HEALING THE AILING HEALTH CARE: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

Philanthropy and charity are necessary (as symptomatic palliative measures) only in diseased society. Conversely; the need and presence of philanthropy confirms the diseased nature of society.

Since the public services and especially public health services, affect most of us, it is essential to find out the root causes and remedies for their AILING that causes STRESS to most of us. This kind of exploration; is part of Total Stress Management i.e. SUPERLIVING; i.e. blossoming of one and all.

The main cause of the diseases and degeneration of the public health services and in the public hospitals in India; is the prevalence of the two concepts on which these institutions work.

These two concepts are:

1. Free medical care
2. Economic dependence of these institutions on the government revenue (public money) and donations.
3. Sectarian medical care such as allopathy, homeopathy, Ayurveda etc.

FREE MEDICAL CARE

The ill effects of free medical care are:

A. The free medical care gives rise to unnecessary visits to hospital out patient departments, excessive crowding, parasitism, beggarly tendency, meekness and irresponsibility towards personal and public health.

B. The free medical care creates a special and extremely favorable situation and golden opportunity for the powerful, rich and famous individuals to exploit the government revenue and tax payers’ money. The chances; of misusing the FREE services through irregular and illegitimate means; increase.

C. The free medical care leads to zero returns and subsequent deterioration in the infrastructure, maintenance, renovation, state of the art technology and facilities such as food and recreation given to the patients and their relatives.

D. The free medical care associated with perpetual absence of returns; leads to unjustifiably low salaries, delay in filling the vacancies, delay and/lack of promotions, excessive working hours and duties, substandard working conditions (such as inadequate toilets) etc.

E. This state of affairs demoralizes the sincere and dedicated employees and implicitly and often explicitly promotes irresponsibility, lethargy, absenteeism, corruption etc.

ECONOMIC DEPENDENCE OF THESE INSTITUTIONS ON THE GOVERNMENT REVENUE AND DONATIONS

The ill effects of economic dependence are:

A. The public hospitals are not self-sufficient and do not have any projects to support them. Naturally since there are no legitimate returns from patients or from any other source; for what is spent; the public hospitals are always in loss and the problems resulting from the FREE medical care; multiply.

B. Thus inadequate progress in terms of inadequate facilities, inadequate salaries, and inadequate employment in terms of number of employees in almost every category, protracted duty hours, worsening working conditions, worsening of staying conditions for the employees and crowding of patients due to huge patients/employee ratio; worsen even further!

C. The dependence of the public hospitals on government through sanctioning of funds; leads to colossal corruption while attracting funds and while undertaking any developmental activity. In fact; many individuals and institutions concerned with hospital; get obsessed by the thought of “how they can be “richer” rather than the development and improvement in services.

D. The corruption of the individuals in the public hospitals drives them to seek money in every possible way. Thus they may deliberately spoil the equipments so that newer can be purchased (and kick backs can be amassed), they may manifest other tactics; such as misbehavior, insulting behavior, delay or denial of services and thereby compel the patients to go to the private practitioners and consultants and get “commission” from them.

E. Large number of lower middle class and even poor patients turn to private practitioners, consultants and hospitals; out of helplessness; rendering the public hospital investment wasteful and counterproductive!

3. SECTARIAN NATURE OF HEALTH CARE
The Allopathy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Naturopathy etc in isolation; have made us; doctor dependent, laboratory dependent, other screening tests (e.g. ECG, Angiography etc) dependent, drug dependent, helpless and vulnerable to all kinds of fear psychosis and thereby deception and exploitation.

We are miserable because of sectarian nature of health care.

“Health Restoration” of “Health Care”:

This deterioration can be overcome by:
1. Abandoning the concept FREE services and charging fees and
2. Making the public hospitals self sufficient through other appropriate productive projects.
3.
1. The concept of free medical care has to be replaced by more just system of payment. This would make everyone involved; less casual, more sincere, more accountable, more responsible and more dignified, in seeking health care and providing health care. The arrogance and condescending attitude of the health care providers and meek and irresponsible attitude of the health care seekers would be transformed.

This would bring adequate revenue to ensure progress in terms of adequate facilities, adequate salaries, appropriate employment, which could ensure normal duty hours, improvement in working conditions, improvement in staying conditions for the employees and preventing excessive and many times [because the services are free] unnecessary crowding of patients.

One may raise the objection that this is difficult to implement in case of very poor, helpless, unsupported patients.

It is very true that no sensitive and sensible individual would think of doing it as well. These patients who are in agonies, in emergencies or helpless; should be made exception and a separate arrangement be made for them. But in most other cases the problem can be overcome by making provision for payment through “services” or soft loans.

2. Making public hospitals self sufficient by buttressing them with some productive income generating projects; such as plantation of medicinal herbs.

We can recapitulate and list the benefits of the “Health Restoration of Health Care” as follows:
A] It would inculcate a sense of responsibility towards one’s own health, towards public funds, towards public services, amongst everyone including the patients.
B] It would generate the sense of accountability, satisfaction and fulfillment amongst the employees
C] It would ensure optimal progress in medical care especially in terms of holistic approach and making health far more convenient, reachable, inexpensive and effective than ever before!
D] It would improve the lives of patients as well as employees
E] It would make the revenue hitherto squandered on free medical care available for other developmental and research work thereby facilitating national progress.
F] It would reduce the corruption born of out of injustice
G] It would reduce the crowding and degeneration of private medical care.

3. SECTARIN MEDICAL CARE

The sectarian medical care involving sectarian training, practice and research has to be evolved into holistic health care training, practice and research. Holistic health care implies; all that, which promotes holistic health and heals/prevents disease. Gita calls such body of knowledge, practice and research SATVIK.

We have a great opportunity to verify; how universal practice of NAMASMARAN; inseparably associated with the conviction of individual and universal blossoming; empowers all of us to heal our health care system!

GURUTATVA: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

We have many preferences and priorities. We have different role models. We have different individuals whom we respect. We find different idols in society. In the quest of truth we find many phenomena to adore.
Usually there is confusion and hence conflicts in our lives.

The spiritual literature usually affirms that guru is the ultimate. There is nothing beyond guru. But there are others who maintain that KULADEVATA is most important. There are many other opinions as well.

For many of us; accepting guru as the ultimate sounds difficult to accept and digest; in view of the human form of the guru. The guru (and even prophet or incarnation) in human form with though stupendous, yet limited accomplishments when compared with eternal, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent God.

Often there is a nagging question as to whether the KULADEVATA should get preference or a guru?

While KULADEVATA is usually accessible to many Hindus; this phenomena is usually not found in many Hindus and Non-Hindus. Further, there is perennial confusion about guru; in view of their credentials and capacity to guide us to God.

For those who have access to KULADEVATA and guru; there is a dilemma about whom to give priority. Objectively looking at it; the KULADEVATA as well as the human form of the guru are the products of the same omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent God.

Whom should we give preference?

In the course of practicing NAMASMARAN according to the advice of our guru; we gradually realize that kuladevata is a bounty of the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent God; through which we are oriented to Him; and the guru is the bounty through whom we get closer to Him.

Later; through NAMASMARAN; we realize that; the essence of KULADEVATA and the essence of guru; is actually extremely pleasant, empowering, vitalizing and immortalizing bounty; very much present and evident in our conscience.

This perception gradually gets culminated in the realization that this essence of KULADEVATA, guru and all the deities and adorable entities; is the same as GURUTATVA.

This GURUTATVA; is truly the direct communion with God i.e. ultimate truth.

This can be (though not exactly, accurately or appropriately) compared with motherhood and fatherhood. We love and adore our mother and father and in the course of maturity; begin to worship the motherhood and fatherhood in nature.

GURUTATVA is a universal, eternal and the most sublime bond between us; and God (truth). When we happen to follow, dedicate and consume ourselves in the preachings of our guru; we actually imbibe or get merged into the source of our consciousness and our conscience; the GURUTATVA!

STRESS MAUNA AND SPEECH: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR

One of the causes of STRESS; for one who uses it; whom it is addressed to and with whom it is shared; is speech! Inadvertent use of words; their quantity, frequency, tone, pitch, loudness, expressions, in our speech (talk, writing, letters, articles, books, mails, SMS etc) can cause widespread STRESS!

The study and practice of Total Stress Management includes appropriate comprehension and expression of written and spoken and even unspoken speech (which has healing and rejuvenating characteristics)!

It is interesting to see how speech reflects the mind of a person; and in turn how it can influence us; beneficially or detrimentally!

One of the shlokas (verses in Sanskrut) says,
PAPENAIVA NRUNAANAM VAANEE BHAVET KATUKABHASHINEE
DAINYA MAATSARYA PARAMAA SHUBHAASHUBHAVIVARJITA
Meaning:
It is because of diseased mind with utmost lowliness and jealousy that the speech becomes scalding with no concern whatsoever for about the welfare or otherwise of the listener.

In Geeta it is said,
ANUDVEGAKARAM VAAKYAM SAYAM PRIYA HITAN CHA YAT
SVAADHYAAYAABHYASAN CHAIVA VANGMAYM TAPA UCCHYATE
GEETA 17.15

Meaning:
Speech which does not humiliate and thereby hurt the listener is true and pleasant and beneficial; is really the product of penance involving the entire neurophysiological and neuromuscular processes of speech and articulation respectively.

There is another shloka which advocates silence during certain physiological acts.
UTSARGE MAITHUNE CHAIVA
PRASTRAVE DANTADHAAVNE
SHRAADDHE BHOJANAKALE CHA
SHATSU MAUNAM SAMAACHARET
Meaning:
During defecation, urination, removal of secretions (dirt) of nose, skin, ear and eyes; during sexual intercourse, during bleeding, during cleaning of teeth, during SHRAADDHA (ritual performed to commemorate and pay homage to the forefathers, on the occasion their death anniversary); and while eating food one should observe silence i.e. speechlessness.

During defecation usually there is breath holding and contraction of abdominal muscles. This is essential for building adequate pressure in the abdomen so as to move the feces towards anus. Due to talking the breath holding ceases and the abdominal muscles also relax and distraction is caused creating difficulty in defecation.

Urination also involves increase in pressure in the abdomen and also in the urinary bladder. Talking can alter these pressures and hence the urinary flow can be disturbed.

When we are removing the secretions from nose [respiratory secretions], skin, ears and eyes we should be careful to remove the dirt carefully so as to avoid trauma to theses structures

In general, all the excretory processes, viz. defecation, urination, respiratory secretions, sweating, secretions in the ear and eye involve autonomic nervous activity linked with reticular formation in the brain. Talking can alter activity of respiration, reticular formation, and mind, autonomic nerves, endocrine system, metabolism and excretion.

Sexual intercourse invariably involves autonomic activity and hence it is strongly recommended that silence is observed during sexual intercourse. It is important because the intensity of the emotional integration and depth of ecstasy are apparently hindered due to talking during sexual intercourse.

Bleeding can either be physiological bleeding as in case of menstrual bleeding or trauma [injury].

The process of bleeding and arrest of bleeding are tremendously influenced by cardiovascular activity, which in turn is influenced by autonomic nervous activity. Hence talking that disturbs autonomic activity is recommended to be avoided.

During cleaning of the teeth there is a prayerful attitude with respect to the plants or herbs used in the process. So talking is avoided. But from practical point of view, talking during cleaning of teeth and gums can cause inadvertent biting of fingers or injury to the oral cavity.

During SHRAADDHA silence is probably advised solely for maintaining pious atmosphere, which is understandable.

During eating the silence advised to avoid vulgar and even mundane thoughts being articulated [thereby hindering the sanctity of the eating] on the one hand and to avoid accidental regurgitation of food in the trachea on the other.

It can be seen how thoughtful our ancestors were; with respect to understanding of life! It has to be appreciated that; these are relatively superficial aspects of keeping silence. There may be more explanations as well.

Learning to keep silence in terms of avoiding talk is a very preliminary process of achieving real silence, which is called KARMANI AKARMA in Geeta [4.18], and which is full of peace and activity. It is very real and deepest personal experience and also the cosmic phenomenon that links one with the universe.
MANAHPRASAADAH SAAUMYATVAM MAAUNAM AATMAVINIGRAH
BHAAVASAUNSHUDDHIRITYETAT TAPO MAANASAMUCCHYATE
GEETA 17.16

Inner harmony associated with vocal silence; that emanates life-giving joy; is indicator of inner purification or evolution and referred to as MANASA TAPA.

If we keep quiet for sometime, then we can easily observe the turbulence of thoughts, which keep on crowding our minds. This observation tells us that the thoughts are neither our creation nor are restricted to our body. They are the results of the interactions between cosmos and us and illustrate the continuity between an individual and the universe.

Keeping silence has a humorous and practical implication also.
AATMANO MUKHADOSHENA BADHYANTE SHUKA SAARIKA
BAKASTATRA NA BDHYANTE MAUNAM SARVAARTHA SAADHANAM
Meaning:
Inappropriate [too long, too harsh, stupid, meaningless, too enticing] speech is a cause of slavery, imprisonment or other type of losses. Ability to remain silent is extremely beneficial. This is clear from the examples of SAARIKA and parrot that are caught and kept in cage whereas crane is left free! Hence while negotiating in business or in politics or even playing cards, silence can play a pivotal role!

Let us appreciate that; the nature of our speech (or mauna); is determined by; our evolution in terms of perspective, policies, plans, programs and actions; in personal and social life.

References:
1. Stress: Understanding and Management; Dr. Shriniwas Janardan Kashalikar
2. Namasmaran: Dr. Shriniwas Janardan Kashalikar
3. Smiling Sun: Dr. Shriniwas Janardan Kashalikar
4. Conceptual Stress: Dr. Shriniwas Janardan Kashalikar
5. New Study of Bhagavad Geeta: Dr. Shriniwas Janardan Kashalikar
6. Holistic Medicine: Dr. Shriniwas Janardan Kashalikar
7. Holistic Health: Dr. Shriniwas Janardan Kashalikar
8. Namasmaran (Marathi): Dr. Shriniwas Janardan Kashalikar
9. Tanavmukti (Marathi): Dr. Shriniwas Janardan Kashalikar (Assistance Dr. Suhas Mhetre)
10. Bhovara (Marathi): Dr. Shriniwas Janardan Kashalikar
11. Sahasranetra (Comprehension of Vishnusahasranam; Marathi): Dr. Shriniwas Janardan Kashalikar
12. Thakawa Ghalwa (Marathi): Dr. Shriniwas Janardan Kashalikar
13. Tanavmuktisathi Upayukta Lekh (Marathi): Dr. Shriniwas Janardan Kashalikar
14. SUPERLIVING: (English) Dr. Shriniwas Kashalikar
15. SUPERLIVING: (Marathi) Dr. Shriniwas Kashalikar
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