Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Chapter 3 - Rejoice Without Conflict  Day 19 It begins with you, where you are. Worship is condemned in a society which is individualistic and which is ego-centric. But in a society, which honours the entire existence, which honours every little thing in this world, worship is adored and held high.  Adoration is one of the signs of love. The second sign of love is talking about it constantly, praising it. A new born baby in the house is such a joy for the grandparents and they won't stop talking about it.  And the same is with the parents, “Oh, look at the baby, 2, 3 months old baby, wished Jai Guru Dev, she folded her hands. She looked and you know, she said this, she said that, she recognises this, she recognises that. I was wearing a new outfit and the baby looked at me and said it is so nice”. (Laughter)  These are all the imagination of parents and grandparents. And they all say they have seen so many kids, but nothing like this baby. For them the ba...

Words fail when I sit down to write about my overwhelming gratitude towards my Guru, Poojya Gurudev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji, whom we lovingly call “Guruji” across the globe. Our Loving Guruji…. May HE live a long and healthy life, is our only prayer for HIM during this very difficult pandemic times. His unending unconditional love for Humanity IS our daily propellor…. for millions of ardent devotees and volunteers of Art of Living global family.   Guru is not a personality, but a presence … He is NOT a Vyakti but a Shakti. With every breath I take I thank Him for holding our hands and guiding us through our journey…for being our light of knowledge and wisdom. It is said that the greatest blessing is to have a living Master, and we truly are so so fortunate! I feel immensely grateful that I am walking this planet with, Poojya Gurudev. I bow down to the lotus feet of my Guru, who has filled my life with the nectar of love, service, fulfilment and beauty! A mere remembrance of the...

I visited Mumbai ( then called Bombay) for a wedding when I was 18. It was monsoon season and in the mornings about 20 of us would gather around a blazing pump kerosine stove waiting for hot tea to be served in cup and saucer. When the mother of the house poured tea directly from the big saucepan into individual cups, it invariably overflowed. I watched, wonder-eyed, for the first time that everyone drank from the saucer the tea that had overflowed from the cup. Recently I read a poem on social media comparing the overflowed tea to overflowing grace.   It set my fire of gratitude too ablaze and here I let my heart speak…. 1998 September was when You sent an indication that You will enter my humble life. Then I suddenly lost my younger brother in November 1998 and became distraught like a rudderless ship. Two months of wallowing in grief and ‘You happened’ through Eye-gazing process of the Basic Course. I saw my brother in every pair of eyes I gazed into and also realized h...

Bayzid had lost his father in his childhood. His mother was forced to work hard to feed her child. When Bayzid grew up a little, he started mixing up and playing with fellow children. This worried his mother, as she was concerned that her child should not get into bad company and become a spoiled kid. Being a godly and very high-minded woman, she used to take great care of her son's upbringing. She always remembered what his father used to say : "My son will grow up to become God's Child. He will show people the reality and the way to reach that purpose". In the same village, there lived a saint Fakir who used to provide education to the children in his school, and also took care of them. Any child who trained under him in his school, returned as a capable and noble person. When Bayzid's mother came to know about this, she quickly took her child and went to meet that saint. She placed her request to the saint : "I am a widow. I have heard a lot about you and ...

Reason for the Use of Black Color and Sesame – Til or Ellu – During Makar Sankranti Black is given special importance during Makar Sankranti. Black color Sesame – Til or Ellu – is distributed among friends and relatives. Delicacies made of Til are also eaten on the day. The main reason why black color and Til is used because it is widely believed that Sesame contains prosperities that keeps the body healthy and warm during Sankranti period. Another reason is that Makara Sankramana swaroopa or the personified deity associated with Makar is black in color. In many regions in Maharashtra people wear black colored dress on Makar Sankranti day. Black is worn on the day to keep the body warm as Sankranti falls during the winter season. Til and delicacies made from it are distributed in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat during the period. A lot of importance is given to til (sesame seeds) due its property of keeping body warm. Sesame seeds (Til) are used to combat the cold in win...

Ganga World  Ganga Map 1)Himalaya Mountains: (North of India) The most holy river of India, Ganga starts from Himalayas. According to the Puranas, when Ganga arrived on to earth, to save earth from the forceful speed of Ganga, Lord Shiva acquired Ganga in to his matted hair. Later, pleased with the worship of Bhagirath, Shiva let one stream of Ganga to flow in to Brahmakund. Brahmakund is also called Goumukh. This is the source of Ganga and here Ganga gets the Bhagirathi. Himalaya Mountains are the highest mountains of India which makes a border of 2500 kms in North India. It spreads from Kashmir to Assam. According to Puranas Himalaya is the husband of Maina and father of Parvati. Ganga is his eldest daughter. Lord Shiva’s abode Kailash Parvat is situated in Himalayas. 2) Gangotri: (Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand) Gangotri, the origin of the river Ganga and seat of the goddess Ganga, is one of the four sites in the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. The river is called Bhagirathi at ...

Amazing Facts About The Saraswati River As Hindus we have a thorough knowledge of rivers like the Ganges, Yamuna, Godavari and Narmada among many others. These rivers which flow across the heart of India today all have several great legends associated with them. They are also recognized for the sanctity of their purifying waters and the several key pilgrimages, that lie on their banks. One river that not everyone is aware of is the Saraswati. It is not a river that flows in the present day, but it once did with great splendor. This was a legendary river which has been mentioned countless times in ancient Vedic texts, which all highlight its importance. Let us have a look at some fascinating facts about the ‘invisible’ river, which according to some still flows though the land. Religious Significance Of River Saraswati 1. The Saraswati river was an ancient river in Northern India which is said to be an earthly manifestation of Sarasvati devi. 2. It is a river that has been m...

Kapila Kapila or Maharishi Kapila is a Vedic sage (rishi) traditionally considered to be the original proponent of the Samkhya system of Indian philosophy. He is said to have lived in the Indian subcontinent, around the sixth or seventh century B.C.E. Though he is regarded as the founder of the Sāňkhya philosophical tradition, the classic texts associated with Sāmkhya are dated much later; the work traditionally ascribed to Kapila himself, the Sāňkhya-sutra, cannot be dated earlier than 1380-1450 C.E.[1] According to the oldest available Samkhya work, Isvarakrsna's Samkhya-karika (“Verses on Samkhya,” c. second century C.E.) Kapila taught his principles to Asuri, who taught them Pañcasikha.   Kapila is described within the Puranas as an incarnation of Vishnu, an avatar come to earth to restore the spiritual balance through his teachings. He is known for teaching a process of liberation known as bhakti yoga. Buddhist sources present Kapila as a well-known philosopher who...

SPEED OF LIGHT IN VEDAS It was known that Velocity of Light was calculated by Maxwell only in 19th century but the TRUTH is its was actually determined accurately in Rig Veda many many centuries earlier. It was further elaborated by Sayana (Minister from Vijaya Nagara Dynasty) in 14th century AD . Also Sun was described as a god riding on a chariot with seven horses of different colors. These are the 7 colors in VIBGYOR. Indian Almanacs calculated accurately the motion of planets, sunset, sunrise, eclipses etc without using telescopes. The first quantitative estimate of the speed of light is seen in Indian vedic scholar Sayana’s commentary on the Rig Veda. It says that sun light travels 2,202 yojanas in the time span of a nimisharda (half a nimisha). The yojana is an ancient unit of length. Arthasastra defines it as being equal to 8,000 dhanus, which is equivalent to 9.09 miles. A nimisha is an ancient unit of time that is equal to 16/75 seconds. Thus 2,202 yojanas in half...

Significance of Rice in hinduism In Hinduism, rice holds great spiritual and ritual significance as it is a staple of the Indian diet. Because of its basic life-sustaining qualities, rice is revered as a potent symbol of auspiciousness, prosperity and fertility and therefore is used extensively in Hindu rites and rituals. Rice particularly plays a significant role in some Hindu samskaras -- rite-of-passage ceremonies that signify transition periods in an individual’s life and personality development -- as well as in harvest festivals. During a Hindu wedding, rice is often sprinkled over the newlywed couple to bless them with a prosperous married life. Because rice is thought to ward off demons, it is poured into the wedding fire by the bride and bridegroom. It is also offered by the couple to their patron household deity after the completion of the marriage ceremony and sprinkled around the house by the new bride to secure blessings on their joint ho...

Hindu Temple Wonders - Bengaluru Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple Sun Rays Falling On Shivling Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple, located near Bengaluru in Karnataka, is a famous cave temple dedicated to Shiva and annually during Makar Sankranti, the sun's rays pass through a window and touch the Shivling murti worshipped in the temple. The sun’s rays falling from the southwestern part of the temple pass through an arch and a couple of windows placed perpendicular to each other, and later through the horns of Nandi (bull of Shiva) to fall on the idol of the temple for about 15 min (between 4:55 and 5:15 PM) on Makar Sankranti. This annual, ephemeral phenomenon is called Surya Majjana, or the Sun Bath. A unique feature of the temple are the two discs in the front yard called Surya Pana and Chandra Pana. They are identical in size with diameter of about 2 m, parallel to each other. Orthogonal lines drawn on the discs on both faces resemble the cross hairs in the eye piece of teles...

Importance of Makar Sankranti In Hinduism - Puja Time Makar Sankranti, also known as Sankranti or Makar Sankrant, is one of the highly auspicious days in a Hindu calendar and the day is dedicated to the worship of Lord Surya (Sun God).   Information and Importance of Makar Sankranti What is Makar Sankranti? Makar Sankranti is an auspicious day based on the movement of the Sun (Surya). ‘Makar’ or ‘Makara’ refers to ‘Makara rashi’ – the zodiac corresponding to Capricorn. ‘Sankranti’ in Sanskrit means ‘to cross into’ or the day when sun enters from one zodiac sign to another. So Makar Sankranti is the day when the sun enters into the zodiac Capricorn. It is also known as Uttarayana Punyakalam or the entry of sun into the Northern Hemisphere. The six-month long Uttarayana begins on this day. Makar Sankranti is usually observed on January 14 or January 15. Usually the day of Hindu celebrations vary from year to year in English Calendar. Hindu calendar is based on the mo...

Camphor Burning to Clear Negative Energy Camphor has been used for centuries to clear the negative energy and emotions in sacred spaces. Clearing Camphor Burning Camphor is a transparent waxy crystalline material that has a strong pungent aroma. Camphor is widely used in Hindu religious ceremonies. As Hindus worship the holy flame by burning camphor. Burning of camphor symbolizes union with God — just as the camphor burns itself out without leaving any residue, so does burning one’s ego in the fire of true knowledge will lead them to complete union with God. According to the ancient Indian traditional systems of healing, camphor purifies the air and inhaling that air has numerous medicinal benefits. Camphor products are used to relieve pain and reduce itching. It has also been used to treat fungal infections and minor burns. .One of the biggest uses of camphor is to remove negativities. The following rituals can be performed using camphor if you feel...

Chapter 3 - Rejoice In The Being  Day 18 People ask me, “Why do people worship you so much?" I say, “It is up to them. If they see God in me, which they cannot but see, it is their choice. I see in them, too.” I say, “Wherever you begin, don’t stop there-worship everybody, worship everything, honour everything.”  Today there is violence in the world because they have not taught people how to honour life. Honour each other, honour life, wherever it is- in the dog, in the donkey, in the cow. The ancient rishis were simply amazing.  They connected animals with Divinity Gods, Devas. Kala Bhairava, they connected Bhairava with a dog. They connected each Divinity with a tree, with an animal, to show you that God, human beings, animals, trees all belong to one family, one universal family.  Also, always worship yourself. Establish Divinity in each part of your body. Puja begins with adoring each part of the body, for this body also belongs to the Divine. In the Christian tr...

Hindu Goddess Saraswati: Goddess of Knowledge.     “May Goddess Saraswati, who is fair like the jasmine-colored moon, and whose pure white garland is like frosty dew drops, who is adorned in radiant white attire, on whose beautiful arm rests the veena, and whose throne is a white lotus, who is surrounded and respected by the Gods, protect me. May you fully remove my lethargy, sluggishness, and ignorance.” Within Hinduism, Saraswati is the Goddess of knowledge, art, music, and science. Companion to Brahma, it is said that Saraswati was key to his creation of the Universe. As his source of vital spirit and energy, she along with Goddess Kali and Lakshmi played pivotal roles in helping the gods shape and maintain the universe. Saraswati also plays an important role in Buddhism as sacred devotee of Gautama Buddha making sure his teachings live on in practice. She is daughter to Durga and sister to Ganesh. Click here to view all our Saraswati Statues Saraswati is th...