how to be always healthy and live long!

INTRODUCTION:

We all know that it is very important for us to maintain good health.. We also know that good health can come only if we follow the right way of living.
Most of us know what is the right way of living . We learnt all this, in our childhood, from our parents or other elders in our families.
As we grow up, we learn more from the advices our teachers give us in school.
But it is always good to know more and more about maintaining good health because, it is not only a very interesting subject, but it is also very vital and important for the present and future happiness of all.


INDIA'S SECRET OF HEALTH:

First of all, we must know that it is the SUN that gives us life and health. We must also know that by offering our prayers to Him every morning, after sunrise, He will bless us with good health and long life. He is our Father that is in Heaven. We cannot see God but we see the Sun daily, as we see our? friends and ? relatives. He is, therefore, called MITHRA, the great friend of all. There is a Sanskrit shloka which says:" Desire health from the Sun : desire, freedom from future births, from God":-

"aarogyam bhaaskaraath ichcheth mokshamichheth janaardanaath"

Our scriptures have given us many prayers to offer to the Sun: The Vedas teach us how to pray to the Sun. The greatest prayer to the Sun is the Gayathri Manthra which can be learnt from our parents or from a Guru.
The shortest Sun prayer is: "Oh Sun ! Let me see a hundred autumns" , meaning, "let me live for a hundred years" ! :-

" pashye ma sharadah shatham"


THE PATHYA CONCEPT:

Next, we should know what Ayurveda, the "Science of Life", that came to us from the Vedas, tell us about Health. The most important and basic advice it gives us is to follow the right way of living . This right way of living is known as "Pathya".
Pathya consists of three aspects: Aahara, Vihaara, and Vichaara. They mean right food, right activity and right thought.
A shloka in Ayurveda says," One who follows Pathya NEEDS NO medicine at all. (This sanskrit shloka has a "double" meaning: It also says:" If one does NOT follow Pathya, NO medicine will help him to cure himself ):-

"Pathye*sathi gadaarthasya kim aushadha nisevanam?"

But, in our daily life, we do often commit mistakes. Knowingly or unknowingly, we may continue to commit mistakes in our way of living. Then, slight illnesses appear distrubing our happiness. If we continue making these mistakes, we then get various forms of acute and chronic diseases. We then need a doctor's help.
All this suffering can be made to disappear, once we return to the right ways of living. But correction takes time. What do we do in the meanwhile?

THERE IS A SOLUTION TO THIS TRANSITIONAL PROBLEM!

Ayurveda tell us about many plants that we can grow in our backyards or in our gardens that can help us to overcome illnesses. Let us learn about some of them:

1. TULASI:
this is the greatest herbal medicine that India has given to the world. This herb, also known as" Holy Basil", can be grown in the home -garden from seeds which are easily available. Saplings can also be got from the market in cute little pots. Many of us have the plant in our homes. Worshiping the plant in our homes, at noon, along with worship of the Sun, can prevent illness entering our homes.
Tulasi leaves crushed with a little honey cures headache, colds, cough and fever. The regular use of Tulasi is good for the health of our eyes, skin, hair, teeth, and improves general health and complexion . Tulasi Tea can be prepared, just as we prepare ordinary tea, in a matter of minutes. It is very tasty, envigorating and healing. Ayurvedic physicians say that we can prevent even malaria if we partake fresh Tulasi leaves mixed with a pinch of Pepper powder, once, daily.

2. PUDINA:
this herb can be grown in your garden with fresh root -bearing stems ( which are thrown away, when you buy Pudina herb for making chutney ) . The plant needs good watering and grows fast.You can nip off the leaves and the plant continues to grow happily, if you water it regularly.
Pudina leaves also make a very good tea. In many yoga ashrams, this tea repalces the ordinary tea for daily use. Pudina improves appetite, if taken before food and helps you to digest the food if taken after eating. It cures flatulence ( gas in the abdomen) and relieves colic caused by indigestion.

3.METHI:
you can grow it from the methi seeds, your mother has stocked in the kitchen, if she will give you some. It can be cooked and eaten like a salad if you like it: or a tasty "pulaav" can be made. Methi leaves can be dried in the shade and powdered. This methi "choorna" can be preserved for a month or two. The powder can be used as a shampoo to keep the hair soft and shiny. The powder or the ground leaves, mixed with buttermilk, is good medicine to treat the tendancy to loose and painful stools.

4. CURRY LEAF:
(karibevina soppu): you can buy it from the door-to-door supplier of greens who visits your house daily. You can even buy a sapling from the plant nursery in Lalbag and grow the plant in your garden. Use more of it as spice in curries and other side-dishes and no one, in the family, will suffer from intestinal worms of any kind.You can give it to your pet by mixing one or two teaspoonsfull of the dry powder of the leaves in the chappati you make for him. He will not suffer from worms anymore. Worms make pets very irritable.

5. DANIYA:
(coriander leaves): the door-to-door supplier sells this herb also. It can also be grown from seeds in your garden and grows very fast: but it needs good watering. You can eat it raw, or sprinkled on your salad. It can be mixed with many side dishes at the close of cooking. Regular use of this green herb removes all toxins from your body by making you pass more water provided you drink more water regularly. It is a very cooling herb and helps you to counteract the summer heat.
There are many safe medicinal herbs you can buy in the local market or grow in your own garden. Regular use of these harmless herbs can help your family and you to be healthy and happy provided you try your best to follow the health rules of living that your elders teach you.
Let me tell you a wonderful secret. There are many great medicines we will find among the spices in our kitchen than we will find in a chemist's shop. We must learn to use them and stay healthy. Our grandmothers know them all !


CONCLUSION:

Man does not live by bread alone !. Our ancient sages said that there are four goals that we must achieve in our life, one after another, step by step. They are Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. These are together called as the Purusharthas. Our sages have emphasised that maintenance of good health is absolutely neccessary for us to reach these goals:-

"dharma artha kaama mokshaanaam aarogyam moolam utthamam"

They have also said that it is the human body that must be attended to first of all by anyone who wants to follow the path of Dharma:-

"shareeram aadyam khalu dharma saadhanam"

We must not forget these wonderful teachings of our ancient rishis. Following their advice and guidance, we can live long, be healthy, and serve our family, our community, our country and our world with determination, courage and zeal as long as we live !!!