REALITY AND STRESS MANAGEMENT: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

Many prominent stress management experts advocate meditation for stress relaxation. In view of the social reality; it may be advisable to ask ourselves; following questions.

How can you feel relaxed by meditation even as you are commuting for about three to four hours every day for job?

How can you feel relaxed by meditation even as you are getting irritated due to the conditions of road, traffic jam, noise pollution, lack of adequate toilets and so on?

How can you feel relaxed by meditation even as you understand that excessive production and promotion of private vehicles is responsible for the killing chaos on roads, and yet; not be able to do anything about it?

How can you relax by meditation; when you know that lack of adequate public transport is aggravating these conditions, and still not be able to do anything about it and so get suffocated?

How can you feel relaxed by meditation when you are going through several such stressful issues; helplessly?

Are the strong advocates and protagonists of the meditation; aware of this; or; they themselves are they over ambitious about the efficacy of meditation; in individual and social life; because of illusions? Do they really feel that all the sociopolitical and economic problems would be solved by meditation; or they are helplessly trying to somehow; �market meditation�?

After having asked these questions about meditation; let us ask the following questions about NAMASMARAN, which is a core of Total Stress Management.

Does NAMASMARN require any specific conditions?

Does it require money?

Does it require any specific binding, compulsions, conditions etc?

Is it promoted and marketed on TV channels?

Are there any false claims about NAMASMARAN?

Is NAMASMARAN sold by franchise; as is the case with many types of meditation?

Doe it not give us SAT BUDDHI; to evolve global perspective, policy, plans, programs and empower us; in their execution for individual and global blossoming?

In short; does it not empower us; to engender objective holistic systemic changes; conducive to overcome stress; mentioned in above issues; in contrast to meditation, in which all this never intended?

NAMA is a word used to indicate true self; inseparable from the unifying universal self. Hence forgetting our self or being oblivious to our self can be referred to as NAMAVISMARAN [NAMA (self); VISMARAN (forgetting)].

As we �forget� our true self (NAMAVISMARAN), i.e. undergo a �descent� into our caricatures, we begin to live as our caricatures. We then get segregated into races, philosophies, ideologies, religions, cultures, nations, regions, families and individuals! Latter we descend further by the downward momentum of individualization and into pettier and meaner life!

This universal process of NAMAVISMARAN manifests in the form of individualistic whims, fancies, idiosyncrasies, delinquencies, perversions, family disputes, quarrels; and world wide spate of antisocial activities leading to discord and destruction.

Since the root of the individual and universal problems; lies in the universal process of NAMAVISMARAN, the panacea for the radical measure for the cure and prevention of the individual and universal problems; lies in reversal of the prevalent universal process of NAMAVISMARAN through active practice and promotion of universal process of NAMASMARAN.

One can verify this; by the practice of NAMASMARAN; in personal life; by getting the reassuring and blissful experience of regeneration and rejuvenation of the petty self, by NAMA!

The Total Stress Management or Holistic Health incorporates blossoming of an individual and universe; and the various efforts in achieving this; include holistic perspective, accurate and appropriate policies and effective implementation at individual and global level in different fields of life; and these efforts in case of medicine; constitute holistic medicine.

The concept of holistic medicine emerges as a result of realization of the underlying unity, continuity and complementarity; amongst the apparently different disciplines of healing and preventive and social medicine (In fact it emerges from the realization of the universal unity, continuity and complementarity). This is emergence of SATVIKA JNAANA (Geeta 18.20).

Promoters and supporters of holistic medicine; accept and welcome; the healing products and services from all the walks of life; for can restoring and promoting holistic health.

It is usual for most of us to get stuck to the differences (in the study of different fields) as and when they strike our senses; and build our concepts; based on these isolated observations of ours. The knowledge and understanding of different fields or disciplines as separate disjointed or disconnected entities; is called RAJASA JNAANA (Geeta 18.21).

Those who either practice mixed or integrated medicine or are not averse to dialogue or advocate it, may fit in this category.

The third variety is ignorance about every other medical discipline and adamant adherence to any given medical discipline alone; is a state of darkness called TAMASA JNAANA (Geeta 18.22).

Most of the warring factions from different medical disciplines; opposing the emergence of holistic medicine can fit in this category.

The word holistic is derived from the Greek word holos which literally means a) Taking in the whole of something b) Whole of organism is a more fruitful field of study than its parts or symptoms.

It can be stated for the sake of simplicity and further clarity; that:

The holistic medicine is trans-religious (not religious or not non religious i.e. neither holy nor unholy), trans-national (neither national nor non-national/anti-national), trans-cultural (neither of a particular culture nor against any particular culture), trans-intellectual (neither bound in a particular intellectual framework nor opposed to a particular intellectual framework), trans-ideological (neither committed to a particular ideology nor opposed to a particular ideology) and trans-scientific (neither unscientific nor locked in rigid criteria of physical sciences)!

Study of holistic medicine constitutes efforts to understand, visualize and realize the multi-charactered, multifaceted, multidimensional and multi-layered complex nature of life (in addition to what is learnt in allopathy or what is learnt in any one discipline).

The intention of the study is to comprehend the agreement, continuity and validity (or otherwise) of the concepts of different disciplines (allopathy, Ayurveda, SAANKHYA philosophy, homeopathy, yoga, Chinese medicine etc.), which emerge and get evolved from different levels of consciousness; of differently constituted individuals; in different regions; at different time periods; with different backgrounds.

The approach of holistic medicine; can not be classified merely; as eclectic, analytical, synthetic or reductionist etc. The holistic approach embodies all these as means to �see� the unity and continuity in different phenomena.

The holistic medicine is therefore not a new system or a new discipline of medicine. It is a way to see things as they are rather than how they appear; and thereby preserve and promote holistic health and healing.

Studying holistic medicine; simultaneously makes us aware of possibilities as well as limitations. For example understanding the ayurvedic concepts such as DOSHA, DHATU, MALA, their balance, their imbalance, the concept of PRAKRUTI i.e. constitution etc. with holistic approach, add new dimension to the knowledge of the student of physiology as well as to the diagnostic skills of a clinician from the discipline of allopathy.

Understanding of the concepts of panchakarma, naturopathy, yoga etc. with holistic approach makes the treatment also more effective because several different modalities and remedies in the repertoire act at different levels or different points and complementarily.

Study of holistic medicine; also makes us aware of the importance of the analytical approach inherent to allopathy. This is why a student of holistic medicine is unprejudiced, open and objective.

Besides; the holistic understanding of human existence (which is fundamental to the study of holistic medicine); gives us insight into the enormous healing powers; inside patient, in the environment; and helps us to help him/her to use those powers beneficially. This is a great benefit in terms of empowerment of the clinician as well as the patient.

Thus; holistic medicine relieves us (health care providers such as doctors and paramedics) and all others; from the unhealthy patronizing and condescending attitude! It gives us; the courage to see their ignorance and admit it. It imparts intellectual honesty to admit the ignorance hidden under the Greek, Latin, Sanskrit or other esoteric/mystifying terms, characteristic to many branches of science in general and medicine in particular.

Take for example hysteria. We do not know any physiological mechanisms underlying this condition. But the ignorance is hidden under the term. Another example is that dreams, thoughts, emotions etc. The ignorance about the physical dimensions of dreams, thoughts, emotions etc, even as we can not dispute or disprove their existence; is hidden under several terms! Holistic medicine discourages and disapproves knowingly or unknowingly practiced hypocrisy and imparts humility.

Some more examples from the disciplines of medicine are as follows. Holistic approach enables us to see the limitations intrinsic to the concept of standardization of weight, height and possible errors in interpretation of biochemical parameters and calculations of regimentalized doses of drugs; because of the lack of due consideration to variations in the constitutions.

Holistic medicine cautions us against indiscriminate use of ayurvedic drugs without due consideration to the variation in the quality, nature, source etc. of the ingredients of the drug as well as the constitution of the patient and the type of climate.

Holistic medicine gives us insight into the possible mechanism of the action of homeopathic drugs on the one hand and cautions about the ambiguity in the method of diagnosis arising out of subjective factors related to the doctor as well as the patient, on the other. Holistic medicine indicates the complementarity between the actions of different remedies from different disciplines of medicine and improves the healing process.

Holistic medicine reveals to us the possibility of �cosmic homeostasis� on the one hand; while simultaneously exposing the possible fallibility; intrinsic to the tall claims and sectarian practice of distance healing, gemology, astrology, numerology etc. which have different approaches and interpretations, without sufficiently convincing reasons; and which oppose the science blindly.

Beside all above, implication of the holistic medicine is; its readiness to change and accommodate new ideas, i.e. not getting shackled in dogmas of any kind.

But possibly the most important implication is development of proper perspective about the health and healing, which would help in development of proper policies of services, education, research, and production in the field of mainstream medical care, education, research and coordination of all these; with policies in the other fields (influencing the health directly and indirectly) such as education, industry, environment, agriculture etc.

From practical point of view, the syllabus, practice and research of holistic medicine; in every healing center besides all hospitals and medical colleges; should incorporate; NAMASMARAN, prayers, water therapy, proper food (diet), mud packing, massage, yoga, music, colors, aroma and other appropriate healing methods (so much recommended by Mahatma Gandhi)! Holistic medicine is a major tool for individual, national and universal blossoming!

The Kumbha Mela (gathering) takes place in four places in India viz. Ujjain, Kashi, Haridwar and Varanasi (Allahabad). The auspicious period repeats itself every twelve years. Millions of people collect and take bath in Ganga.

What is so special about this period?

The explanation of salvation from sins is inexplicable in scientific terms, because science does not conceive the meaning of �paap and punya� i.e. �sin and good deed� respectively.

The alternative explanation is probably as follows.

All paap or sin is that which takes us away from our true self, i.e. disorients us from ourselves. All punya is that, which enhances our orientation to our true self.

The kumbha period, by virtue of the characteristic constellation (The specific constellation during this time is Sun enters the Mesha rashi, Moon enters the Dhanu rashi and Guru enters the Kumbha rashi); according to Indian or the lunar calendar) seems to influence certain and places and rivers; beneficially; making them conducive to orientation to cosmic self.

Since the human beings are subtly connected with rest of the universe, these places and rivers probably enhance the orientation of human beings also; to their true self.

This is broadly analogous to the help one gets from the wind while sailing. The external and internal environment when favorable, one can get reoriented to the true self and experiences self realization!

The kumbha period (parva) probably signifies such a period full of benevolence!

It is essential to explore and appreciate; the subtle links between different physiological and anatomical phenomena in the human beings and the Kumbha Parva; and also links between the subtle changes in the rivers and some places; responsible for transcendental benefit during this specific period; and Kumbha Parva.

The sociological, economic and other explanations (such as microbiological) offered are simplistic; and hence conceal the truth that can blossom the whole world!

Is it possible; to explore this truth; through NAMASMARAN, which is said to blossom us from within; while we are keenly involved in our pursuit of exploring the reality hidden in astronomy and astrology?


PANCHANG:
Indian calendar is called panchang [pancha = five anga= aspects or parts; viz. tithi, war, nakshatra, karan and ayan].

Maharashtra State in India; is famous for many meritorious characteristics. The most outstanding of which, is the galaxy of truth realized individuals, who imparted their enlightenment to the mankind.

The truth realized individuals are not the same as; those who merely preach some philosophy and/or perform so called miracles, are mere philanthropist, or are mere erudite orators.

I call Truth realized and not just self realized; because self in English does not convey the content of the word �atman� in Sanskrit.

The most important quality of an individual who has realized truth is to impart truth realization and uplift the individuals from their subjective realm into objective global consciousness.

Thus; in Maharashtra, there have been truth realized individuals such as Dnyaneshvar, Ramadas, Tukaram, Eknath, Muktai and in 19th and 20th century Akkalkot Swami, Saibaba, Gajanan Maharaj and many others.

One of these truth realized individuals was Shri Brahmachaitanya Gondavlekar Maharaj.

Gondavlekar Maharaj (1845-1913); had come in contact with Saibaba, Akkalkot Swami, Vasudev Balavant Phadke, Lokamanya Tilak and also Nanasaheb Peshave (Biography of Gondavlekar Maharaj, by Prof. K.V. Belsare) and extensively toured India three times; and rest of the time lived in Gondavle.

His life exemplifies how a truth realized individual�s consciousness is one with the cosmic consciousness and becomes benevolent to rest of the universe. His consciousness is experienced by many individuals in his samadhi mandir located in Gondavle, which is full of daily activities conducive to individual and global blossoming; called NITYOPASANA.

We all can visit Gondavle and participate in these satisfying activities and undergo conscious evolutionary transformation and get set for the ultimate fulfillment in life in time to come! This is found to be one of the crucial activities in Total Stress Management! The food (PRASAD) and stay are free of cost!

Address & Phone: Shri Sadguru Brahmachaitanya Maharaj Gondavlekar Chaitanyopasana (Sansthan); At & P.O. Gondavle (Budruk), Taluka: Man, District: Satara; Pin code: 415 540; Phone: 02165- 258292

Gondavle is located on Satara Pandharpur i.e. Miraj Pandharpur road. The nearby places are; Nidhal, Dahivadi, Koregaon, Mhasvad, Vaduj, Satara, Pune, Sangli, Miraj etc. From Mumbai we can drive to Gondavle in 6 to 7 hours by express highway.


DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR