For a happy, healthy and fulfilled life, our Veda and scriptures prescribe the Shodash, Samskaras (Sixteen sacramental rites), the foremost among them being Jaatkarma Samskara. Any religious action or rites performed after the birth of a child, for its physical, mental and intellectual health is called Jaatkarma Samaskara
Samskara means the subtle impressions created on the psychososmatic being by one’s action. Samkaras lie in an unmanifest form in all individuals and are extremely powerful. They continuously influence one’s conscious and subconscious behaviour without one’s knowledge. As soon as they find favourable circumstances, these subtle Samskaras take the form of gross tendencies and manifest themselves in one’s behaviour. Hence one behaves according to one’s Samaskaras. As such, Hindu culture gives utmost importance to Samskaras.
In the first chapter of ‘Kashyap Samhita’ Sutrasthan, a description regarding ‘Suvarnaprash’ is given under Jaatkarma Samaskara. It says that one should sit facing east and rub pure gold on a clean stone with a little water. Cow’s ghee and honey in unequal proportions should be added thereto and then it should be given to the child.
The best amongst Ayurvedic treatises, ‘Ashtangahriday’ says that churna (powder) of Suvarna (pure gold), Vekhanda (orris root), brahmi, Suvarnamakshik and harde (yellow myrobalan) mixed with ghee and honey in unequal quantities should be given daily to a newborn for three years. Special benefits are said to accrue if this mixture is prepared on the day of Pushya Nakshatra.
Regular intake of Suvarnaprash in the first month provides the baby with immunity to all types of diseases and develops its intellect. Regular intake of Suvarnaprash by a child for 6 months makes him/her intelligent and it develops a capacity to retain everything he/she hears.
It sharpen the intellect and augments strength and the fire element improves complextion, gives longevity, brings happiness, bestows virtues, improves potency, increases the quantity of semen in the body and is said to counteract the inhospitable influences of stars.
Physical benefits from Suvarnaprash :
It enhances perfect growth and development of the body. The child becomes agile.
The skin becomes lustrous and attractive.
It improves the digestive fire and increases appetite, and thus make the body strong and sturdy.
It keeps the child free from diseases like cough, cold and coryza caused by imbalance of kapha (phlegm).
It improves the immune system of the child. In today’s polluted environment it protects the child from bacterial and viral infections.
Now a days children are given harmful antibiotics for colds, fever, diarrhea, etc. These antibiotics clear the external symptoms, but the actual disease becomes suppressed inside. The fundamental cause of all diseases-‘Aamvish’ lies untreated in the body and children are made to consume the poison of antibiotics. This poison stays in the body like a seed and in due course reappears in the forms of various diseases. Hence Beware of such antibiotics. This Suvarnaprash is a natural antibiotic, which protects the child from contagious as well as infectious diseases like cholera and irregular recurring, or intermittent fever, etc.
It is the one type of ayurvedic vaccine, which immunizes the child against polio, Tuberculosis, cholera etc.
Purify gold by methods as prescribed in the scriptures and make thin wires out of it and thread it around orrisroot.
It is also beneficial if purified gold is rubbed slightly in a mixture of ghee and honey in unequal proportions and given regularly to the child.
Note: It’s fine if you can prepare it, otherwise it is available at Sant Lilashah Upchar Kendra, Surat at a cost of less than Rs. 100.
A total expentidure of Rs. 100 to Rs, 200 will make your child brilliant and impressive. It is an inexpensive but highly effective medicament. We want all to benefit from it. It will be available at all ashrams within a month or so.
Some proven medicinal herbs that improve the functions of the brain, heart, mind, respiratory and digestive systems are added to it. These are helpful for a child’s intellectual, mental and physical growth. Students can also use it to improve their faculties of concentration, memory, vitality, and also their physical vigour.
If pregnant women take Suvarnaprash and instead of organic calcium, iron and vitamins, they can give birth to a vibrant, brilliant and intelligent child. It is nutrient for the foetus. The pure kesar (saffron) present in it gives the child fair skin and good complexion.
It is particularly useful in conditions of old age when the body organs become weak and the senses lose their power of perception.
Method of use: A newborn infant should be given Suvarnaprash by rubbing the gold wire (wound on orris root) giving only one stroke on the first day, two strokes on the 2nd day and so on increasing one stroke per day up to the age of 3 months. The same dose should be maintained upto 3 years of age. (One stroke means rubbing gold wire (wound on orris root) on a clean flat stone once in a circular way.)
Caution: Use of only pure gold is recommended. Ghee and honey are to be used in unequal proportions; that is, the quantity of honey should be more than ghee or vice versa. Only the pure ghee or desi cows and natural pure honey should be used.
Acclimatizing to the Summer Season
The summer season starts at the end of spring. If you continue of consume foods and drinks and live in a manner, which aggravates the wind humour of the body, it will invite other illnesses in the ensuing rainy season and cause many diseases.
During this season, the water content in the body system is depleted, inducing thirst. Depletion of the water element leads to weakness, uneasiness, dejection, lassitude, apathy and other such problems. Therefore, it is recommended to consume less food and periodically drink cold water during summers. According to Ayurveda. It states that you have to eliminate the ‘Dosha’ (aggravated humour) as and when it starts accumulating in the body. Therefore, during the season diet should be such as to prevent the accumulation of wind humour and maintain the water balance. One should thus take nourishing foods that are sweet, liquid, easily digestible, light, fresh, oily, juicy and cold in nature.
Diet
Consumption of old Sathi rice, wheat, milk, butter and cow ghee is recommended during summers to keep the body cool, strong and agile. Amongst vegetables, gourds, pumpkin, ‘nenua’, pointed gourd, bitter gourd, flower of banana, chaulayi (Amaranthu polygamus), green cucumber, green coriander, mint and amongst fruits, watermelon, muskmelon, coconut, sweet lemon, mango, apple, pomegranate and grapes are considered beneficial.
In this season salty, dry, stale, hot, spicy, fried, sharp, sour, pungent, bitter foods like Amachur (powder of dried mango peel), pickles and tamarind, etc. should be avoided. Never consume cold drinks, ice cream, ice fruit and canned fruit juices to alleviate the effects of heat. They induce acidity and therefore increase internal heat. They give rise to haemorrhagic disorders, itching, skin diseases and irritability.
Instead, consume the sweet drinks made out of roasted raw mango,fresh lemons sweetened with sugar candy,green coconut water, fresh fruit juices, ‘thandai’, cumin sharbat, milk and rice pudding and gulkand which are cold in nature and have an abundance of fluids. These protect you from the detrimental effects of the extremely hot sunrays.
Consuming curds and buttermilk is prohibited in this season. If one has to drink buttermilk, it should be fresh, sweetened, with cumin seeds added to it. Do not consume fruits with milk. Milk should be taken at least 45 minutes after taking any fruit, and fruits should be taken at least two and a half hours after drinking milk.
Tea, coffee, chewing, tobacco, gutkha or smoking is more harmful in this season in comparison to other season. Beware! Do not ruin the future of your health. The extreme heat of the Sun causes heat stroke, unconsciousness and eye diseases. To avoid heat stroke, cover the head with a cloth and keep sipping cold water at regular intervals. Avoid stepping out in the scorching Sun. If you have to go out, then cover your head and eyes and drink a lot of water before stepping out. Do not take water immediately after spending too much time in the Sun. Water should be taken only after a 10 to 15 minutes’ interval. Cold water from the fridge or water cooler can harm the throat, teeth and intestine. As such, drink water cooled in earthenwater or matkas. In the summer, the digestive system is weak, and this may lead to indigestion, dysentery, vomiting and other such illnesses, dysentery, vomiting and other such illnesses. To avoid this, eat only one full meal a day, which should be fresh, light and easily digestible, at other times take fruit juice, milk or sharbat.
Put 2 to 3 drops of cow’s ghee or almond oil in the nostrils. This helps alleviate the adverse effect of heat in the brain and the eyes. In the summer season, taking 2 grams of Harde powder with equal quantity of jaggery early in the morning helps prevent aggravation of vaata and pitta humours.
Mode of Living: In this season, one must use hydrotherapy (drink 1¼ liter of water as soon as you get up before brushing the teeth). Going out in fresh air, yogasana, light exercise, and oil massage are recommended. Get up before sunrise; take a stroll in the garden or near a cool lake or pond. Apply a paste of sandalwood and aloe-wood (acquilaria Agallocha) either separately or as a mixture on your body. Go for a walk after dinner and then sleep on a clean bed in the open where there is a cool breeze. Massage your head with the oil made out of Amla, jasmine, almonds, coconut or gourd.
To massage the body, use gourd oil, which is comparable to almond oil.
The process of preparing this oil is described in ‘Arogyanidhi’, a book published by the Ashram.
Avoid staying awake till late at night and sleeping till late in the morning. Do not exercise or work excessively. Walking in the Sun, excessive fasting, enduring hunger and thirst and sexual indulgence are prohibited during this season.
The Nourishing Mango
Eating ripe mangoes promotes health by increasing the seven constituent dhatu (elements) of the body. It is an excellent medicinal fortifying and nourishing fruit especially for the aged, frail and debilitated.
Sucking a ripe mango is good for the eyes. It also enhances and purifies semen. Mangoes could help the patients of sterility caused by spermatorrhoea or Vaata disorder.
Eating mango cures impotency due to oligospermia and mental debility. It is the number one tonic for heart patients. It helps in detoxification.
A mango with a thin skin, a small kernel, having no fibers and with lots of flesh is considered to be excellent nourishment for the muscles. Eating a ripe mango with honey helps in tuberculosis, problems related to spleen, disorder of gas and phlegm. Drinking mango juice mixed with ghee and dried ginger improves digestion, strengthens the body, cures gas trouble and biliary disorders. One suffering from gas trouble and biliary disorders. One suffering from gas trouble or indigestion is advised to mix some ginger juice into the mango juice. Suck only mangoes for one meal of the day, followed by a bit of ginger. Drink milk only after an interval of one and a half to two hours. If one sticks to this diet for 40 days, it makes the body well built and well nourished and also improves complexion. Debilitated and thin children, old people and weak persons should eat mangoes for nutrition and rejuvenation.
According to Ayurveda, taking mango and milk together is considered incompatible, as it may lead to skin diseases later on.
Packaged mango juice being sold in the market is not good for health as it is stale. Stale mango juice kept over an extended period of time creates gas in the stomach. It is hard to digest and harmful for the heart as well. Ripe mango remove lethargy, serve as a diuretic, cure T.B. and tone up the kidneys and bladder according to Unani (Greek) medicine.
Raw, bitter or sour mangoes can do more harm than good. If one has to eat a raw mango, it should be mixed with jaggery, coriander, cumin seeds and salt.
Gulkand-The Summer Tonic
During the summer body heat increases and one may experiences feverish heat, burning sensation, disorder caused by excessive pitta that needs to be calmed. Therefore, it is advisable to consume foods that are cold in nature and keep the body cool and prevent pitta disorders. One such very effective food is Gulkand.
The Gulkand prepared in the ashram, to which Pravalpishti (coral powder), javantri, aniseeds are cardamom are added, is definitely more effective and beneficial than the one available in the market.
Benefits: Gulkand fortified with Praval (coral) and other constituents yields additional benefits of these constituents along with the basic benefits of Gulkand. As such it is useful in conditions of Pitta dosha (excessive pitta), plethora, blood pressure, constipation, excessive thirst, increase in body heat, burning sensation, etc. and also cools the brain.
It consumption is useful in allaying uterine hyperactivity and disorders. It also helps control excessive bleeding during menstruation, and redness of eyes. Burning sensation in the palms and soles of the feet, irritation due to heat, excessive sweating, watering of the eyes, burning micturition, itching and other such skin diseases are alleviated by consuming Gulkand. Regularly consuming it early in the morning during the summer season prevents disorders caused by the hot climate. It prevents heat stroke.
A number of rose gardens have been cultivated in the Ashrams where Puja Bapuji stays in solitude. Gulkand is made from these rose petals under extensive care.
They are first washed properly, then mixed with an appropriate proportion of sugar and then season under the Sun and the moon for 60 days in a vessel covered with muslin.
In this manner, natural Gulkand, nurtured by sunlight and moonlight, is prepared subsequently, pravalpishti, javantri and damon, costing 3000, 1000 and 700 rupees per kilo respectively, are added. Prepare Gulkand at homes as per the above mentioned process or else obtain it from the Ashram to derive full benefits.
Place of availability:
Gulkand can be obtained from the various Ashrams and the Yoga Vedant Seva Samitis associated with the Ashram.
Healthful Grapes
Grapes are cold in nature and sweet in taste. Grapes improve eyesight and the quality of voice. Grapes purify the blood, enhance virility and help in detoxification.
According to Vagbhatta, and ancient master of Indian Medical Science, grape juice helps improve the efficiency of the intestines and the kidneys. Grapes prevent constipation, help cure hepatic disorders, help increase the proper functioning of the digestive system and control diarrhea.
Grapes have a good quantity of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and iron. They are a rich sources of potassium, which helps cure kidney ailments, high blood pressure and skin diseases. Grapes are an excellent diet for patients. They clear urinary obstructions. Grapes are beneficial to patients suffering from cancer, T.B., dry cough (in pediatrics), appendicitis, joint pains, gout and rheumatism.
When dried in a special manner, grapes are termed munakka (Currrants). Munakka can be red or black in colour. Munkka contains all the properties of grapes. It reduces bile, is satiating, good for the heart and especially recommended in cases of fatigue, inflammation, unconsciousness, dyspnoea, fevers, excessive thirst and disorders of Vaata humour. It augments all the dhatus (constituent elements of the body): plasma, blood, sperm counts and ojas (luster; the pure essence of all dhatus).
Raisins are another form of dry grapes. All the properties of grapes are present in raisins as well. Raisins are light easy to digest, and combat cough and anemia. Eating munakka and raisins is recommended in old age to maintain good health. The body quickly absorbs the sugar from currants and raisins.
As per Sushrut Samhita, grapes can be used to cure Tuberculosis. Grapes are especially recommended for different intestinal problems, liver and stomach ailments, vomiting blood vomiting, or in cases of bitter mouth. Just 250 to 300 ml of grape juice taken daily cures anemia in a few days.
One spoonful of grape juice administered in the morning and again in the evening to children complaining of stomach pains due to indigestion or constipation during dentition period, is very useful. It is also useful in throat and mouth ailments of children.
Grapes provide energy, agility and strength. Grapes are used in many European countries to cure patients of chronic debility.
Grapes are very effective in curing indigestion, dysentery, cardiac and urinary ailments. Grape juice strengthens the liver and duodenum. Lactating mothers should eat grapes if they have lactation problems.
Its sugar is not harmful to diabetics. It generates fresh blood and improves eyesight and appetite.
Wash the grapes thoroughly before eating them as farmers spray insecticides on them and flies and mosquitoes tend to sit on them as well. Do not eat raw and sour grapes; eat only the ripe and sweet ones. Meditate on the Lord, who has sweetened the grapes and given them so many properties, to gain spiritual benefits.
Samskara means the subtle impressions created on the psychososmatic being by one’s action. Samkaras lie in an unmanifest form in all individuals and are extremely powerful. They continuously influence one’s conscious and subconscious behaviour without one’s knowledge. As soon as they find favourable circumstances, these subtle Samskaras take the form of gross tendencies and manifest themselves in one’s behaviour. Hence one behaves according to one’s Samaskaras. As such, Hindu culture gives utmost importance to Samskaras.
In the first chapter of ‘Kashyap Samhita’ Sutrasthan, a description regarding ‘Suvarnaprash’ is given under Jaatkarma Samaskara. It says that one should sit facing east and rub pure gold on a clean stone with a little water. Cow’s ghee and honey in unequal proportions should be added thereto and then it should be given to the child.
The best amongst Ayurvedic treatises, ‘Ashtangahriday’ says that churna (powder) of Suvarna (pure gold), Vekhanda (orris root), brahmi, Suvarnamakshik and harde (yellow myrobalan) mixed with ghee and honey in unequal quantities should be given daily to a newborn for three years. Special benefits are said to accrue if this mixture is prepared on the day of Pushya Nakshatra.
Regular intake of Suvarnaprash in the first month provides the baby with immunity to all types of diseases and develops its intellect. Regular intake of Suvarnaprash by a child for 6 months makes him/her intelligent and it develops a capacity to retain everything he/she hears.
It sharpen the intellect and augments strength and the fire element improves complextion, gives longevity, brings happiness, bestows virtues, improves potency, increases the quantity of semen in the body and is said to counteract the inhospitable influences of stars.
Physical benefits from Suvarnaprash :
It enhances perfect growth and development of the body. The child becomes agile.
The skin becomes lustrous and attractive.
It improves the digestive fire and increases appetite, and thus make the body strong and sturdy.
It keeps the child free from diseases like cough, cold and coryza caused by imbalance of kapha (phlegm).
It improves the immune system of the child. In today’s polluted environment it protects the child from bacterial and viral infections.
Now a days children are given harmful antibiotics for colds, fever, diarrhea, etc. These antibiotics clear the external symptoms, but the actual disease becomes suppressed inside. The fundamental cause of all diseases-‘Aamvish’ lies untreated in the body and children are made to consume the poison of antibiotics. This poison stays in the body like a seed and in due course reappears in the forms of various diseases. Hence Beware of such antibiotics. This Suvarnaprash is a natural antibiotic, which protects the child from contagious as well as infectious diseases like cholera and irregular recurring, or intermittent fever, etc.
It is the one type of ayurvedic vaccine, which immunizes the child against polio, Tuberculosis, cholera etc.
Purify gold by methods as prescribed in the scriptures and make thin wires out of it and thread it around orrisroot.
It is also beneficial if purified gold is rubbed slightly in a mixture of ghee and honey in unequal proportions and given regularly to the child.
Note: It’s fine if you can prepare it, otherwise it is available at Sant Lilashah Upchar Kendra, Surat at a cost of less than Rs. 100.
A total expentidure of Rs. 100 to Rs, 200 will make your child brilliant and impressive. It is an inexpensive but highly effective medicament. We want all to benefit from it. It will be available at all ashrams within a month or so.
Some proven medicinal herbs that improve the functions of the brain, heart, mind, respiratory and digestive systems are added to it. These are helpful for a child’s intellectual, mental and physical growth. Students can also use it to improve their faculties of concentration, memory, vitality, and also their physical vigour.
If pregnant women take Suvarnaprash and instead of organic calcium, iron and vitamins, they can give birth to a vibrant, brilliant and intelligent child. It is nutrient for the foetus. The pure kesar (saffron) present in it gives the child fair skin and good complexion.
It is particularly useful in conditions of old age when the body organs become weak and the senses lose their power of perception.
Method of use: A newborn infant should be given Suvarnaprash by rubbing the gold wire (wound on orris root) giving only one stroke on the first day, two strokes on the 2nd day and so on increasing one stroke per day up to the age of 3 months. The same dose should be maintained upto 3 years of age. (One stroke means rubbing gold wire (wound on orris root) on a clean flat stone once in a circular way.)
Caution: Use of only pure gold is recommended. Ghee and honey are to be used in unequal proportions; that is, the quantity of honey should be more than ghee or vice versa. Only the pure ghee or desi cows and natural pure honey should be used.
Acclimatizing to the Summer Season
The summer season starts at the end of spring. If you continue of consume foods and drinks and live in a manner, which aggravates the wind humour of the body, it will invite other illnesses in the ensuing rainy season and cause many diseases.
During this season, the water content in the body system is depleted, inducing thirst. Depletion of the water element leads to weakness, uneasiness, dejection, lassitude, apathy and other such problems. Therefore, it is recommended to consume less food and periodically drink cold water during summers. According to Ayurveda. It states that you have to eliminate the ‘Dosha’ (aggravated humour) as and when it starts accumulating in the body. Therefore, during the season diet should be such as to prevent the accumulation of wind humour and maintain the water balance. One should thus take nourishing foods that are sweet, liquid, easily digestible, light, fresh, oily, juicy and cold in nature.
Diet
Consumption of old Sathi rice, wheat, milk, butter and cow ghee is recommended during summers to keep the body cool, strong and agile. Amongst vegetables, gourds, pumpkin, ‘nenua’, pointed gourd, bitter gourd, flower of banana, chaulayi (Amaranthu polygamus), green cucumber, green coriander, mint and amongst fruits, watermelon, muskmelon, coconut, sweet lemon, mango, apple, pomegranate and grapes are considered beneficial.
In this season salty, dry, stale, hot, spicy, fried, sharp, sour, pungent, bitter foods like Amachur (powder of dried mango peel), pickles and tamarind, etc. should be avoided. Never consume cold drinks, ice cream, ice fruit and canned fruit juices to alleviate the effects of heat. They induce acidity and therefore increase internal heat. They give rise to haemorrhagic disorders, itching, skin diseases and irritability.
Instead, consume the sweet drinks made out of roasted raw mango,fresh lemons sweetened with sugar candy,green coconut water, fresh fruit juices, ‘thandai’, cumin sharbat, milk and rice pudding and gulkand which are cold in nature and have an abundance of fluids. These protect you from the detrimental effects of the extremely hot sunrays.
Consuming curds and buttermilk is prohibited in this season. If one has to drink buttermilk, it should be fresh, sweetened, with cumin seeds added to it. Do not consume fruits with milk. Milk should be taken at least 45 minutes after taking any fruit, and fruits should be taken at least two and a half hours after drinking milk.
Tea, coffee, chewing, tobacco, gutkha or smoking is more harmful in this season in comparison to other season. Beware! Do not ruin the future of your health. The extreme heat of the Sun causes heat stroke, unconsciousness and eye diseases. To avoid heat stroke, cover the head with a cloth and keep sipping cold water at regular intervals. Avoid stepping out in the scorching Sun. If you have to go out, then cover your head and eyes and drink a lot of water before stepping out. Do not take water immediately after spending too much time in the Sun. Water should be taken only after a 10 to 15 minutes’ interval. Cold water from the fridge or water cooler can harm the throat, teeth and intestine. As such, drink water cooled in earthenwater or matkas. In the summer, the digestive system is weak, and this may lead to indigestion, dysentery, vomiting and other such illnesses, dysentery, vomiting and other such illnesses. To avoid this, eat only one full meal a day, which should be fresh, light and easily digestible, at other times take fruit juice, milk or sharbat.
Put 2 to 3 drops of cow’s ghee or almond oil in the nostrils. This helps alleviate the adverse effect of heat in the brain and the eyes. In the summer season, taking 2 grams of Harde powder with equal quantity of jaggery early in the morning helps prevent aggravation of vaata and pitta humours.
Mode of Living: In this season, one must use hydrotherapy (drink 1¼ liter of water as soon as you get up before brushing the teeth). Going out in fresh air, yogasana, light exercise, and oil massage are recommended. Get up before sunrise; take a stroll in the garden or near a cool lake or pond. Apply a paste of sandalwood and aloe-wood (acquilaria Agallocha) either separately or as a mixture on your body. Go for a walk after dinner and then sleep on a clean bed in the open where there is a cool breeze. Massage your head with the oil made out of Amla, jasmine, almonds, coconut or gourd.
To massage the body, use gourd oil, which is comparable to almond oil.
The process of preparing this oil is described in ‘Arogyanidhi’, a book published by the Ashram.
Avoid staying awake till late at night and sleeping till late in the morning. Do not exercise or work excessively. Walking in the Sun, excessive fasting, enduring hunger and thirst and sexual indulgence are prohibited during this season.
The Nourishing Mango
Eating ripe mangoes promotes health by increasing the seven constituent dhatu (elements) of the body. It is an excellent medicinal fortifying and nourishing fruit especially for the aged, frail and debilitated.
Sucking a ripe mango is good for the eyes. It also enhances and purifies semen. Mangoes could help the patients of sterility caused by spermatorrhoea or Vaata disorder.
Eating mango cures impotency due to oligospermia and mental debility. It is the number one tonic for heart patients. It helps in detoxification.
A mango with a thin skin, a small kernel, having no fibers and with lots of flesh is considered to be excellent nourishment for the muscles. Eating a ripe mango with honey helps in tuberculosis, problems related to spleen, disorder of gas and phlegm. Drinking mango juice mixed with ghee and dried ginger improves digestion, strengthens the body, cures gas trouble and biliary disorders. One suffering from gas trouble and biliary disorders. One suffering from gas trouble or indigestion is advised to mix some ginger juice into the mango juice. Suck only mangoes for one meal of the day, followed by a bit of ginger. Drink milk only after an interval of one and a half to two hours. If one sticks to this diet for 40 days, it makes the body well built and well nourished and also improves complexion. Debilitated and thin children, old people and weak persons should eat mangoes for nutrition and rejuvenation.
According to Ayurveda, taking mango and milk together is considered incompatible, as it may lead to skin diseases later on.
Packaged mango juice being sold in the market is not good for health as it is stale. Stale mango juice kept over an extended period of time creates gas in the stomach. It is hard to digest and harmful for the heart as well. Ripe mango remove lethargy, serve as a diuretic, cure T.B. and tone up the kidneys and bladder according to Unani (Greek) medicine.
Raw, bitter or sour mangoes can do more harm than good. If one has to eat a raw mango, it should be mixed with jaggery, coriander, cumin seeds and salt.
Gulkand-The Summer Tonic
During the summer body heat increases and one may experiences feverish heat, burning sensation, disorder caused by excessive pitta that needs to be calmed. Therefore, it is advisable to consume foods that are cold in nature and keep the body cool and prevent pitta disorders. One such very effective food is Gulkand.
The Gulkand prepared in the ashram, to which Pravalpishti (coral powder), javantri, aniseeds are cardamom are added, is definitely more effective and beneficial than the one available in the market.
Benefits: Gulkand fortified with Praval (coral) and other constituents yields additional benefits of these constituents along with the basic benefits of Gulkand. As such it is useful in conditions of Pitta dosha (excessive pitta), plethora, blood pressure, constipation, excessive thirst, increase in body heat, burning sensation, etc. and also cools the brain.
It consumption is useful in allaying uterine hyperactivity and disorders. It also helps control excessive bleeding during menstruation, and redness of eyes. Burning sensation in the palms and soles of the feet, irritation due to heat, excessive sweating, watering of the eyes, burning micturition, itching and other such skin diseases are alleviated by consuming Gulkand. Regularly consuming it early in the morning during the summer season prevents disorders caused by the hot climate. It prevents heat stroke.
A number of rose gardens have been cultivated in the Ashrams where Puja Bapuji stays in solitude. Gulkand is made from these rose petals under extensive care.
They are first washed properly, then mixed with an appropriate proportion of sugar and then season under the Sun and the moon for 60 days in a vessel covered with muslin.
In this manner, natural Gulkand, nurtured by sunlight and moonlight, is prepared subsequently, pravalpishti, javantri and damon, costing 3000, 1000 and 700 rupees per kilo respectively, are added. Prepare Gulkand at homes as per the above mentioned process or else obtain it from the Ashram to derive full benefits.
Place of availability:
Gulkand can be obtained from the various Ashrams and the Yoga Vedant Seva Samitis associated with the Ashram.
Healthful Grapes
Grapes are cold in nature and sweet in taste. Grapes improve eyesight and the quality of voice. Grapes purify the blood, enhance virility and help in detoxification.
According to Vagbhatta, and ancient master of Indian Medical Science, grape juice helps improve the efficiency of the intestines and the kidneys. Grapes prevent constipation, help cure hepatic disorders, help increase the proper functioning of the digestive system and control diarrhea.
Grapes have a good quantity of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and iron. They are a rich sources of potassium, which helps cure kidney ailments, high blood pressure and skin diseases. Grapes are an excellent diet for patients. They clear urinary obstructions. Grapes are beneficial to patients suffering from cancer, T.B., dry cough (in pediatrics), appendicitis, joint pains, gout and rheumatism.
When dried in a special manner, grapes are termed munakka (Currrants). Munakka can be red or black in colour. Munkka contains all the properties of grapes. It reduces bile, is satiating, good for the heart and especially recommended in cases of fatigue, inflammation, unconsciousness, dyspnoea, fevers, excessive thirst and disorders of Vaata humour. It augments all the dhatus (constituent elements of the body): plasma, blood, sperm counts and ojas (luster; the pure essence of all dhatus).
Raisins are another form of dry grapes. All the properties of grapes are present in raisins as well. Raisins are light easy to digest, and combat cough and anemia. Eating munakka and raisins is recommended in old age to maintain good health. The body quickly absorbs the sugar from currants and raisins.
As per Sushrut Samhita, grapes can be used to cure Tuberculosis. Grapes are especially recommended for different intestinal problems, liver and stomach ailments, vomiting blood vomiting, or in cases of bitter mouth. Just 250 to 300 ml of grape juice taken daily cures anemia in a few days.
One spoonful of grape juice administered in the morning and again in the evening to children complaining of stomach pains due to indigestion or constipation during dentition period, is very useful. It is also useful in throat and mouth ailments of children.
Grapes provide energy, agility and strength. Grapes are used in many European countries to cure patients of chronic debility.
Grapes are very effective in curing indigestion, dysentery, cardiac and urinary ailments. Grape juice strengthens the liver and duodenum. Lactating mothers should eat grapes if they have lactation problems.
Its sugar is not harmful to diabetics. It generates fresh blood and improves eyesight and appetite.
Wash the grapes thoroughly before eating them as farmers spray insecticides on them and flies and mosquitoes tend to sit on them as well. Do not eat raw and sour grapes; eat only the ripe and sweet ones. Meditate on the Lord, who has sweetened the grapes and given them so many properties, to gain spiritual benefits.
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