Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Bilva or bael tree (Aegle marmelos) Did you know that the Bilva or Bael tree (Aegle marmelos) in its entirety is considered a symbolic representation of Lord Shiva, and it is mandatory to offer its leaves, known as Belpatra, in the worship of the Lord? Bael tree, commonly known as bilva or bel, with the botanical name Aegle marmelos, is a species of tree native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is also known by other names such as Sriphal, Bengal quince, golden apple, Japanese bitter orange, stone apple or wood apple. It is of great importance in Hindu religion as the tree is considered a symbolic representation of Lord Shiva. It is mandatory to offer bilva leaves or belpatra in the worship of Shiva who is also called 'Vilavadanda'. It is also believed to represent Parvati (consort of Shiva), Surya (Sun), and Lakshmi, goddess of wealth. The belief in offering the bilva leaves to Shiva Linga is stated to cool and refresh the heated deity and to pe...

Peepul tree (Ficus religiosa) Did you know that while walking at night and yawning standing under a Peepul tree, advice is just snap your fingers instantaneously to avoid ‘pret’ (ghost) entering your throat and spoiling your digestion? Peepul tree, with botanical name Ficus religiosa, or sacred fig, also known as the Bodhi tree, Aswattamara (ಅಶ್ವತ್ಥ or ಅರಳಿ ಮರ in Kannada), popular as Indian Banyan Tree (Ficus benghalensis), is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indo China that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. "Banyan Tree " , its name, originally given as Ficus benghalensis, originated in India, where early travellers observed that the shade of the tree was frequented by Banyans (a corruption of Baniyas, a community of Indian traders). In the Peepul tree’s botanical name Ficus religiosa, suffix 'religiosa' is connected to the East with many religious rites and ceremonies. For the ancient serpent worshippe...

Rose Gulkand Did you know that Roses believed to be more than 30 million years old with scores of species and innumerable cultivars and hybrids, are made into a preserve from its sweet scented petals with sugar, known popularly as Rose Gulkand? Rose Gulkand, a sweet preserve, is a bye-product of the Rose industry. It is a preparation, medicinal in property, made from petals of fresh rose flowers and sugar. Gulab is a Hindi name for rose. Gulkand is jam. Rose flowers of the autumnal crop are preferably converted into Gulkand. Roses, coined the “King of Flowers,” is believed to be more than 30 million years old. However, historically, it is believed to be from ancient Indo-Persia territory and originated around 900 BC. The word Gulkand is derived from the words; 'Gul' meaning "flower" in Persian and 'Kand' or 'Qand' meaning "flower"in Arabic. So, Gulkand simply means “sweet flower.”   Scores of species and ...

*Chapter 9 - Living In Truth*  *Day 43* The most gross is the material world. The subtlest world we saw is the divine world, the world of the devas and devis. I want to show you a phenomenon that happened on, was it the 15 th January?  This sort of phenomenon keeps happening but this one was taken in a photograph. A Cobra climbed a particular tree, the Bilva tree and plucked a Bilva leaf. Then it went into the temple and offered it on top of the Shiva Linga.  You can see this thing happening in the photo. And it did it four or five times. The people were amazed because they have only heard in the scriptures that an elephant offered flowers to a Shiva Linga or a serpent offered from a Bilva tree.  But a Cobra, nobody can train a Cobra, it is impossible. They don't even have ears to listen to your commands. But the Cobra climbed the particular tree and then it goes into the temple with the leaf in its mouth and scares everybody away. Do you see that? How it...

🌺 *Day 5* 🌺 *The Password to Divinity* Isavasyamidam Everything here. Then the question immediately comes how can God be in Osama bin Laden? How can God be in Hitler? How can God be in something that is bad?  You as a physicist, a quantum scientist - Does Osama  have atoms in his body or not?  Does he have atomsp or molecules in his body or not? Was there energy in him or not? We are caught up in this concept - good or bad, right or wrong. As long as you are in this duality, you can never know God, forget about it. If you are caught up in the movie between the hero and the villain, you can never know the director. A director honours the hero as much as he hours the villain. Wake up, wake up and see. Then you rise to another dimension, a dimension, which is beyond good and bad, right and wrong, which purely places before you the Existence as it is and there is no escape from it. -  Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji Ishavasya Upanishad 

🌺 *Day 4* 🌺 *The Password to Divinity* The concept of God is something that has baffled this planet from time immemorial. People who say there is God have a concept and people who say there is no God also have a concept. Otherwise they can't say there is no God. The atheist also has a concept of God to be able to say that God does not exist. You pity them sometimes because they don't know the existence of Upanishad. They don't see the wisdom here.  Om isavasyamidam Yatkinca jagatyam jagat  Taanant tyaktena bhunhitha Ma gardhah kasyasviddhanam (All this, whatsoever moves or is stationary in this universe, is indwelled by Isha. Through renunciation enjoy, do not covert any body's earth) This entire universe is permeated by the Divinity. It is not a God who is sitting somewhere whose finger you are trying to catch and he runs away. God is not a person, someone who created this world and is hiding somewhere from it. God is here, now, in everything. There is ...

🌺 *Day 3* 🌺 *The Password to Divinity* The Rishi says Shanti, Shanti, Shanti - three times. At the first level, when your environment is disturbed you cannot think about or contemplate on knowledge. The environment needs to be congenial. Then your body - mind complex needs to be fit. And then, peace at the third level, the level of the self or being. Chanting balances our left and right brain. Left brain is logic, right brain is music. People who are emotional love to repeat things. When you are in love with somebody you like to say " I love you " several times, not just once. But a left brain person finds it funny and unpleasant. What is the point in repeating? Repetition appears to be boring when you are in the left brain. The same repetition is so palatable when the right brain is active. Repetition has been a part of all learning from ancient times. Logically understand the knowledge yu receive and then to turn it into wisdom, the knowledge you receive and ...

🌺 *Day 2* 🌺 *The Password to Divinity* Shanti mantra says Poornamadaha. This is one of the greatest gifts to humanity. The concept of zero comes from this very shanti mantra. In linear mathematics you will always find that when something is taken out lacks.  If you take out furniture from this room, this room minus that furniture will not be the same as before. This is linear thinking. But the Rishis give you a completely different outlook to life, spherical thinking - That is full and this is also full. This fullness has come from that, that still remains full. A mother gives birth to a baby. The baby is complete and the mother is also complete. Just because the baby is born, the mother is not lacking in something. In fact it has added to her glory. This is the concept of zero without which nothing could have happened on this planet -Science could not have progressed. The origin of the concept of zero is in this very shanti mantra. From the fullness comes fullness ...

🌺 *Day 1* 🌺 *The Password to Divinity* Om Purnamadah Purnamadah Purnat purnamudacyate Purnasya purnamadaya  Purnamevavasisyate Om Shanti Shanti Santihi. Upanishad means sitting close, sitting near the master-the student and the teacher sit close. It is not just physical proximity. It is mental or emotional proximity. Only when there is connectivity can knowledge flow. When there is no connectivity -the student is at one level and the teacher at another, then they are speaking in different languages and knowledge cannot blossom. You can get information but for knowledge to get into you, there needs to be mental closeness, spiritual closeness, a sense of belongingness and that is Upanishad - sitting close. Today the issue in the world is that students in the the colleges or children in classroom are on a different rhythm than the teacher. So, they only pass on information, there is no transfer of knowledge. For knowledge to get transferred we have to be on the same rhy...

*Introduction*  The manifest world that we perceive, or our experience, is the tip of the iceberg. All that we experience through the senses is a small part of the universe. Most is unmanifest. That is full. To understand, we must have an experience of what That is. That is what Ishavasya Upanishad is about. *What is Upanishad?* In Sanskrit, Upanishad means sitting close – sitting close to the Master, not just physically, but also mentally. It signifies the finite getting close to the infinite, the known reaching out to the unknown. The Upanishads are dialogues between the Master and student from ages ago. There are nearly 100 Upanishads available today out of which Ishavasya Upanishad is very important. The Master is the embodiment of wisdom and the student represents a spiritual seeker eager to come closer to wisdom. There are so many levels of conflict in the universe. Despite these conflicts how does one get mentally close? First, we invoke peace. One can only come ...

Is there a link between what Quantum Mechanics has discovered about reality and the nature of your existence? Are you just the body or something more? Who are you? Where is your soul? What are you made of?  What is your ego? These are questions human beings have pondered on since time immemorial. In this video Gurudev gives us an eye opening answer to all these questions and more. This is must watch video 

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Halmaddi (Ailanthus malabarica) Did you know that Halmaddi is exudation of Ailanthus malabaricum, a large tree of Malabar (Kerala), Konkan and Sri Lanka, yields an aromatic gum resinous substance used in incense or agarbatthis for its agreeable smoke when it burns? Halmaddi, in the non official Pharmacopoeia of India, with scientific name, the Ailanthus Malabarica, is a tall ornamental deciduous tree of Indian origin in its Western Ghats, cultivated in Malabar (Kerala), Konkan (Karnataka) and Sri Lanka, yields an aromatic gum resinous substance. Apart from the name Halamddi or Guggul Dhup which is used in Kannada, its other vernacular names are Perumaram or Pongallyam in Malayalam, and Mattipal in Tamil. When a moderately deep incision is made on the bark of standing trees, a fragrant resin, a sticky resin, called Halmaddi oozes out which is used. The resin is dried until it takes a brittle shape. It is hygroscopic in nature, which means that the material at...