NAMA, NAMASMARAN AND TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (PART 15) DR SHRINIWAS J. KASHALIKAR

Student: But are the stressors always dangerous?

Teacher: No. The environment neither remains unchanged nor does it change within a given restricted range. So the living beings are equipped to overcome (and even get benefited from) stressors!
This is why; physical exercise, emotional excitement, intellectual work etc. are often beneficial when moderate or optimum. Sometimes this beneficial stress is referred to as �eustress�. EU is used as a prefix, meaning good or well.
When the stressors increase in number, frequency, duration, intensity or complexity, beyond the capacity of an individual; the internal environment undergoes greater change (distress) with greater variations and with greater speed! This results in adverse effects on body cells, with or without clinical signs and symptoms! This is what is happening today; as we have seen earlier.

Student: Can we call the ill effects of stress; prarabdha?

Teacher: When we seem to understand (although superficially) the causes; we term it pathophysiology of stress! When we fail to understand the root causes of the pathophysiology; we term it prarabdha!

Student: Sir! I have reasonably understood the nature of stress and its causes! But why it is me who is suffering from stress?

Teacher: As I said earlier; stress is ubiquitous. It is darker side of life; and the brighter side is Total Stress Management! Hence; every one of us, although to a variable extent, suffers from stress. Some fortunate realize it earlier and some are destined to realize it later.

Student: But I was never aware of the ghastly nature of this menace! Why is this so?

Teacher: This is because; as you can appreciate; stress is usually; a slow process. It acts like slow poisoning and hence goes unnoticed until it acquires serious dimensions. When noticed; we attribute it to more apparent entities; such as infection (which itself can result due to stress!). You can understand this if you appreciate the fact that we �see� the dust particles moving in a dust storm but fail to notice the wind, which actually moves the dust particles! Moreover; even if we identify �stress� we don�t have proper understanding of it; just as we don�t understand democracy, socialism, secularism, god, dharma etc. Besides; we are habituated to put up a brave face even when we are suffering; because of shyness and apprehension of being insulted, humiliated, ridiculed, pitied, sympathized or even exploited. Other more obvious reasons are illiteracy, poverty, lack of time, lack of information, lack of dialogue, lack of communication, lack of curiosity, apathy and so on (which are actually due to stress).

Student: In view of the wide range of the mechanisms, causes and the incidence of stress; the extent of medical ailments and general suffering due to stress are also enormous! Isn�t it?

Teacher: Yes! It is true! The effects of stress are numerous. But the most important damage common to all varieties of suffering; is forgetfulness about the true self. This is dehumanization. This is true dying before physical death!
The stress harms our mind. It produces tension, anxiety, worry, fear, despair, helplessness, dejection, irritability, restlessness, apathy, suffocation, lack of confidence, listlessness, depression, self pity, sadness, frustration, unpleasant dreams, disturbances of sleep, suicidal tendencies, abnormal and excessive fear of cancer, heart disease, diabetes etc. and undesirable habits such as nail biting and habit of moving a leg or hands unconsciously. It harms our family. Thus, there is lack of; warmth, dialogue, mutual respect, love, indifference towards one another, petty quarrels, bitterness, violence, impatience, intolerance, lack of harmony, lack of cleanliness etc. It reduces our performance. Inefficiency, absenteeism, indifference, irresponsibility and carelessness towards duty, lack of discipline; are the results of stress. In addition; intelligence is also affected. Thus; forgetfulness, confusion, indecision, difficulty in problem solving, lack of imagination, difficulty in learning are caused by stress. It deteriorates our social behavior also. It leads to Pettiness, dishonesty, lawlessness, lack of punctuality, unreliability, deception, corruption, crime and our matrimonial relations leading to discord, separation, divorce etc.
Stress adversely affects our body! Thus it harms our sexuality, immune system, eyes and vision, ears & hearing, nose and sense of smell , mouth, heart and blood vessels, muscles and joints, connective tissues such as tendons, ligaments, respiratory system, digestive system, genital - Urinary system, reproductive system, endocrine system, nervous system, blood and so on!

It affects our posture, skin, hair and looks also; distinctly and unmistakably! If you compare a photo of your childhood & a recent one, then you will appreciate this!

Student: I have noticed this!

NAMA, NAMASMARAN AND TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (PART 13) DR SHRINIWAS J. KASHALIKAR

Student: Sir, Will you explain; apart from satisfying my curiosity this account of stress will be useful to me also; isn�t it?

Teacher; Yes! In us; physical, chemical, biological and instinctual stressors; are present and in fact; all these become more in severity and complexity. All these stressors cause and aggravate emotional and intellectual stress! Moreover there are emotional (related to our feelings) and intellectual (related to our thinking) stressors; in their own right!
Thus; in human beings; there is excessive stimulation of the receptors for vision, smell, taste, hearing, touch, pressure, vibrations, and pain. This is due to sensory stressors in the form of reading, dirty smells, lack of sunlight. enclosure in air-conditioned spaces, commuting, crowding, vibrations, loud speakers, glittering & flickering lights, strange and rapidly mixing frames with aggressive and loud advertising on TV, electrical /electrostatic strong fields, radiations due to various articles containing radioactive materials or computer and color TV screens! In addition; other stressors are exhaust of vehicles, mills, factories, excreta, lack of open space, lack of fresh air, lack of breeze, new cancer promoting chemicals, infectious microorganisms, parasites and vectors.
The instinctual Stressors are multiplied in human beings because of overexposure to glorified display of brazen and crude sexuality, indiscriminate violence, perverted eating and drinking, perverted struggles, conspiracies, manipulations for material success, perverted parental behavior, petty selfish achievements etc. causing undue stress on instincts. Child in cr�che, KG, schools, boarding schools etc. develops insecurity. Lack of enough privacy due to small houses and crowding disturbs sexual life and causes stress. Similarly, inability to breast feed causes stress on parental instincts. Violence in the form of murders, mass killings, hijacking, terrorism insurgency etc. has brought stress on survival instincts in cities as well as villages. The instinctual stressors contribute to emotional stress.

Student: This is really a revelation! We used to consider stress very superficially!

Teacher: The emotional stressors; come into play; because of further development of nervous system in us! This development makes us stronger in one sense; but vulnerable because of sensitivity in another sense!
Thus; the sources of emotional stress can be our body; because of pain, disease and poor self image due to obesity, dwarfism, disfigurement, handicap, aging etc. The source can be our family. Ageing, disease, disablement, handicap, addiction, death, discord, harassment, loneliness, unwantedness, individualistic thinking, undue craze for quick money, social status, popularity, glamour and glitter, political power and the resultant behavior; tear apart the human bonds amongst the family members. All these become much more unmanageable because of nuclear family.

NAMA, NAMASMARAN AND TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (PART 11)
DR SHRINIWAS J. KASHALIKAR

Student: What are the characteristics of this internal environment?

Teacher: The internal environment has certain concentration of hydrogen, sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, magnesium etc. It has certain osmolality, temperature, viscosity etc. The text books of physiology, describe these in details, but it is not necessary to burden our memory with all the details.

Student: What is the importance of this internal environment?

Teacher: The importance of the internal environment is that, various physical and chemical characteristics of the internal environment have to be maintained within a certain range, if the body cells and hence the organism; have to function in a normal i.e. healthy way. If the characteristics undergo drastic variations, then functioning and even living becomes difficult and/or painful. This should explain to you; the importance of the internal environment as well as the importance of any factor/s, which may bring about drastic changes in it.

Student: This has crystallized the concept of stress and Total Stress Management to some extent. But now; I am curious to understand the mechanisms underlying stress; though not in details; at least grossly!

Teacher: OK! For the moment; we will keep aside the philosophical aspects of stress, such as previous birth, past life, sanchit, prarabdha, rebirth, soul etc and also; the traditional ways of managing stress.
The mechanisms; as we understand today; were progressively discovered in last century by conducting experiments on animals. Hans Selye is known to be the pioneer of stress physiology. He discovered the effects of various stressful stimuli in animals and called them General Adaption Syndrome GAS.
Stressors stimulate special cells or special molecules in the cells. These special cells are called neural receptors and the special molecules are called molecular receptors. There are receptors inside the body; called internal receptors and on surface of the body; called external receptors. Stimulation of these receptors brings about changes in the internal environment proportionate to the intensity, frequency, variety, complexity and pattern of stressors.

There are four main and well known mechanisms by which stress and its effects are produced.

a) Various stressors act on the part of brain called limbic system. This leads to secretion of various chemical substances. These are called neurotransmitters, because they transmit information from one nerve cell to another. They are secreted in small quantity in a central funnel like part at the bottom of brain called hypothalamus. The hypothalamus in turn secretes hormones, which are chemicals directly released in blood and are carried to the pituitary gland, which is underneath the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland in turn secretes hormones which are released in the blood and reach various glands but especially the Adrenal cortex. It secretes cortisol, which, when in excess; is responsible for various ill effects of stress; such as on liver, heart and immune system responsible for body resistance.

b) Stressors can act on the pineal gland, which is located in the neighboring area above the hypothalamus and secretes hormones called melatonin, 5 Hydroxytryptamine (5HT) and norpinephrine. It is conical in shape hence called pineal. Because of stressors; the proportion, the quantity and the type of secretions can become abnormal and this can cause several ill effects on hypothalamus, pituitary, testes, ovaries, thyroid gland, adrenal cortex, pancreas and parathyroid. It can cause disturbances of biorhythms, sleep. It reduces the resistance to cancer, infections and overall stress.

c) Stressors can be in the form of certain changes in blood, bacteria in blood, certain chemicals called antigens in the blood etc. All these act on the different types of white blood cells (WBC), which in turn; produce several substances which cause the effects of stress.

d) The stressors act on hypothalamus; but in this case the hormones secreted by the hypothalamus; can directly enter the blood and produce the effects of stress by direct action on various tissues. The details of all this; are given my book; �Understanding and Management of Stress� available on internet for free download.

NAMA, NAMASMARAN AND TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (PART 9) DR SHRINIWAS J. KASHALIKAR

Student: What exactly you mean by SWADHARMA? Can
you clarify further?

Teacher: From absolute truth manifests; SWADHARMA as a
source of SATPRERANA, SADDHARANA, SADVICHAR,
SADICCHHAA, SADBHAVANA, SATPRAVRUTTI,
SADVASANA, SATSANKALP and SATKARMA, which
together constitute SADACHAR. I am going to explain all
this in the course of time!

Student: Now I am able to appreciate what you mean by the
assurance of the inner prompting! You could not have persisted
in your search-a totally thankless search- of panacea; in
absence of listening to the inner prompting! It is clear that in
absence of this; stress in my life made me mean and in turn; the
meanness aggravated the stress! I got trapped in non holistic
or sectarian perspective, thinking, feelings, instincts and
actions, which enabled me to adopt only piecemeal solutions.
These solutions in turn; casted deleterious influences on me
and I became a victim of a perpetual vicious cycle of stressdeterioration-
stress-deterioration!

Teacher: Yes! You are right! But please do not feel guilty.
It took about three decades for me to understand this much!
Moreover please note that this understanding also; is not
absolute!

Student: Thank you very much sir, for your consoling and
comforting reassurance! Please elaborate further on stress,
Total Stress Management and NAMASMARAN!

Teacher: Surely; I will! Please tally it with your experience
of stress; so that our discussion can prove more fruitful! The
stress is present during embryonic life, in all age groups,
during sleep and dreams, during conscious, subconscious as
well unconscious states and also during coma! Moreover; it
is present in all forms of life! Thus; stress is far too deep
and far more ubiquitous than what is presumed. It is as vast
as life! Hence it is the same as MAYA i.e. everything that
we see, know, think, feel, experience, like, dislike, love, hate
and irresistibly and irrevocably lose in the past! MAYA is
a fleeting phenomenon and hence involvement in MAYA is
followed by emptiness! In simple words, MAYA is everything
other than NAMA!

Student: This is exactly what is extremely difficult to believe!
How can I deny the existence of the harrowing reality?

Teacher: I know it is difficult to believe! But actually it should
not be believed in! It is only through the persistent practice
of NAMASMARAN that the consciousness is raised to a
* NAMA NAMASMARAN AND TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT * 37
level from where the fleeting nature of �harrowing reality�
becomes evident!

NAMA, NAMASMARAN AND TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (PART 7): DR SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

Student: But how could one bring about socio-political changes, in absence of active participation in politics or social movements? How could one overcome the stress in personal life? How could one get a promotion in job; by this work, which has no value? How could one get financial security without following the demands of the job and market? Don�t you think, this path does not assure social welfare as well as personal well being? I think; in such a situation; you must have gone through a lot of turmoil in spite of your inexplicable whisper of deeper instincts! How can all this help me?

Teacher: That is true. I was in turmoil. Neither personal success, nor the social goals; were being realized. It created self doubts, self abnegation, and self pity and so on. I had nothing to hold on to!
But in spite of all this; there was much more than a silver lining! I always had enormous and intense; though far from complete; fulfillment in terms of being in tune with the whisper of my deep instincts; now growing into the inner voice of my conscience! I assure you; being in tune with the inner voice will help; not only you in trekking this path, but millions and millions! You just have to learn to listen to this inner prompting! Even as it was quite indistinct in those days; it gave me the assurance that I was on right track and was sure to make a wholesome contribution to the content of sociopolitical movements and personal wellbeing!

Student: Isn�t your whisper of deep instincts, the inner voice of your conscience or the inner prompting; a mysterious entity?

Teacher: It appears mysterious when we are not familiar with it. But when we identify and get conversant with it; it is no more mysterious! I did not know the significance of the inner prompting at that time. But it helped me and would help you also; to keep going; from strength to strength! I did not yield to pressure of the surroundings! Even amidst despair, frustration, helplessness and hopelessness; I still did not have the feeling of a total defeat!

Student: Was it at that time; that you turned to NAMASMARAN?

Teacher: No! I did not turn to NAMASMARAN even at that time; but as I said earlier, I was never cut off from any doctrines or traditions. NAMASMARAN was one of the many things I was studying.

Student: But then; how did you manage your frustration? Please tell me. It will help me in managing my stress.

Teacher: Like anybody else; I also tried to contend myself; by being in friends� company, by being flattered and by indulging. But being hollow; by their very nature; these things could not satiate and quiet me! In fact; they churned me from within; and propelled me for an even more intense search for that essence or abstract link connecting various doctrines! So, I kept on searching for it and also for a panacea that would work in all ailments, all sufferings, for all nations, all races, all classes, all religions and all ideologies; and at individual as well as global levels! But let me tell you; this propulsion was not a conscious, deliberate and planned effort! It was just happening in me! I had no control over it. I could not start or stop it. The search was irresistible! I was possessed by the ever growing inner prompting!

Student: This was; how the exploration brought you closer to the holistic concepts and the panacea!

Teacher: Yes! But I did not even know the word holistic! I simply kept on studying and wherever feasible; practicing and verifying different ideas. I was still far away from any holistic concepts and any panacea!

Student: Sir! Is my desire to seek advice from you; actually a result of inner prompting, which I could not identify till now; as �inner prompting�? Now I am more anxious to understand and actually verify the usefulness of your present concepts of Total Stress Management and NAMASMARAN!

Teacher: Of course! Your desire is born out of your inner prompting!
Actually it is around this time that I began to realize that all what I had written had some value. But was not universal and did not spring from the ultimate depths of my heart! Naturally, it did not reach the ultimate depths of the hearts of others! In other words, the solutions could not be universally effective and far from complete.
In fact; I realized that this was true for all the written solutions, decrees, commandments and prescriptions, which I had come across! They had a great value and a great role for different individuals and different societies at different times. But they could not be universal; in view of the effectiveness; and also in view of personal freedom. They needed enlightened modifications or refinements from time to time with realization of their essence i.e. the abstract yet strong link uniting them! This could make them appropriate to different periods, places, social, cultural, religious and political situations.
Now my task was to re-explore, re-discover or re-invent that single, simple and easy to practice universal solution � panacea, which could evolve a holistic perspective to make this possible! It also had to enable us to think benevolently for the universe and evolve policies, plans and programs benevolent to the universe! This could be according to our capacity, constitution and position; In other words; it had to impart a holistic thinking. It had to evolve irrepressible love and care; i.e. holistic feelings and holistic instincts! Lastly; that panacea had to engender cooperation amongst us to execute the policies, plans and programs of global benefit, which we can call holistic actions or behavior.

Student: In short; that panacea had to bring about a change in the world that would influence every individual life in totality; so as to enable him or her to evolve holistic perspective, policies, programs, plans and their implementation in his or her respective field.

Teacher: That is right! This practical solution � a panacea, which I had not yet found with certainty; thus had to; revitalize and rejuvenate the environment inside and outside of an individual; so as to enable him/her to help evolve himself/herself and others from inside as well as outside. It had to be so much democratic that it had to be available to every individual irrespective of age, sex, occupation, caste, creed, tradition, custom, race, religion, nation and any distinction for that matter!
After thinking of several possibilities, thanks to my Guru; Shri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj Gondavalekar; I realized that �NAMA� is the essence and the connecting link and �the single, simple, easy to practice and democratic universal solution�, which fulfills all the criteria about the panacea; is NAMASMARAN.
In short, much before the concepts about Total Stress Management were crystallized, I identified the potentials of NAMASMARAN.