Practical and Spiritual Life – Part 1

Venu Payyanur

Modern life is beset with innumerable problems. Some of the most common issues are

• Physical, mental and emotional stress
• Health problems.
• Sleeplessness.
• Disturbed family relations.
• Addiction to alcohol, drugs, etc.
• Violence in the society.
• Corruption, dishonest and immoral behaviour.
• Environmental and ecological problems.
• Lack of basic values in life.
• Lack of self-discipline
• Any many more.

How can we overcome all these difficulties and lead a peaceful, happy and healthy life. The Rishis of yore has studied the human life for ages and have suggested a scientific way of living that will help us achieve all these and more. Those who follow such practices regularly and with discipline and devotion have been found to possess immense health, wealth and prosperity and always lead a happy and successful life.

The suggestions given below are not new to humanity and have been in vogue for hundreds of years; however lack of awareness has pushed this sacred knowledge to the archives. It is time for all of us to practice these and gain immensely.

1. “Brahma Muhurtam” is the best time to get up. This is approximately 3 hours before sunrise. During this period, our brain and mind is very peaceful and have maximum positive energy. This is also the best time for meditation and studies particularly for students. However in this modern world, this is the time most people go to bed after the night long party or such other activities. Hence it will be considered impractical and shunned by every one of you. The least one can do is to wake up 30 minutes before the sunrise.
2. One should lie down in the bed for another 2 – 3 minutes before getting up. Those who have faith in prayer can utilise this time conveniently for prayer. In Hindu way of life this prayer is adopted while sitting on the bed at the time of waking up in the morning :

        karagre vasathey Lakshmi, kara madhye saraswati

        karamoole sthithaa gouri prabhate kara darsanam …

 The meaning is very simple: knowledge, power and wealth depend on the work with your hand. Hence work hard and achieve whatever you want in life.

1. Modern scientific studies have proven that about 23 % of the heart attacks take place in the early morning when people suddenly get up from the bed or chair, after a long duration of rest/lying/sitting position. Hence this prayer has a physiological benefit as far as health point of view is concerned. During sleep in the night, we are lying parallel to the earth (horizontal) for about 4 – 8 hrs. and in this lying position, the heart requires less force to pump the blood to other part of the body. But when we wake up and stand all of a sudden, the heart has to exert more pressure for pumping the blood to the vertical body. This is because; when we stand the blood circulation is in favour and also against the gravitational force of the earth. This naturally increases the work force of the heart as compared to the lying stature on the bed. To avoid the sudden change of the pressure, the lying posture should be changed to vertical posture slowly. Hence it is advised to sit on the bed for two to three minutes. The prayer helps us to achieve the same. Those who do not believe in prayers can make other commitments such as “I will do my duty diligently and faithfully today, I will treat everyone with respect by being courteous and polite and will not harm anyone. I will constantly seek opportunity to serve the society and will do my best today”.

For making us sit for some more time the second part of the prayer is added:

Samudra vasane devi parvatha sthana mandithe

vishnu pathni namasthubhyam paada sparsam kshamaswame.

Oh! Mother earth, where the mountains are part of your body and you are the wife of Lord Mahavishnu. May I perform my pranam to you! While praying these lines, almost 60 seconds duration of leisure is given to the heart to change the state of work from a lower load to a higher level and the heart gets accustomed with this.

This prayer also signifies our care and commitment to mother earth and environment. The sea and the rivers are the dresses worn by our mother and we should not make it dirty by polluting it. The mountains are our mother’s body part, hence let us not cut the trees and destroy the mountains! How noble, how considerate! Much before the environmentalists talked about forest covers and water pollutions, our rishis have prescribed a way of life for us to protect the same!

Once the prayer is recited, we are supposed to touch the floor with our right hand before keeping our feet on the ground, as a mark of respect for our mother earth. This also has a scientific significance. During the long sleep, static electricity may be generated in our body, particularly if the climatic condition is dry and if lying is on the synthetic fibre bed. This electricity is generated because of the rubbing of the body with the bed surface which is better to be released through fingers, instead of feet. This way your body is strengthened and not weakened.

Many have the habit of drinking their first cup of tea/coffee in the bed even before cleaning their mouth. This is absolutely wrong. Brushing your teeth after dinner, before going to bed, every night is very important, there would still be contamination in your mouth, teeth and tough due to bacteria produced while sleeping. If you have not brushed properly then the contamination could be much higher due to residual food left in your mouth. By drinking coffee without cleaning your mouth, these bacteria enter your stomach and can result in many different diseases in your body.

After brushing your teeth properly, the next step is to use the toilets. But always remember to wash your hands with soap and gargle your mouth with water after passing urine or stool. Normally when urine or stool is passed, this is contaminated and waste, gas travel upwards to your mouth and nose which is also contaminated. You remove this toxic gas by gargling and keep your mouth fresh without foul smells.

Taking bath everyday morning is mandatory, for hygiene as well as health reasons and cold water is preferred unless one is sick or old. Indian climate is generally warm and hot at other times and we all sweat a lot. Sweat gets dried and the salt contents block the pores impacting the skin function and lustre. The benefit of cold water bath is increased blood circulation and metabolism in your body. Cold water reduces the body temperature near the skin level and to maintain the normal temperature our blood circulation increases thereby improving your metabolism and wellbeing. Exercise, pranayama, prayers, meditation, etc. are the next steps to be discussed later.