Tara-Health-Tip-7-svAsthyam

svāsthyam

Now, let us think what is health? Or more appropriately svāsthyam. Who is svastha?

samadoṣa: samāgniśca samadhātumalakriya: prasannātmendriyamanā: svastha ityabhidhīyate (suśruta, sū- 15,45). One is called svastha, when tridoṣa,  vāta, pitta and kapha are balanced, when agni (digestive fire) is balanced, when majja (marrow), māmsa (flesh) etc. seven dhātu are balanced and the sense organs, mind and soul are pure and bright. sama here should be taken to mean ‘not competing with each other’ rather than the usual meaning ‘equal’.

Although the english word health and samskrtam word ārogya are used in the same sense -freedom from illnesses- I prefer to use svāsthya. It means self-dependance, self-sufficiency, poised etc. without hinting roga, illness. Ancient āyurveda seers used to use svāsthya to mean what we intend today by ārogya. Today all illnesses are thanks to the invasion by europeans, excessive influence of Allopathy, consequent decay of āyurveda and the hate towards āyurveda maintained by successive governments in India which fostered the decay of native culture.

vāgbhaṭa says “āyu:kāmayamānena dharmārthasukhasādhanam” meaning, āyurveda is for those who desire long-life by sustaining dharma, artha and sukha. dharma is a derivative of the root dhṛ meaning ‘to hold’. That which makes it. This dharma depends on brāhmaṇa etc. caturvarṇa, gārhasthya etc. caturāśrama*. In samskrtam usually all objects are named according to its dharma. Eg. janaka, meaning one who gives life or procreates. If one is not able to procreate one is not janaka. bhāryā means one who is ruled. If one is not ruled then one is not bhāryā. prabhākara: means one creates prabha, light. If light is not created by one, then he is not prabhākara:. Thus the dharma depends on whether one is a brāhmaṇa (the pious), kṣatriya (tha valiant), vaiśya (the dealer), śūdra (the worker), brahmacāri (the learner),, gṛhastha (the house-holder), vānaprasthi (the retired) or sanyāsi (one who is in full-time pursuit of salvation). A gṛhastha should be able to procreate as janaka, save father from the hell viz. put as putra and as bhartā (ruler), should be able to rule bhāryā. To do that, acquisition and sustenance of  wealth (artha) is necessary. While maintaining dharma and enjoying sukha by acquiring such wealth, one is svastha. One becomes a rogi (ill) only when one is not able to do this.

It is clear from the above that illness is the inability to sustain dharma as per rules. When we join the above deliberation into the examples of varṇa and āśrama, then the meaning becomes clearer.  

What is the purpose of anyone to visit a doctor or hospital when one is svastha? Nothing. Only when one becomes rogi or at least when one shows rogalakṣaṇa (symptoms of illness) one should do that. When is that? When one finds or feels that one is not able to excellently perform one’s role as per one’s role-definition (dharma), as per one’s qualities and actions (varṇa) and Key Performance Indicators as per the āśrama. Today what happens?

Due to reading health-magazines, listening to health programs and bogus whatsapp warnings, even before one attains the age of 30, while remaining very healthy, youngsters go for health check up. I don’t want to explain the dangers of medical checkups done when not ill. This has been widely discussed over the internet by core experts since two decades. You can start reading from http://bmhegde.com/hegde/articles.php?cat_id=1 and listening from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAFEDgIDtS8 Before even reading and listening to him read his profile anywhere on the web and understand who he is!. There are many experts in Allopathy itself who had been doing such public education on real health since a long time. 

Once the check up is done some parameters would vary from the ridiculous limits shown in the result and the healthy youngster starts treatment. It is a myth that BP, cholesterol, lipid profile, Blood sugar level, etc. need to be continuously checked and kept within certain boundaries. The height-weight proportion is also a myth. It is another myth that even when you are healthy (the sense in which we defined here) you should avoid certain vegetables, confectionaries, fish and meat. Even alcohol is not injurious to health. Anything consumed or indulged overwhelmingly is injurious to health. Carrots and tender coconut are unhealthy in that sense.

If you are svastha and want to remain svastha then do the following:**

1. Eat home cooked food only. Once in a while hotel-food is ok.
   
2. Eat and drink when you feel hungry and thirsty.
   
3. Eat only food which feels very tasty to you.
   
4. Consume ṣaḍrasa the six elementary tastes (sweet, sour, salt, pungent, astringent, bitter) as your tongue guides.
   
5. Don’t read health-magazines and don’t watch health programs.
   
6. When you are not ill don’t do dieting.
   
7. Don’t bother or worry about the proportion of your height and weight according to international definitions.
   
8. Don’t even look into medical labs.
   

*words cāturvarnyam and caturāśrama are used here in the philosophical sense in which they were used by IKS and not in the misinterpreted and concocted way in which illiterates in sanskrit and haters of IKS uses it now. Refer elsewhere in my blogs to know the exact meanings. To explain my concept of health, these concepts are mandatory.

**My experience and no high-funda theory.