant. This transformation did not take much time, just a few seconds for him.  That is why Sri Krishna has said in the Gita - “The mind of a person who has been engaged in wrong doing can be transformed in a few moments by thinking of me”.  In just a few moments, he can be released from all his impressions and find peace of mind, he can be established in the present moment and in the self.  This is because a person only has to wake up for a little while and realise that "I am a dancer." In a play, some people play the role of Rama, others play Ravana and others Hanuman.  It is another person's job to raise the curtain. If every...

Chapter 10 - Life Is A Play  Day 53 Once you understand "nartaka atma", you will drop your expectations of time. This is called "going beyond time”. The essence of the Self or Shiva is called mahakala.  A thing that does not have expectations of time becomes part of time. It goes beyond time and becomes a part of time. Do not wait around, thinking that your hurts will fade with time.  Wake up and see them as a play, and everything will disappear instantly. Do not sit, deciding to engage yourself in spiritual practices for 20 years to eliminate negative impressions.  Where did these impressions come from? Look at yourself as a dancer. Some people say that there are so many impressions left from so many lifetimes and ask when they will leave.  Do not join them, quietly sitting and saying the same thing. It says to understand that your Self is dancing. Look at it as though you are playing a role.  You are acting in a drama, and for the actor to per...

Chapter 10 - Life Is A Play  Day 52  The self is a dancer. The same said in reverse, "Nartaka atma" means the dancer is the soul. The inner self is the stage. The self is like an actor or a dancer in a play.  One who dances or acts in a play uses all sorts of gestures to express the navarasa, the 9 flavors of emotion. Have you noticed how a dancer expresses feeling? He expresses it so completely, with skill and art. If he needs to express anger, he will even use the red of his eyes to express it. A good dancer has good expressions.  He does not require much time to change from one feeling to another, but can switch in a moment. Isn't it? Similarly, in your life, when you get angry, how long does it take you to cool down and return to normal?  How much time passes before you laugh again? But a dancer does not need any time. From moment to moment, in an instant he changes his feelings and expressions.  This is very subtle. Look at this with an ope...

Youngia japonica (Nepali-Chaulaane/Dudhe, Popular-Oriental false hawksbeard/Asiatic hawksbeard/Oriental hawkweed)Asteraceae. Syn-Lactuca japonica, Chondrilla japonica, Prenanthes japonica. It is a slender annual herb with basal leaves in a rosette. Leaves are lance shaped, deeply toothed. The plant develops one hollow stem upto about 0.7 m with multiple tiny denolelion type flowers. It has multiple yellow flowers on a single stem. It is native to SE Asia. It is found in the Himalayas from Kumaun to Bhutan, India, Ceylon, China, Japan, Indochina, Philippines, Malaysia, Hawaii at altitudes of 230-2900 m. It is considered as invasive species in India. It grows all year round as a weed. It has antioxidant, antibacterial, anti inflammatory, antiviral, anticancer, febrifuge, antiallergic, diuretic, antitumor, antidotal, analgesic and CNS depressant activities. The main phytoconstituents are flavonoids, quinic acid derivatives, sesquiterpenoids, phenylpropanoid derivatives, benzyl...

Passiflora vitifolia (Perfumed Passion Flower/Scarlet Flame/Grape Leaved Passion Fruit/Crimson Passion Flower)Passifloraceae. It is a fast growing, evergreen and perennial vine with attractive and eye catching Crimson red flowers. It has antibacterial, antifungal, muscle relaxant, sedative, nerve,analgesic, anxiolytic, anti inflammatory and corrosion inhibitor activities. Leaves extract shows strong corrosion inhibitor activity in steel. The leaves show strong anti inflammatory activity and thus, can be used against rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, retinitis and atherosclerosis.  – Mukherjee Bk

Petrea volubilis (Hindi-Nilmani lata,Tamil-Kundirai valuppu, Bengali-Nilmanilata, Popular-Purple Wreath/Queen's Wreath/Sandpaper Vine/Sweet patria)Verbenaceae. It is a slender woody climber. Leaves are leathery, opposite, 6-12 cm long, entire or slightly sinuate margins, the texture is like sandpaper. Flowers are violet, purple or bluish. It is native to Central America. It has antioxidant, antibacterial, anti inflammatory, antidiabetic, antipyretic, analgesic, anticancer and abortifacient activities. Leaves are mostly used for medicinal purposes. Leaves are used in the treatment of diabetes. The crude sap obtained from the macerated stem is used to soothe wounds and burns. Flowers are used in South American folk medicine. In Jamaica, it is used as abortifacient. In the West Indies, leaves are used for diarrhoea and as abortifacient.  – Mukherjee Bk

Jacaranda mimosifolia (Hindi-Neela Gulmohar/Neeli Gulmohur, Marathi-Neelmohar, Bengali-Neelkanth, Manipuri-Nil gulmohar, Nepali-Bhangeree Phool, Mizo-Aprilparpawl, Popular -Brazilian Rosewood/Black Poui/Green Ebony/Mimosa Leaved Ebony/Jacaranda/Blue Jacaranda)Bignoniaceae).Syn-J.ovalifolia, J.chelonia, J.filicifolia.It is a fast growing deciduous tree with spreading branches and growing upto 10-20 m tall. It is grown in farm houses and big gardens. It is widely grown in tropical climates. Leaves are bipinnately compound and upto 50 cm long. Flowers are tubular, upto 5 cm long and are grouped in 30 cm panicles. The colour of the flowers range from blue to bluish purple, lilac purple, lavender blue or mauve ,showy and light fragrant. Flowering during spring and summer. Flowering is followed by woody seed pods, about 5 cm in diameter containing numerous flat, winged seeds. It is native to Brazil and Northern Argentina. The tree has antioxidant, antibacterial , anti inflammator...

Heliconia rostrata (Mizo-Changelpar, Bangladeshi-Jhulonto Chingri, Popular-Lobster claw/Hanging Heliconia/False bird of paradise/Crabclaw/Toucan beak/Parrot's beak/Flowering banana)Heliconiaceae. It is a herbaceous, perennial and rhizomatous plant growing upto 3 to 6 feet. Leaves are oval with a dark glossy green colour and are very similar to those of the banana tree. The most decorative part of the plant are their bracts. Bracts are modified leaves with a flower or cluster of flowers at the axil. They are thick, erect and found in a variety of colours including the most popular red, orange and yellow. Flowers are shaped like lobster claws or a parrot beak and face downwards. Seeds are small and globular, on ripening, they turn to dark blue or purple. It is widely used as an ornamental in landscapes and gardens. The young shoots can be eaten. Leaves are used for making roofs by natives. It is the national flower of Bolivia and is native to Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colum...