Acharya Tulsi
Space is limitless. Limitlessness has its own value, but its usefulness is always in doubt. The space is the basis of all animate and inanimate objects, but man cannot have his dwelling place without limiting its expanse. Therefore, he thought about building the houses by limiting the space. The development of architecture is the result of this imagination of his.
The soul is the Supreme Element from the spiritual point of view. The soul is the only focal point of the idea of spiritualism. The soul is the Self. All other objects except the soul are its opposites. The body is one of its parts. The body and the soul are united with each other. Their relation is concealed under the infinite layers of Time. Therefore, in spite of being distinct from each other from the point of view of existence, they function united from the point of view of usefulness.
It is necessary to build houses for living comfortably. The houses need to be maintained well, so that they last for a long time. Without good maintenance and repairs, the house crumbles and becomes a ruin. Sometimes, it becomes a haunted house and causes unnecessary scare.
That is why it is said that it is not advisable to build a house if it is hot possible to maintain it well.
The soul is imprisoned in the body. It is necessary to understand and train the body in order to free the soul from the body. Training the body does not mean neglecting it. It is necessary to remain vigilant about the body to keep it healthy, because an unhealthy body obstructs the path to reach or attain the soul. Unhealthy state of the body blunts the mind. When the mental power is blunted, it is not possible to have any new ideas or to make righteous efforts. That is, it is necessary to think and be vigilant about physical health.
Pursuing the Path of Restraint a Necessity
Medical science gives lot of information about physical health. An ordinary man is not able to drive full benefit from it. Even those who understand the subtleties of the medical therapy are not able to be fully vigilant about the body. In this situation, the body can be kept in a healthy state by paying attention to small things. It has been said in the Gita:
"Yoga frees only those persons from miseries who observe self- restraint in their eating and other routine, whose movements are controlled and whose sleeping and waking are regulated.[1]"
Bhagwan Mahavira has given great importance to restraint in behaviour. Advising restraint in day-to-day affairs he has said:
"The sadhaka who walks with restraint, stand with restraint, sits with restraint, sleeps with restraint eats his meals with restraint, talks with restraint is not bound by the sinful actions.[2]"
If restraint is exercised in eating and drinking, way of life, mutual conversation, etc., and if one remains alert, then the body, in which the soul resides, remains healthy. Minor damages can be repaired. But if the house crumbles and becomes a ruin, then it has to be built anew. Similarly, when the body become decrepit, it is hard to restore it to health. From this point of view, it is necessary to take care that the body never becomes unhealthy.
Three Aspects of Health
Discussion about health interests everybody. When the experts in this subject narrate their experiences, the faith of the listeners and the readers gets confirmed. Some people ignore their health, but they should not forget that health is also a factor in a blissful life. There is a famous proverb which says, "When wealth is lost, nothing is lost, when health is lost, something is lost, when character is lost, everything is lost."
This emphasises the importance of health. There are three aspects of protection of health:
*Following the life-style that would make the prevention of illnesses possible.
*Trying to regain health with the help of natural means in case some illness does come, because of negligence or due to certain conditions.
*Taking the help of an experienced physician, if the need arises.During my travel to Calcutta, I had camped at Jasidih. Sri Mahavir Prasadji, who is an experienced naturopath, happened to be there. We stayed at his Nature Cure Clinic. He met us and said, "Acharyaji, I have heard a lot about you, but only today I am having the good fortune of meeting you. Our Nature Cure Centre is right here. We treat our patients with natural methods like the use of the earth and water and dietary restrictions. In our view this method of treatment is very useful. Do you take interest in it or not?"
After listening to Mahavir Prasadji I said, "I believe not only in Nature Cure but in natural life itself, which mainly includes padayatra, regular daily routine, meditation, study, yogic asanas, vigilance about eating and drinking, control over the senses and cheerful mental attitude. I am convinced that there would be fewer occasions of bad health if the life-style is appropriate. But today, the situation is different. We do not get pure food to eat. Pollution is increasing. There is a lot of rush in life. That is why illnesses in new forms are attacking our -health."
Mahavir Prasadji had some mistaken impression about me. He had thought I was an orthodox person. It was his impression that I did not believe in naturopathy. But after I spent the whole day there and had long discussions with him, his ideas about me changed. He said very naturally, "I had many wrong ideas about you. Now all my doubts are dispelled. I have been greatly impressed by your ideas."
Ever since I realised that natural life is a blessing for man, I have changed my way of life. In that connection, I had once said to Mahavir Prasadji, "I came to it quite late. Had I been living a natural life right from the beginning, I would have lived up to a hundred years. But it is never too late. Ever since I became aware of it, my outlook has changed. It is very important to have an appropriate outlook to remain healthy.
Health and Food
Man wishes to be physically healthy, but he does not have an appropriate outlook. He thinks not about health but the pleasant taste. His food contains certain items, which are detrimental to health. Items that are too cold or too hot or are fried and roasted, or are very spicy or too heavy to digest or too many items are eaten at the same time, instead of nourishing the body, sap its energy. Why do the people who make a hundred or fifty items for a single lunch not realise that no one can eat so many items at the same time? Why go in for such competition when all those things cannot be eaten? No one is worried about the waste during such feasts.
There was a time when the number of items to be served at a big lunch programme was fixed by the Panchayat. Nobody, irrespective of his wealth, could transgress that social arrangement. The Panchayat as an institution exists even today, but its powers have been reduced. For want of social regulation, there is an open competition to exhibit one's wealth. This is not the right thing from any point of view.
In the Abode of Evil
Yogic exercises are also useful in maintaining physical health. Some awareness about this has grown in recent times. But then it is not fully practised because of lack of regularity. The yogic exercises are more necessary for those who do not have to do physical work, but are required to do only mental activity. But because of late hours for going to sleep and waking up, many important tasks are neglected.
In the world that we are living in today being able to maintain good health is as difficult as not to have any dark spot on oneself even while being in the abode of evil. The causes of unhealthy state are not just a few, but too many. Those ensnaring causes can be found at every step.
Increasing food production with the help of artificial fertilisers, spraying chemicals on fruits and vegetables, cooking on gas ovens, polluted water, polluted air, the change of metals of cooking utensils, etc. are the visible causes which have been purposely created. When these factors persist, aspiring to be healthy is nothing but hoping to be without blemish in the abode of health.
In the prevailing situation, it does not seem possible to remain untouched by the influences of the age. Man would have to be constantly vigilant for that purpose. He would have to gradually give up the attachment for artificial means and set for himself the goal of living with Nature. He would have to replace the concept of comfortable life with that of a purposeful life. He would have to exercise restraint in the matter of eating and drinking. Man loves to enjoy good taste. However, it would not be possible to get rid of ill health without conquering the desire for taste.
What should One Eat?
Some patients were seated before a doctor. After examining them and prescribing the medicines, the doctor asked the patients, "Do you eat like animals or like human beings?" The patients found that question irksome. One of them said, "Doctor Saheb, you are insulting us by asking such a question. Are we so foolish that we would eat like animals?" The doctor said with a smile, "Gentlemen, you would have to eat like animals if you wish to be healthy." You have seen both human beings and the animals eating. Man can be easily persuaded. If there is someone to press him, he would eat something even if he is not hungry. Man continues to eat even after having his-fill, whereas an animal does not do such a foolish thing. However tasty a particular item may be, and however appetising and health-giving it may be, animals eat only up to a limit. They do not eat after their hunger is satisfied. Does man have such a restraint?"
The doctor explained to them the correct way of eating and said that if that principle was followed, it would be possible to keep away from the illnesses caused by over-eating and eating at wrong times.
In order to keep healthy, it is not enough to pay attention to food and the body. The inner cause of good health is the cheerful state of mind. If one is particular about having nice feelings, good thoughts, minimum anger, attachment, greed, etc., control over impulses, free from tension, his physical health would be naturally protected.
