Also published in French, German, Greek, Italian and Spanish january 2021 #19 |
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We wish you all a wonderful New Year of Peace, Happiness and Good Health There was a person who went to a Mahatma (great Saint), "Sir, I want Peace", Mahatma did not answer. "Sir, you are not listening to me, I am very miserable, I want Peace". Again the Mahatma sat quiet. Now this fellow got disgusted. "Sir you are not actually helping me". "What?". "I want Peace, please". So the Mahatma said : "Whatever you have asked me, say slowly again. I'm hard of hearing and slow in listening". So he said, "Sir I want Peace". Then the Mahatma said: "Remove ‘I’ and ‘want’, what remains" ? |
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Interview with Sri Acharya TK Sribhashyam Translated from Italian by Chiara Ghiron
by Aurelia Debenedetti, published in 2000 in the Italian magazine Arti d’Oriente Westerners tend to approach yoga because they are attracted by physical postures and pranayama, and only later discovering that there are theoretical aspects at the basis of this discipline. What is the relationship between the practice and its theoretical aspects? Westerners love anything that involves the body. Through the use of body and breath, awareness of the body is enhanced. Life has a very fast, relentless pace. During yoga classes, one discovers instead that it is possible to live at a slower, more relaxed pace. The yoga class is a break between work duties, it’s a slowed-down, regenerative hour which transmits an impression of relaxation. In addition, everybody knows that with better breathing comes relaxation at the physical, mental and emotional planes. When Western students begin to experience this, they become interested, start to ask themselves questions, they wonder how a practice apparently so simple could be so useful, they wonder what its foundations are. When we are more relaxed, physically and mentally, we realize that there is something in us which is more important, that our daily routine tends to mask. We develop awareness of a part of us which is less tangible, deeper. The explanation and understanding of the conceptual and philosophical basis of yoga is of great help. In the same way that walking with just one leg makes us slower than walking with both, so our path is made easier when we know the foundations of the practice. Could you recommend a practical exercise to increase attention and concentration abilities? In order to increase mental attention, it is sufficient to sit, either on our heels or cross- legged, even on a chair. It is important that the back is kept really straight, even resting on a wall if necessary. It is essential that the back is kept straight, the head slightly lowered, with a soft gaze directed towards the floor, with eyes half-open, so that we do not let any specific object enter our field of sight. Maintaining this attitude for one or two minutes, repeating the exercise many times, it helps to build mental focus. How can we master or reduce panic, the “trak” which can precede an event, a speech, a meeting? It is important to recognize that the emotion that we call “trak” is a necessary emotion when in front of a group of people, a competition, the public. In the case of an actor, a conference speaker, an athlete, the ‘trak’ can give inspiration on how to act. It is not always useful to eliminate the ‘trak’ completely. But it should not become paralyzing, like a black hole, or a trauma. The cause for the ‘trak’ is fear, born from the desire to not delude expectations. There are different ways to limit its negative aspects; in India, God is evoked, or the Teacher, the spiritual guide. In martial arts and in sports what limits panic is the respect for the other soul, the competitor, who is in front of us. We bow for this reason. A useful exercise to obtain this control is to sit, like previously described, with the eyes closed, the (interior) gaze directed as far away as possible, without creating any images, breathing naturally, without focusing on breath. Remain there for thirty seconds or so, focusing the interior gaze towards a point at an infinite distance, as far away as possible. What is the best way to get ready in the morning for the day ahead, and in the evening to get the best rest? In India, we say that we need to step out of the bed with the right foot. Indian tradition recommends that the very first though must be towards God, then we look at the palm of our hands, which we hold open in front of our eyes for a few seconds, then we empty our bladder, brush out teeth and wash our face with lukewarm water. These are the first five things to do according to tradition and medicine. One hand represents the soul, the other God, so when we wake up, we look at our soul and at God at the same time. In the evening, as we go to bed, Indian tradition recommends evoking God again. Indian psychology says that the last thought of the night will give the start to our thoughts the day after, so if God is the last thought we have before we sleep, it will be the starting engine for thoughts at our awakening. If we do not believe in God, it is recommended that we evoke the Sun disk or the Moon before falling asleep. |
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PANCHAGAVYA – THE PURIFIER, PAR EXCELLENCE
Translated from French by Mary Ugnat Gabriel Gabriel In the Ayurveda, long voyages are always considered to be generators of certain impurities in the body and in the mind. In the Bruhad Aranyaka Upanishad (1 -3, 10), it is written: “And this Divinity (Prana), having chased away Mrityu the evil of these Divinities, relegated them to the ends of the earth; there, she set down their ills. This is why one must avoid going to the peoples at the ends of the earth, for fear of meeting Mrityu, the evil, again.” A very ancient remedy, Panchagavya, already mentioned in the Veda, favors the elimination of the impurities consistent with long voyages. Pancha means “five” and Gavya designates what issues from the cow. This remedy is thus composed of five substances coming from the cow. The two great classical treatises of the Ayurveda, Sushruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita, explain and develop the knowledge already present in the Rig Veda and the Atharva Veda. A Parishishta of the Atharva Veda is entitled “The Treatise of the Ritual of Purification (Brahmakurchavidhi)”; this Parishishta mentions Panchagavya by indicating the elements that it is composed of: - Payas, milk - Dadhan, yogurt - Ghruta, Ghee (clarified butter) - Gomutra, cow urine - Gomaya, cow dung These five substances from the cow are mixed and ingested in order to purify the body and the mind of impurities, whatever their origin. Cow dung, Gomaya, is used, moreover, in the Ayurveda to heal certain psychiatric illnesses. It is asked of the patient to walk barefooted in cow dung for several minutes a day. These psychiatric illnesses mentioned in the treatises of Ayurveda are explained as an excess of heat (Ushna) at head level. The cool quality (Shita) of cow dung brings about a reduction in the excess heat that causes these psychiatric disorders. (Other psychiatric disorders are also explained in the Samhitas and necessitate the use of elephant dung to treat them). Ghee, Ghruta, is often used in sacrifices, offered, for example, as an oblation in the ritual hearth. It is the result of cooking butter for 45 minutes, which permits the separation of Ghee from the solid parts that are neither utilized in cooking nor in the preparation of Panchagavya or other Ayurvedic remedies. Butter does not come from the cream of milk, but is produced from the cream of yogurt. Milk is transformed into yogurt thanks to tamarind (Amlika), and it is the cream of yogurt that is churned to produce butter that is then cooked to obtain Ghee. Note that for humans, Ayurveda considers milk to be a type of food that is indispensible all through life, contrary to an idea recently widespread in the West. Milk and yogurt consumed from childhood prevent the development of an illness called Asthikshaya, which translates as “osteoporosis” in old age. Cheese is not capable of replacing these two foodstuffs to avoid Asthikshaya. In agriculture Panchagavya is also used to purify the earth. During the night festival of Shiva, Shivaratri, that takes place in February or March, depending on the year, and that celebrates both the wedding of God with the Goddess Parvati and the cosmic dance of Shiva (Tandava), the symbol of God, the Linga, is anointed with Panchagavya, which underlines the sacred character of this purifier. From the time of the Veda, Indian medicine utilizes minerals, metals, and precious stones for curative results. Certain metals are particularly toxic, like mercury and arsenic that cannot be absorbed in the blood through the small intestine. There exists several methods so that these metals may be absorbed without danger, among which Shodhana, purification and Pachana, cooking. Thanks to Panchagavya, which constitutes the principal method of purification used in Ayurveda, the toxicity of these metals is mitigated. These metals are then subjected to intense cooking. This process of purification and cooking is repeated many times in order to render the metals totally non-toxic, and to increase their effectiveness against the targeted pathologies. The process of repeated purification and cooking is called Amrutakarna, which means “conversion into Amruta (the liqueur of immortality)”. Medication obtained from these purified metals is called Daivi Chikitsa: “divine treatment”. |
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Upadesha Sahasri (A Thousand Teachings) by Shankaracharya William Altman - n°5
Upadesha Sahasri (A Thousand Teachings) by Shankaracharya Translated from French by Geoffrey Finch In 2016 Sri T.K. Sribhashyam asked me to translate the verses of chapter 19 of the Upadesha Sahasri (A thousand teachings) by Shankaracharya into French and to comment on the verses. The parts in italics correspond to the English version: "A Thousand Teachings" by Swami Jagadānanda. Ed. Sri Ramakrishna math. There is also a French version of these verses : "Les Mille Enseignements" translated from the English by Anasuya. Ed. Arfuyen. After the departure of Sri T.K. Sribhashyam I stopped publishing this study but am now resuming the publication. If you are interested in this study, you will find the first 4 publications in the e-newsletter from n°4 to n°8. This study benefits from the advice and support of Sri T.K. Sribhashyam, without whom it would never have seen the light of day, and whom I thank him with all my gratitude. Chapter 19 of the treatise "A Thousand Teachings" is entitled : "A conversation between the Self and the mind". In aphorism No. 4 of this chapter, Shankaracharya warns us against this mind, which is at the root of all our actions, thoughts, motives, etc. By becoming the driving force of our existence, this transient mind which relies on temporary elements directs us towards a false and illusory apprehension of the real. 4/ One who is by nature beyond the six continual waves (1) is, according to the evidence of the Shrutis (*), the Self of us all and of the universe. This is what I know from other sources of knowledge also. Your efforts are, therefore, all in vain. (1) Hunger and thirst, suffering and ignorance, old age and death of the body. (*) Shrutis: These are texts that emanate from a perception, a direct inspiration, a transcendent knowledge, a divine revelation, which were transmitted to us by the Rishis (the great sages). In this verse, Shankaracharya tells us that the only entity beyond the six ceaseless waves of our existence is the Self (the Soul). The individual soul (of us all), and the universal Soul, (of the whole universe). This knowledge, Shankaracharya holds as much from the divine revelations received from the sages of the ancient times (the Rishis), as from the texts of the Indian philosophical tradition that are among others: The Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Brahma-Sutras etc. These texts confirm that the soul knows neither birth, nor death; unborn, it is eternal and immutable, it is neither subjected to, nor affected by any of the elements of the material world. Conversely, the mind undergoes the six constant waves of our existence: hunger and thirst, (indispensable elements of survival of every human being), suffering and ignorance, (specific to the mind), finally old age and the death of the body, (which are the characteristics of every living being). Why rely upon the fluctuating elements and functions of the mind (Manas, Ahamkara, and Buddhi **) which are subject to the vagaries of their temporary condition to govern our existence, and which therefore necessarily make us suffer the consequences of these fluctuations? The consequences of an action, of a thought etc. reflect the motivations that created them. (**) Manas, Ahamkara and Buddhi : in Indian philosophy are the 3 inner functions of the mind which are distinct from the soul because they are subject to the elements of the material world. - Manas, designates the spirit. Ahamkara, relates to the meaning of "I", the ego. - Buddhi, defines itself as the intellect, linked to reflection, discrimination. Shankaracharya tells us that the efforts of the mind are all in vain, for these efforts prevent us from connecting with our soul. Only a mind in the service of the soul can give us access to our essential and fundamental nature. The soul is beyond all contingencies, beyond all changes imposed by the mind, by the body, and by external circumstances. If the soul becomes the engine of our existence, the consequences of our actions and thoughts become the reflection of our soul. We then cease to suffer the repercussions of our actions, whose origins we have lost along with the motivations that provoked them. |
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