Yena devāh svarāruruhurhitvā śarirammtasya nabhim //
Tena geşma suktasya lokam dharmasya vratena tapsā yaśasyavaḥ //
-Atharvaveda 4/11/6
“The Supreme Being by whose grace the self-realized, after discarding their mortal bodies, have attained to the elixir of mokśa or salvation, by the grace of that Supreme Being, and by vrata and tapa we seekers of glory will also attain to that transcendental abode.”
Regulating the daily routine not only improves health but also imparts a certain glow to the whole jivana sādhanā. The daily routine may appear to constitute a small aspect of life, but on a deeper look we find a reflection of the whole gamut of life in it. The values of life, its aims, direction, ideals, goal everything we can glimpse in the daily routine. One whose day-to-day life is haphazard and disorderly, remains confused and aimless in the larger scheme of life, too. This is a cardinal truth whatever arguments and excuses to the contrary may be proffered.
An organized routine ensures refinement and priming of the energies of the body, mind and soul, and their application in a specific direction. It is important to distinguish that order or organization does not merely mean the existence of a particular condition; the indication of a particular direction, too, is implicit in it. In disorder, on the other hand, there is neither any specific condition nor any direction. In order, there is spontaneous creation, whereas in disorder, only destruction flourishes. This truth can be perceived clearly in every walk of life and every nook of the Society. Haphazard routine not only ruins health but also gives birth to serious psychological problems. Even the school going children and teenagers, not to speak of the adults, have become victims of these maladies. A disease like diabetes is not sparing even small children now. Miscellaneous studies point to only one factor as the root culprit, viz. the life-style has become unbalanced; the daily routine has become chaotic. Sleep time is wasted in fun and frolic while that for waking and working is spent in sleeping. This topsy-turviness has antagonized nature. Experts of human physiology as well as of human psychology are convinced that man will have to suffer the ill consequences of tampering with the biological rhythm ordained by nature. And this is exactly what is happening. If we have to salvage the situation, there is no alternative to reversing the inverted. This is the only solution which can bring modern life presently groping in the maze of wilderness back on the right tracks. There is an illuminating anecdote often related among the Vaishnav saint community. An elderly saint lived in Vrindavan, the dhām or abode of Lord Krishna. Many among the wealthy and elite were his followers. They, too, suffered from the frailties which invariably develop from surfeit of money and power, but still they all possessed sense of veneration for their guru. They would often ask their guru about the ultimate secret of life. The saint fenced the question with a laugh because he knew that the underlying spirit of the question was not genuine enquiry but mere curiosity. But one day the contrary happened. A true seeker asked the same question. In response, the guru became He sent the seeker to the great saint Roop Somber. Goswami of Vrindavan with the instruction that if the aspirant could learn the essence of that saint’s life, then he, too, would instruct him in the ultimate mystery of life. What the saint said was somewhat unusual but the disciple In pursuance of his guru’s instruction, he remained with Roop Goswami for some had total faith in him. time and then came back. When he bowed at the feet of His Guru, the latter looked at him questioningly and asked: “Tell me, what is the essence of the life of Goswamiji”? “Tapa and vrata”, the disciple replied succinctly. The saint’s face lit up with a sense of satisfaction and he said: “Son! Tapa and vrata are the quintessence of not only Goswami’s life but the ultimate secret of everyone’s life. When a person is able to bring order into his daily routine with the help of the formula of tapa and vrata every other thing money, fame, power, respect and spiritual glories become easily accessible to him. means to prevent the wastage of one’s vigor and energy, and vrata means to resolutely pursue the path of self- Enlightenment” Тара Those who are desirous of regulating their daily get up before sunrise, prepare a schedule of the day’s work, and fix one goal for everyday. They should spend the entire day within the framework of this discipline and go to bed in the night immersing themselves in the routine should remembrance of the merciful God. Some practical guidelines to a disciplined routine can be learnt from the sādhaka’s diary printed by Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya. This diary will help the sādhakas organize their routine and guide them into living a life of tapa and vrata. It is important to keep in mind that the seed of wakefulness lies in sleep. So that the day is begun on the right note, sleep should commence at the right time too. The diet also should be regulated because food impacts the entire course of life. Hitbhuk, Mitbhuk, Ritbhuk
Na mā tamanna śramannota tandranna vochāma mā sunoteti somaṁ
Yo me pnādyo dadadyo nibodhādyo mā sunvantamupa gobhirāyat.
Rigveda 2/30/7
‘O men! Only those food articles are fit for consumption that make the body energetic and contented, that provide glow and comfort, and that make the organs strong and fit for the performance of yajña. Do not ever stock and consume those herbs / food materials that sap the body’s strength and produce lethargy and intoxication.’ The effect of food on the body is comprehensive. Be it physical health or mental well-being, both are intrinsically linked with food, and keeps taking up and down swings depending on changes in it. experience. Bad and irregular dietary habits make the body It is a matter of common sick and the mind restless. If we were to enumerate the ill effects of rich, pungent, spicy and fried food, we will have to list practically all the diseases, because all of them have direct or indirect connection with food. The fashionable fast food, packed food or junk food of today also fall in the same category. This new style of eating, widely prevalent these days, has given many a body-blow to the quality of human life. Food is a basic necessity of life. Everybody knows this, but few have an idea of what to eat, when to eat, and how to eat. Let’s first take the “what to eat?” aspect. The only proper and right answer to this question is that we should eat only what provides nourishment to the body. It is important to remember that we eat to live and do not live to eat. So, if the right kind of food is to be selected out of a long list of eatables, we will have to give preference to only those items that have nutritional value and are beneficial for health. Such articles can very easily be identified. Everybody is aware, for example, of the value of fresh fruits, vegetables, pulses, cereals etc.Many cooking ingredients like pungent spices, appetizers, pickles etc. lack any nutritive value and are manifestly harmful to health; and so are the processes of frying, stewing etc. These render even healthy food useless and deleterious. Materials inimical to health are found not only in the kitchen but also outside; e. g. liquor and intoxicants of various kinds, betel, tobacco, zarda, gutka and so many other such things have acquired the status of food supplements and are used in a routine way. The situation has become so alarming that even the food habits of the elite of society make one wonder why these educated and well- Informed Persons have lost their sense of wise discrimination. There are some exceptions, of course, in this class but their number is negligible. Now, “when to eat”? Again, the answer is only one viz. twice a day at the most, and that too, when the appetite has built up sufficiently. Eating randomly, or taking frequent snacks and breakfast in addition to regular meals is going to do no good. Dietary habits, these days, have so much deteriorated that biologists and psychologists have made this matter a subject of their research. They classify hunger in different types, for example, (1) strong craving to eat at the sight of others’ eating (ii) frequent urge to eat during moments of tension (iii) fixed-time-appetite in accordance with the biological clock, etc. The experts consider the Right. former two types wrong and only the third Type Now having known that one should eat only when there is real appetite for it, there follows the next question “how to eat”? The answer is that food should be taken in a quiet and restful manner, with humble remembrance of God as His prasada (grace). If food is seen as God’s prasada, even the simple ‘chapati’ (unleavened bread) proves nourishing. On the contrary, sweetmeats, multi-course dishes and dry fruits, if taken hurriedly and in fretful mood, impair health and produce ailments. The right food taken in the right manner is the key to sound health.
The Ayurveda (ancient healing therapy) has an interesting and instructive story. Maharishi Charaka, the great pioneer of Ayurveda, that he should test whether his pupils understood correctly his Once it occurred to teachings. He metamorphosed into a pigeon and sat on a tree, through under which many vaidyas (healers) were passing by.The pigeon called out: “Ko ruk, ko ruk, ko ruk”? (Who is healthy, who is healthy, who is healthy?) The vaidyas paid no heed to pigeon’s words. The Maharishi thought that either they did not comprehend what the tiný bird was saying, or they were ignoring him. another tree. Incidentally, the great scholar Vagbhatta was passing that way. He heard the query of Maharishi and replied repeatedly thrice: “Hitbhuk, hitbhuk, hitbhuk”, i.e. healthy is one who eats the right type of food. Charaka-turned-pigeon asked again, “Ko ruk, Ko ruk, Ko ruk”? Vagdatta answered: He flew from there and chose “Mitbhuk, mitbhuk, mitbhuk” i.e. the one who eats in moderation. The ‘bird’ repeated the question a third time. Vagbhatta’s response this time was: “Ritbhuk, ritbhuk, rit i.e. one who eats according to season; and what he has earned through righteous means. The bird flew away satisfied, as his question had been answered correctly. k”
Three words or stipulations may be laid down about diet- hit, mit and rit. Hitbhoji is one who consumes only those materials that are useful and beneficial for health. Such a person eats for health, not taste. Mitbhoji is that who eats in moderation. Gluttons cannot do any kind of sadhana. They remain pre-occupied with finding digestive powders and tablets after meals.
The third and most important stipulation about food is rit. It implies piety and purity of thought and what is suitable in a particular season. The meaning of rit inheres in the inner attitude with which the food is prepared and taken. What are the feelings of the person preparing the food? Whether or not the eaters are dutiful and conscientious? Rit food can be prepared only by one who is full of loving kindness, who is suffused with motherly affection. And then
the means by which we earn our livelihood must also be righteous and honest. Remember, the more we extend our goodwill to others, the more our inner strength increases. If the food that goes into our stomach is sullied with others’ feelings of deep hurt, it will corrupt our feelings too.
The truth is, an evolution of the food habit is an evolution of consciousness. The nature of our consciousness is refined or perverted depending upon the nature of the food we consume. This very refinement, or perversion is reflected in our style of living too.
Book : Jeevan Sadhana (A Noble Art of Living)
