Venu Payyanur

Seven – Seven is a sacred number representing the union of divinity (number three) and earth (number 4). The meaning of seven reminds us that there is symmetry, reason, and order within the structure of the Universe.

• There are seven basic swaras [saptaswaras] in Indian Carnatic music.
• The Seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.
• The Seven Virtues: chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, kindness, patience, and humility.
• Celestial group of seven stars are named as “Sapta Rishi” based on the seven great saints. They are Vasistha, Bharadwaja, Jamadagni, Gautama, Atri, Visvamitra, and Agastya.
• According to Hinduism, there are seven worlds in the universe and seven seas in the world.
• There are seven primary chakras are in a human body as explained in Tantric and Yogic traditions. They are Muladhara, Base or Root Chakra, Swadhisthana, Sacral Chakra (last bone in spinal cord, the coccyx), Manipura, Solar Plexus Chakra (navel area), Anahata, Heart Chakra (heart area), Vishuddha, Throat Chakra (throat and neck area), Ajna, Brow or Third Eye Chakra (pineal gland or third eye) and Sahasrara Crown Chakra (top of the head; ‘soft spot’ of a new-born).
• There are seven colours in the rainbow; they are red, yellow, green, blue, violet, orange and indigo.
• Surya, the Sun God, rides on a chariot pulled by seven horses, each corresponding to a particular day of the week.
• In Devi ‘Mahatmyam’, the Goddess takes the form of seven mothers (saptamathas) to kill the asura. They are called Brahmani, Sivani, Kaumari, Varahi, Narasimhi, Vaishnavi and Indrani.
• Each of the four phases of the moon last seven days, 7×4 = 28, number of days in a Lunar month.
• There are seven wonders in the ancient world.
• Seven stages of human life cycle –Infant, childhood, teenager, youth, adulthood, middle age and  old age.
• Seven things to do to attain a happier life – do good deeds, donate only to deserving people, control internal sense organs, control external sense organs, be ashamed to commit unethical deeds, be kind to all and lead a clear life.
• There are seven gates through which admission may be gained to heaven. They are asceticism, benevolence, and tranquillity of mind, self-control, modesty, simplicity and kindness to all creatures.
• In ancient kingdoms, these were the seven principle officers of the state – the Governor of the Citadel, the commander in chief, the Chief Judge, the chief priest, the general in interior command and the chief astrologer.

Eight – Represents eternity and infinity. In fact in mathematics the symbol for infinity is the number 8 laid down. Eight is considered a lucky number in Chinese culture because it sounds like the word meaning to generate wealth. So is in Hindu culture as Goddess Lakshmi has eight forms.

• The eight parts of the way which leads to the nirvana, according to the Buddhist doctrines: the faith, the right judgement, the right language, a right and pure action, a right profession, the application of the spirit to all the precepts of the law, the right memory and the right meditation.
• The Yoga counts eight training courses: Yama, the restriction; Niyama, religious observances; Asana, the posture; Pranayama, the control of the breathing; Praty-ahara, the restriction of senses; Dharana, the concentration; Dhyana, the contemplation and Samadhi, the ecstasy.
  • There are eight types of marriages described in ancient Hindu texts.  They are Rite of Brahmana (Brahma) – where the father of the bride invites a man learned in the Vedas and a good conduct, and gives his daughter in marriage to him after decking her with jewels and costly garments, Rite of the Gods (Daiva) – where the daughter is groomed with ornaments and given to a priest who duly officiates at a sacrifice during the course of its performance of this rite, Rite of the Rishis (Arsha) – when the father gives away his daughter after receiving a cow and a bull from the brightgroom, Rite of the Prajapati – (Prajapatya) where the father gives away his daughter after blessing the couple with the text “May both of you perform together your duties”, Rite of the Asura (Demons) – when the bridegroom receives a maiden after bestowing wealth to the kinsmen and to the bride according to his own will, Rite of the Gandharva – the voluntary union of a maiden and her lover, which arises from desire and sexual intercourse for its purpose, Rite of the Rakshasa – forcible abduction of a maiden from her home after her kinsmen have been slain or wounded and their houses broken open, Rite of the Pisaka – when a man by stealth seduces a girl who is sleeping or intoxicated or is mentally imbalanced or handicapped.
  • There are eight types of intelligence. They are Linguistic Intelligence :the gift of words, Linguistically intelligent people best understand the world through the spoken and written word, Visual/Spatial Intelligence :the gift of pictures, visually intelligent people best understand the world through visualization and spatial orientation, Musical :The gift of music, musically intelligent people best understand the world through rhythm and melody, Bodily Kinaesthetic Intelligence :the gift of body, physically intelligent people best understand the world through physicality, Logical/Mathematical :the gift of logic and number, mathematically and Logically intelligent people best understand the world through cause and effect, Interpersonal Intelligence :the gift of people, socially intelligent people best understand the world through the eyes of others, Intrapersonal :the gift of self, Intra-personally intelligent people best understand the world from their unique point of view, Naturalist Intelligence :the gift of nature, environmentally intelligent people best understand the world through their own environment.
  • There are eight types of waste as described by lean manufacturing. Waste can be viewed as the single hurdle that can limit a business over time, unless they are identified and systematically eliminated. They are Overproduction: Making more than is required by the next process, Waiting: Any idle time created when waiting, Transportation: Any movement of materials or people around a plant that does not add value to the product or service, Non-Value-Added processing: Any effort that adds no value to the product or service, Inventory: Any supply in excess of a one-piece flow through the manufacturing process, Under Utilizing People: The waste of not using people to the best of their unique abilities, Defects: Inspection and repair of materials in inventory, Motion: Any movement of people or machines that does not add value to the product or service.
  • Eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi are Adi Lakshmi, Dhanya Lakshmi, Dhairya Lakshmi, Gaja Lakshmi, Santana Lakshmi, Vijaya Lakshmi, Vidya Lakshmi and Dhana Lakshmi.
  • There are Eight Dikpalakas, Lords of Directions and play a very important role in Vastu sastra. They are Indra (east), Varuna (west), Kubera (north), Yama (south), Agni (south east), Niruthi (south west), Isana (north east) and Vayu (North West).
  • There are eight methods of worship by offering water, sandal paste, flowers, incense, grain, light, sweets and fruits.
  • In computer technology, a byte refers to 8 bits.
  • In mathematics, the symbol Infinity is represented by an 8 laid down.
  • Ashtagandha is mixture of eight fragrant herbs – Chandan, Kesar, Bhimseni Camphor, Heena, Agar, Tulsi, Bel and Durva.

Nine – Nine is a sacred number; three multiplied by itself to give eternity, completion and fulfilment and it is considered a good number in Chinese culture because it sounds the same as the word “long lasting”.

• The nine planets discovered in our solar system, are in the order starting from Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
• There are nine forms of devotion – Sravana (hearing of God’s Lilas and stories), Kirtana (singing of His glories), Smarana (remembrance of His name and presence), Padasevana (service of His feet), Archana (worship of God), Vandana (prostration to Lord), Dasya (cultivating the Bhava of a servant with God), Sakhya (cultivation of the friend-Bhava) and Atmanivedana (complete surrender of the self). A devotee can practice any method of Bhakti which suits him best. Through that he will attain Divine illumination.
• Human body is considered as a city with nine gates – navadware pure dehe. The nine openings are ears (2), eyes (2), nostrils (2), mouth and two excretory openings.
• Goddess Durga is worshipped for nine days during Navrathri festivals.
• There are many common saying such as
  • A stitch in time saves nine
  • I am in cloud nine
  • A cat has nine lives.
  • They fell like nine pins.

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Venu Payyanur

In the previous article we discussed about the benefits of taking bath everyday morning. There are few more important points that one must take into consideration while taking bath. Though it can sound superstitious or irrational, I felt it is important to mention it here and you are welcome to accept it or reject it based on your own intelligence and understanding.

• Olden days, people used to take their morning bath either in a pond or in river near their homes. The morning walk that one must do to reach the ponds or rivers is certainly very good for the health, particularly for those who usually do not do any exercise.
• After taking bath, in ponds and rivers, the person use to stand for few minutes giving ‘tharpana’, to the forefathers, facing south. Whatever may be the scientific or spiritual explanation of this ritual; this gives us an opportunity to remember the sacrifices made by our forefathers for bringing us up. It also reminds us on our responsibility to the next generation.
• Even if you are taking bath in your own bathroom, girls are not supposed to take bath completely naked. In olden days it is said that sky travelling ‘Gandharvas’ could get attracted to those beautiful girls and possess them thereby losing their virginity unknowingly. However these days we have different types of Gandharvas who are walking with portable camcorders and other video recording equipment ready to get cheap popularity by publishing them through MMS, internet, etc. Such stories are so many these days and no amount of care and precaution is unreasonable.
• It is better to face east while taking bath in the morning particularly if you are taking bath in the open. One can also recite many mantra while bathing and most popular one is

Gange cha Yamune chaiva Godavari Saraswati,

Narmade Sindhu Kaveri jalesmin sannidhim kuru

In this water, I invoke the presence of holy waters from the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri. Another mantra that makes us environmentally conscious and friendly and those believe in these rituals must also do whatever is possible to protect our rivers from all kinds of pollution.

• Which part of the body you must wipe first after the bath? Usually we do not think about it and most start with the face and head. But scriptures suggest that one should never wipe the face first, instead wipe the back, squeeze that water out from the towel and then wipe your face and head. There are two ‘Devi’, ‘Sridevi’ and ‘Moodevi’ waiting to reside in your body as soon as it is clean and ‘Moodevi’ always wins. That means if you wipe your face first, ‘Moodevi’ takes position there and your day will be spoiled. If you wipe your face after wiping the back, ‘Moodevi’ sits at the back and ‘Sridevi’ sits on your face guaranteeing a wonderful day for you. This has also a scientific backing. Your back, which is the place above your buttocks to the neck, has the largest area which is exposed and wet now. The water would evaporate and cooling your spinal cord, resulting in many backbone related diseases. By wiping your back first, you are eliminating any potential health problems in future.

Prayer follows bath. After cleaning the body externally, it is time to cleanse the mind through prayers. Chanting Om is the first step towards meditation. All that you need to do is to sit in a peaceful place, on the floor, gently close your eyes, take a deep breath and chant Om. While doing so, completely relax your muscles. Don’t tighten your muscles; otherwise you won’t be able to feel the energizing effect of chanting Om. Meditation on Om will revitalize your energy and rejuvenate you completely. One must chant ‘om’ a minimum of 7 times, but can be 10 or 30 minutes based on the time available and the many benefits that you will receive once you start this practice. You can also recite other mantras based on instructions from your Guru or knowledge.

After Japa, it is time for meditation. Meditation for 10 – 15 minutes is very good for the activation and refreshing of the brain. If you have one, place a mat on the ground and sit upright with your legs crossed and your hands in your lap. If you like, you can hold your thumbs and forefingers together. This posture prepares you for meditation by making a circle of energy from the base of the spine to the top of the head. The beta level of brain is a state when the brain produces electric waves of 13.5 and above cycles per second (cps). Alpha state produces 8.5 – 13 .5 cps waves; it is a shallow state of meditation. The delta state goes further down to a medium state of mediation. Going further down to theta level is very difficult for common man. But in these meditation states, the brain cells and the body get fully activated. Memory, thinking capability and temper affect very positively by morning meditation. Meditation cleanses, purifies and strengthens the mind.

After the Japa and meditation, next step is refreshing and toning the muscles and bones. Most of us are not in the habit of doing exercise in the morning. This generally leads to rigidity in the skeleton joints. A hard and strenuous exercise can lead to over strain to heart muscles and other parts of the body, leading to heart problem and BP. The best and harmonious exercise for the body is said to be Suryanamaskar. This is a combination of seven yoga asanas and known as the king of the exercises. Hence performing Suryanamaskara (depending upon your age, physiological conditions and health the number can vary from four to ten) will give flexibility to muscles, cleaning the muscles, smoothening the skeleton joins and also purification of blood due to increased blood circulation to all the tissue corners of the body. However never start this yoga asana without the guidance of a matured and experienced ‘Guru’.Savasana and Pranayama could be performed after Suryanamaskara. One can also visit temples or other places of worship before sitting down for pure vegetarian breakfast. Alternately one can also perform aerobic exercises like brisk walking or jogging in the morning or evening to maintain a healthy body and happy mind.

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