The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards is a fascinating chronology containing data from scientific inquiry, and further postulations of author, William J. Broad, senior science writer for The New York Times and yoga practitioner since 1970.
On yoga in centuries past:
Yogis were often vagabonds who engaged in ritual sex or showmen who contorted their bodies to win alms—even while dedicating their lives to high spirituality.
On Hatha Yoga Pradipika:
The holy book of the fifteenth century represents the discipline’s earliest extant text.
The book lavished attention on body parts that have nothing in common with the modern focus, including the penis, vagina, scrotum and anus. Over and over, it recommended sitting postures meant to exert pressure on the perineum—the area between the anus and genitals that is sensitive to erotic stimulation. “Press the perineum with the heel of the foot,” the text advised. “It opens the doors of liberation.”
One of the many sweet illustrations in the book by Bobby Clennell.On Gheranda Samhita:
A holy book that scholars date to the transition between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Parts of Geheranda Samhita, no less than Hatha Yoga Pradipika, read like a sex manual, full of references to the perineum, scrotum, penis, and so forth, as well as acclaim for the goal of stoking “the bodily fire.” Bhujangasana is praised as an igniter. As the yogi performs it, the book says, “the physical fire increases steadily.” The book describes the concluding step of the yogic journey as “pleasures, enjoyments, and ultimate bliss.”
And as it turns out teams of scientists in both India and Russia have tested what happens to bodies that practice Cobra pose.
In their report, published in 2004, the Russians first told of changes they observed in levels of cortisol—a hormone that, as part of the bodies reaction to stress and sympathetic stimulation, raises the blood sugar and blood pressure in preparation for an individual to flee or fight. On average, cortisol fell 11 percent.
As for testosterone, the team reported an average rise of 16 percent.
This must be why I’m so happy in Cobra in the picture below: I imagine that my stress hormones are disappearing, and testosterone is increasing…
Importantly, testosterone was shown to bolster attention, memory, and the ability to visualize spatial tasks and relationships. It sharpened the mind.
Surprisingly, testosterone also turned out to play an important role in female arousal. While adult males tend to produce ten times more testosterone than females, scientists found that women are quite sensitive to low concentrations of the hormone.
Cobra pose is also shown in this Yoga Journal, February 2012.
From the article in Yoga Journal:
Cobra will invigorate you energetically as well. It stretches the intercostal muscles (the ones between the ribs), which allows your rib cage to expand and thus can increase your breathing capacity. It’s also thought to gently squeeze the adrenal glands, giving you a feeling of alertness and vigor.
…sounds like the last sentence about adrenal glands, alertness and vigor is about testosterone, ladies and gentleman! The female body also makes testosterone in the ovaries! And it’s not just for men, or just for sex, either!
I enjoy information like this because it represents a departure from men versus women narratives. We all participate in the mysteries of testosterone! It’s goes way beyond the old testosterone for men and estrogen for women feud. Yoga Journal is referenced several times in The Science of Yoga, and received criticism for a 2002 article reporting:
that it had carefully surveyed the world of science and discovered solid evidence that “optimal fitness” requires no running or swimming to strengthen the heart and no weight lifting to build the muscles.
“Yoga is all you need,” it declared, “for a fit mind and body.”
They are not alone in making this sort of declaration. The chapter called “Fit Perfection” offers evidence that suggests otherwise. And it seems that Yoga Journal has changed their view of yoga and fitness to include other workouts besides yoga. The picture below is from the February 2012 issue (this same issue also includes a review of this book: The Science of Yoga, too). And there is a whole chapter in The Science of Yoga devoted to Divine Sex. The subject is peppered through other parts of the book, too. An important topic, it seems. One can find it embedded in to oldest yoga texts as well as the most recent marketing, as seen in this toesox ad from the February 2012 issue of Yoga Journal.
“Sex sells,” everybody says. And lately I am wondering “why” in a new way that is opening my mind differently. Pleasure and bodies are essential to our lives. And The Science of Yoga and the old teachings of yoga seem to agree that there is something important here.
A quote from the epilogue:
One of my hopes from this book is that it will prompt the scientific community to study this and other aspects of yogic hypersexuality.
I recommend that you read the book to find out more.
And I’m sorry if I’ve left you with the feeling that the book is just about sex, because it’s not. There is also mindblowing information about a widespread misunderstanding about the breath in yoga that is written in books and common knowledge that is simply not true about the way oxygen in the body relates to an increased rate of breathing. And there is great information about the antidepressant effect of yoga. And more.
And yeah, there is the chapter about injuries that the New York Times posted a version of that could have been called “Yoga Might “Eff” You Up!” that caused a massive ripple of mostly angry and corrective commentary across the web.
The book is written with a bravado that provokes in places, to be sure, but I don’t get the sense that William Broad is trying to lay down the law of yoga. I think he is writing to get our attention, and it works.
The Agasthiyar Siddha Ayurveda Hospital was established on 1989 at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. http://agasthiyarsiddhaayurveda.com/about_us.php Founder : The founder of Agasthiyar Siddha Ayurveda Hospital was, the Great Legend Late Dr. Sri Brahmananda Swamigal. He was born on 21.06.1934 in Kanyakumari District. In tamilnadu.As the 4thson of SivadhaAchary a well-known traditional siddha physician and Ammaluammal. He got interested in medicine at the age of 8yrs. So he started his Gurukulam period under his respectful master Sri Velayuthampillai from Thiruvettar in Kanyakumari District.
Under his able guidance he learnt spiritualism, Siddha and Ayurveda medicines and its medicinal preparation. Also he gathered much knowledge of traditional Siddha medicine from his father.
Then from Guru GangadharanThambiAsan he learnt the Art of varmakalai which is an advanced part of martial art and esoteric healing art, originating from ancient tamilnadu in south india. From his third Guru named suseendaranNamboodari he learnt Yoga and meditation. Due to his deep knowledge, humility, innate sincerity and capacity of untiring hard work he attained deeksha from his Guru and establishedAgasthiyar Siddha Ayurveda Hospital and started his successful practice in serving life of many people from most dreadful diseases Such as cancer(All types), Arthritis, Skin problem, All types of vatta ailments, Asthma, Liver ailments, Kidney failure etc by his valuable own herbal preparation.
Over to his spiritual thirst and more Bakthi to god. He built a temple in a small village named vellalore which is located in Coimbatore. The main duity of this temple in Lord Shiva. Here the Lord shiva was built in Navsparshanam – a metals.The temple is Sri ArulmiguSiddhalingeswarar Temple.
His peculiar way of diagnoising the ailments of the patients is through Nadipareeksha as taught in shastra, in early morning at empty stomach. The traditional way of treatments done here are ulichal, plichal, Abyangam, Sirodhara, All types of Vasti, NavaraTheippu, Nasyam, Tharpanam, varmaThadavuggal(treatment in vital points). There treatments were done by well trained, under the guidance of expert physician.
Knowledge about Ayurveda : Ayur means life, veda means science. The meaning of Ayurveda is science of life. It is eternal Ayurveda can be defined as a system, which uses the inherent Principles of nature, to help maintaining health in a person by keeping the individual's body mind and spirit in perfect equilibrium with nature. It is believed that these principles were discovered by Brahma, the creator himself. The fundamentals of Ayurveda can be found in Hindu scriptures called the veda's. The Rig, The Yajur, The Sama, The Atharvana Veda are the four types of vedas. The Rig veda which was written over 6,000 yrs ago, contains a series prescription that can help humans to overcome various ailments.
The Goddees was Sri SornambigaiAmman, This temple was considered to be world's first Navapashana Lingam. Here he desired in such a way that very large lingam in 8 feet and within that small 1 feetNavapashanam Lingam, Just like Human body with heart inside. Here poojas to god and all important festivals were done according to Vedic Shastras by well shastri's. People from all over India and also from overseas visit here to worship Lord Navapashana Lingam.VibuthiPrasadanam given in this temple is very sacred as it is made up of purely herbal medicine.
Current Management : Dr. S.B. Nithyanandam B.A.M.S son of the illustrious Legend Dr. Sri Brahmananda Swamigal was the chief physician of Agasthiyar Siddha Ayurveda Hospital. He was graduated under Dr. M.G.R Medical University Tamilnadu, India. Like his father he was well educated, well versed in siddha and Ayurvedic Medicine. He uses his own way of traditional method of healing patients as target by his father Dr.BrahmanandaSwamigal. Having widely travelled in India and Overseas (like Malaysia, Ukraine etc..) and possess a clear vision in saving life of many patients through his traditional method of siddha and Ayurvedic medicine.
Ayurveda is one of the oldest, probably the oldest, medical systems in the world. We have proof for it in the oldest religious book- the Rig Veda. Though the Vedas speak about different herbs indifferent places, the most famous hymn is the ‘THE HEALING PLANTS’ hymn in Rig Veda (10-97). Western World is using Indian herbs in their popular medicines for jaundice (Eclipta alba= Karisalankanni) and heart problem (Rawolfia serpentine= Sarpagandhi).
The hymns about herbs indicate the beliefs of Vedic society. They believed that the herbs and the amulets made out of them can do wonders. The herbs will cure all the diseases, flush out the poison from the blood and even attract men towards wives. They associated all herbs with soma plant and moon. They attributed magical and divine qualities to herbs. Ancient Hindus were botanists and environmentalists. They studied their surroundings well. They used plants as similes in poems. Hundreds and hundreds of plant names are in Tamil and Sanskrit literature.
The Vedic hymn in Tenth Mandala (10-97) mentions 107 herbs. Unfortunately we don’t know the names of those 107 herbs; but we do come across hundreds of herbs in the Ayurvedic books of Charaka and Susrutha. Here is the oldest medical hymn in the world:
1.The tawny plants were born in the ancient times, three ages before the gods; now I will meditate upon their hundred and seven forms.
2.Mothers, you have a hundred forms and a thousand growths. You have a hundred ways of working, make this man whole for me.
Please note the word “ancient”, “three ages before the Gods”. Vedas are the oldest religious books in the world. They talk about ‘ ancient ‘ times! I have already written a post “how old is Indian civilisation?”. Also note the numbers 100, 1000. We were the ones who taught the world decimal system; without decimal system no worthy calculations can be done. I am skipping a few lines in the hymn.
Picture of Susruthar Statue in Haridwar.
5.In the sacred fig tree is your home; in the tree of leaves your dwelling place has been made. You will surely win a cow as your share if you win a man (if you cure this man)
Please note Brahmins use Peepal tree (Aswaththa; Ficus religiosa) from the days of Indus/Sarasvathy civilization until today. All Homams, Havans, Yagas and Yagnas done by Brahmins on day to day basis use only Fig tree sticks.
19.You plants whose king is Soma, spread out over the earth as you were sent by Brihaspati: unite your power in this plant.
20. Do not harm the man who digs you up, nor him for whom nor I dig you up; let all our two footed and four footed creatures be without sickness.
Please note the Vedic priests pray not only for human beings but also for animals! How kind they were!
All the Hindu fire ceremonies use at least nine different types of herbs (wooden sticks) in the fire. No proper scientific study has been done so far. Because of our carelessness we even lost the full knowledge of the 107 herbs.
Miracle Herbs in Atharva Veda
Of the four Vedas, Atharvana Veda is the most useful Veda. It contains verses for marriage, birth and death. It contains talismans for good sex life and herbs for healthy life. Now I will give the details about the herbs:
AV Kanda 2
Jangida mani
For the sake of a long life and for the sake of happiness, I wear an amulet (mani) made of jangida. It will increase my strength and will dry up all manner of ill health (The jangida was a plant that was cultivated so that charms and amulets could be made out of it).
AV Kanda 3
Parna mani
This powerful parna mani (amulet) has come so that it may destroy enemies through its powers. This amulet is like the strength of the gods of the gods and the juice of all herbs. May it energise me.
This sukta is about an amulet made out of the leaves of the palasha tree.
“O, parna mani! You are a leaf, but you are the protector of my body. May you increase my valour. I will wear your energy on my person for an entire year.
AV Kanda 4
Prayer for removing poison (from the tip of arrow)
O poison! The celestial bird Garuda drank you up and you could do no harm. You could not make him mad or unconscious; you were like food for him.
O poisonous plant! What has the one who dug you up out of the ground achieved? What has the mountain on which you grew achieved? Their efforts have all come to nought.
The juice of the herb named varana nullifies all poison. This juice is like amrita itself and with its help, I purge you of all poison.
O poisonous plant that has led to the unconsciousness! I will fling you aside like an arrow. The juice of my herb will banish you the way a useless utensil is discarded. I repulse the poison with this herb.
AV Kanda 5
The herb Kushta
“ O, herb who are named Kushta! You grow on the mountains. Descend here from the mountains so that you may cure disease.
Heaven is thrice removed from earth. The divine asvaththa tree grows in heaven. It is there that the gods obtained the immortal kushta plant.
Oh, kushta plant! Make this patient sit up. Make him healthy and remove his ailment.
You were born from the gods. The soma herb is your friend. You are like the breath of life; you cure diseases of the eye. Grant this patient happiness.
You were born in the Himalayas. You bring welfare to mankind. Justly is your praise is chanted. You cure diseases of the eye and the head. You purge the body of bad blood and increase one’s strength. You have the power of healing.
Shilachi or Laksha
The night is your mother. The sky is your father and your grandfather is the sun himself. You are known as Shilachi. You are the sister of the gods.
(Shilachi was a medicinal plant, chiefly used to repair fractures. It is subsequently referred to as Arundhati).
He who drinks your juice lives. You are the one who protects men. You are the one who nourishes and cures.
Like a man embracing a woman, you climb round every tree. You are the one who grants victory and a long life. You are also known as Sparani.
You are to be found in the trees bhadra, plaksha, asvaththa, khadira (acacia) and dhava. You are to be found in the parna (palasha) and the nyagrodha (fig tree). You are the plant that heals all wounds. Come to me.
AV Kanda 6
Hair growing herb Revati
O Revati herb! Great are your healing powers great is your strength.make us well. Grant us an abundance of hair. Make our hair luxuriant. (We are not able to identify revati now).
AV Kanda 7
A wife’s prayer
“ I dig up this herb from the ground. This herb will attract his attention towards me. This is the herb that protects one from all misfortunes and prevents one from falling prey to temptation. It will bring him back to me and it will grant happiness.
“This herb is named asuri. It is this herb that gave Indra the power to rule over gods. I use it to obtain power over my husband so that I may always be loved by him.
“O,herb! You obtain your serenity from the moon and your energy from the sun. The other gods bestow divine qualities on you. It is for that reason that I praise you.
AV Kanda 8
Heaven and earth will elevate you. The god who is the preserver will elevate you. All the herbs, led by their king Soma, will grant you protection. They will make you rise above earth.
There are 650 English and Tamil articles in my blogs on similar subjects. Enjoy reading! Contact swami_48@yahoo.com
Health is wealth is a popular saying in many Indian languages. The message is same, but they convey it in different ways. The Tamils developed a medical system called Siddha therapy 2000 years ago. Siddha is a person who has attained some extraordinary powers – both mental and physical. Siddha system is similar to Ayurveda – another old medical system of India. Like Ayurveda, Siddha also treats the imbalances of the three body humours called vatha/wind, pitha/bile and kapha/phlem. Siddha men used herbs and minerals to treat the sick patients.
Both Ayuerveda and Siddha believed in the principles of ‘a sound mind in a sound body’ and ‘prevention is better than cure’. The Hindu Upanishads say ‘the soul can’t be reached by a weak person’ (na ayamathma balaheenena labya – Mundakopanishad).
These indigenous systems create an awareness of diseases and emphasize the importance of healthy life. Unlike western medicines they guide you through your everyday life- literally from morning till night. They tell you what to eat and what not during a particular day or a particular time of the day. They tell you with what you should brush your teeth and which direction you should lay your head in the bed. The proverbs, similes, sayings and actual medical writings in Sanskrit and Tamil supply enough evidence for it.
Who gave the world Homeopathy?
We are told that Homeopathy was developed by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843).But Indians know the principle long ago and are practising it in their day to day life.
The basic principles of Homeopathy are:
(1) ‘Like cures Likes’;
(2) ‘Symptoms of diseases are body’s self healing processes’ and
(3) ‘If one is administered with very dilute dose of what causes the disease, one will be cured of the disease’
When Hindus go to a holy place, they won’t drink or bathe in the water at once. Even when they go to temple tanks or holy rivers they will take three sips of water and sprinkle it on their head. Then they will use it for washing their feet and hands ,bathing etc. This small dose of three sips of water (Brahmins call it Achamana) will help them to avoid all the diseases from that particular water source. In those days, water was the main source of diseases. The mineral contents, temperature, taste and quality of water were different from place to place. There was no chlorination or protected water supply for the public. Even today one can practise this ‘achamanam’ and avoid getting diseases from water. The diluted water-in small quantity- gives immunity to us from the germs and other impurities. So Hindus know the principle of Homeopathy ‘Like cures Likes’. No need to say that we should remeber other basic rules about hygiene.
The rule for doing ‘achamana’ (sipping of water) is that the amount of water you take should submerge only one black gram seed (Urad Dhal in Hindi and Masha in Sanskrit). So when you do it three times you would have taken water that submerges only three seeds-so little. When Hindus did it they recite Lord Vishnu’s names: 1.Achyutaya Namaha 2.Ananthaya Namaha 3.Govindaya Namaha
Tamil book Tirukkural 1102 and Natrinai 140 also talk about this principle but in the context of a love sick woman’s look. “For the disease caused by this beautiful maid, she herself is the cure”-says Tirukkural. Like cures Likes!
What is the secret of black hair?
Stress triggers or complicates most of the diseases is a modern discovery. But a Tamil Cankam poet called Pisiranthaiyar who lived 2000 years ago gives the secret of his black hair at a ripe old age in a beautiful Tamil poem.
When Pisiranthaiyar went to see the great Chola king Kopperun cholan (who was starving himself to death following an ancient Tamil rite) all were amazed to see an old poet without any grey hair. When they asked about the secret of his black hair, he sang;
“How can it be you don’t have any grey hair, through you have lived for many years?
You have asked the question and I will give you an answer!
My children have gone far in learning. My wife is rich in her virtue!
My servants do what I wish and my king, who shuns corruption, protects us!
And in my city there are many noble men who through deep knowledge, have acquired calm, have become self controlled, and the choices they make in their lives are built on the quality of restraint.”
-(Purananuru 191 by Pisiranthaiyar)
To put it in a nutshell:
My son is well educated
My wife is very cooperative
My servants are obedient
My king is a good ruler
My town is full of scholars
If one has all these, one need not worry. If you lead a care free life, you won’t get stressed. You will be ever young like Markandeya. Modern science says that stress triggers blood pressure, heart diseases, cancer and diabetes .
You are what you eat is in all our scriptures. Lord Krishna speaks in detail about the three kinds of food (Bhagavad Gita –chapter 17) and what qualities one gets from those. There is a beautiful saying as well:
“One fourth of what you eat keeps you alive and three fourths of what you eat keeps your doctor alive”
(From an Egyptian Inscription)
1,2,3,4 Out!
Similar to this, there is a very good poem in he Tamil book ‘Neethi Neri Vilakkam’:
If one eats once a day he is a YOGI.
If anyone eats twice a day, that person is a BOGI (enjoyer of life)
If one eats three times a day, that person is a ROGI (sick person)
If one eats four times a day, that person is a Pogi (Tamil word for gone for ever/dead)
We know very well that indigestion is the root cause of all problems. Too much food leads to indigestion or obesity. This leads to other complications.
Tirukkural written by Tiruvalluvar has a full chapter (Chapter 95-Medicine) on the basic principles of Tamil medical science.
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It is a well known fact that the Ancient Indians made tremendous advancements in the field of medical sciences. The Ayurveda and Siddha medical systems were widely practised for the benefit of the general public. Charaka and Susrutha wrote great treatises. A lot of surgical instruments, surgeries like rhinoplasty (plastic surgery for nose), hundreds of medicinal plants and thousands of medicines were listed by them. They were not only appreciated in India but reached western world through Arabic translations nearly one thousand years ago. The old medical books in Sanskrit and Tamil run in to several thousand pages.
Though Charaka, Susrutha,Vagbhata and Agastya are known to many even in the western world, one important surgery went unnoticed by many scholars. There is a very interesting story about a Pandya king in ancient Tamil literature. The king lived two thousand years ago is known from the Tamil epic Silappathikaram (Ref.Mathurai Kandam-Katturai Kaathai) dated around second century AD. A Pandya king was fitted with an artificial hand made of gold; he was known only as the Golden Handed Pandya. Nobody knows his real name even today. One more old Tamil book refer to this story (Ref. Pazamozi Naanuru).
The Story:
The story according to the epic runs like this: a Pandya king was going through the streets of Madurai (the second largest city of Tamil Nadu in South India) in disguise during the night. In the olden days kings used to visit their subjects and observe the general public in disguise to feel the pulse of the populace. Though the ancient Arthashastra of Kautilya speaks of kings employing spies for this purpose, the monarchy always wanted to know what the people feel about them or the country directly.(Every Hindu knew what Rama did to Sita just because a washer man raised some doubts about the purest woman Sitadevi). So much importance was given to the opinion of general public – absolute democracy!
When the Pandya king was passing by a house the lights were on at the dead of night and he heard a conversation. A brahimn by name Keeranthai was consoling his crying wife with these words, ”Darling, don’t worry too much about your safety and security. I am only going to be away for a very short period. Our great king is there to protect all the citizens. Nothing will go wrong in this just place”. As soon as the king heard this conversation he felt some big responsibility fell on his shoulders. So he increased his ward rounds and kept an eye on that house. Months passed. To his surprise he saw light again in the same house at the dead of night. He heard someone talking. In a hurry he mistook that person for a stranger and knocked at the door to scare away the stranger. Alas, it was not a stranger. It was her own husband Keeranthai himself who had just returned from his tour. When Keeranthai shouted back, the king realised his mistake.
One stupid mistake will make you to do more stupid things to hide the first one. It is human nature. So the king knocked at all the houses in the brahmin street and ran away to his palace. Next day a battalion of brahmins went to the palace and complained about what happened the previous night. The king, after patiently listening to their complaints, said to them that the ‘thief’ was already caught. All his ministers were surprised to hear his statement. The king did not stop there. He asked the opinion of the complainants what should be the punishment for that ‘thief’. Everyone shouted in chorus to follow the Hammurabi law: a hand for hand, an eye for an eye. The hand that knocked on the doors must be cut off. Before a second lapsed the king drew his sword and cut off the hand with which he had knocked on the doors the previous night. When he narrated the incident, the whole world praised his justice. The royal physicians rushed for his help and attached a gold hand to his arm. He came to be known as a Gold Hand Pandya in Tamil “Por Kai Pandyan”.
This is a story to elucidate the justice that was followed in ancient Tamil Nadu. No medical information was given about fixing the artificial limb but it didn’t surprised any Indian (please read my article Why do British Judges follow a TamilKing?) because they practised either the Ayurveda or the Siddha medical system.
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My friends get annoyed whenever I say, “it is already said in our Hindu scriptures”, interrupting their scientific discussions. One of my friends became very bold and challenged me one day in front of everyone. “Look, if we say Darwin gave us Theory of Evolution, you say it is already in our Dasavatar starting from fish and finishing with a super man Kalki avatar, if we say that Copernicus said that the earth was round you say that is already there in the books of Aryabhatta and Varahamihira, if we say that Columbus discovered America, you say that Hindus welcomed him when he landed there, Right, I accept you invented or discovered Chess, Zero, Algebra, many theorems and the Arabic numerals. Now tell me what your Hindus have already discovered, but the world is yet to discover them”. This challenge gave me the shock of my life. I asked him for a week’s time and found out some interesting things. Read the following:
Venus and Rain: Tamil literature and Sanskrit literature associate Venus with the rains. Astronomers and meteorologists will discover that Venus has a link with the rains in future. If Venus goes towards south, the world will have a drought (going south is an astrological jargon to denote appearing towards south). The Vedas and Tamil literature talk about twelve year long droughts. So the scientists will find out that the position of Venus has an impact on world’s weather.
We know that the sun has a big role in the growth of plants. We read plants make food by photosynthesis using sun light. But Sanskrit literature is very clear and loud in saying moon’s rays give energy to the plants. So biologists will find out soon the link between the moon and the plants. But Hindus never denied Sun’s role.
Sanskrit Navagraha Stotras (hymns on nine heavenly bodies) gives the relationship between the planets. Hindus have already found out that Jupiter is the largest and heaviest planet and named it GURU appropriately. Guru means leader, teacher and heavy in Sanskrit. Mars is called Red planet by Tamil and Sanskrit poets. Mars is already confirmed red by scientists. Mars is called Bhumi Puthra/ son of earth. Scientists also believe Mars may have water and life.
Saturn is called a black planet by Sangam Tamil poets and Sanskrit poets (Maim meen in Tamil and Neela in Sanskrit). Saturn will be confirmed black by scientists in future. It is also called chaya puthra (son of shadow as well as son of sun). Hindus said that Saturn has a son called Manthi. It corresponds to the ring (Mantle) around it.
Planet Mercury is called “son of moon”. Science is yet to prove the link between the two heavenly bodies. Probably mercury came into existence because of moon. When moon or/ and another body collided with earth mercury might have born. Science will prove Hindus are right about mercury .
Venus is described as the “son of sun”. Scientists will prove the link between the sun and Venus. We already know that Venus is the brightest object in the sky next to sun and moon. It is always with the sun (it can be seen either at dawn or at sunset).
Aliens in Hindu scriptures: Hindus describe the alien (E.T.) features very clearly 1. Aliens can’t have sex or give birth in their world. If they want to have sex or give birth they have to come to earth. 2. They don’t perspire 3. Their feet won’t touch the earth/ always floating 4. They don’t wink 5. They can travel to earth and go back to their world. 6. They are happy and they don’t need to eat.7. Their garlands never wither away 8. They always shine like dazzling lights. Whenever Hindus describe about Indra’s visit to earth they say the whole area was shining like sun. Even Madurai city was founded when a businessman was crossing the forest of Katampa trees in the middle of night watched Indra doing Puja shining brilliantly at the dead of night. Scientists will find a place like heaven soon or confirm the existence of such a place in the universe.
Futurology: Before the scientists and Nostradamus predicted the future, Mahabharata (vanaparvam) and Bhavishya Purana described what will happen at the end of Kaliyuga. The description was similar to the Nuclear winter. We realised it only when we watched the film “The Day After”.
Concept of Time: Hindu concept of time is completely different from the western concept of time. Hindus believe that they can get out of time and watch it from the top of Time mountain. They can be part of it or get out and travel back and forth. But very rarely they interfere in it. (read my article Time Travel by Two Tamil Saints). I don’t say that Einstein is wrong. But we know a way (Time warps) to get out of time and travel between three worlds (Heavenly singer Narada is called Triloka Sanjari/one who travels between three worlds. Here three worlds may mean present, past, future).
Brahmastra & Nuclear weapon: Hindus can produce weapons by mantras (spells). These weapons are similar to nuclear weapons but sound based. They knew the power of water (Hydrogen and Oxygen). Whether it is a curse or boon they always use water along with the mantra.(please read my article Is Brahmastra a Nuclear Weapon? and Do Word Have Power? The Science of curses and boons.)
When the first nuclear device exploded in 1945 ,Father of the Atomic bomb J.Robert Oppenheimer, an American physicist, burst in to a Bhagavad Gita sloka(Chapter 11,verse 32) where Krishna says ,” Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of worlds”. He said these words after witnessing a huge fire ball that brightened the sky for many miles producing huge mushroom cloud. Now the chapter 11 fits very well with the description of Black Holes. Nothing is destroyed but they come back (in time) is the message given by Krishna. Scientists will slowly come to that conclusion about Black Holes.
If you want to go from Madras to London you travel by aeroplane. It is covering a vast distance – ie through three-dimensional space. But if you want to travel from 2011 to 1000 AD, the time when Raja Raja Chola built the Big Temple in Thanjavur, you have to travel through time. Or if you want to travel to the future, for example, 2050 then again you have to travel through time.
This concept already exists in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. But it became very popular through the writing of HG Wells and films based on his book, The Time Machine. In recent years we have lots of science fiction TV serials. If we can invent a time machine then we can sit inside and travel back even to the days of Emperor Asoka or the Rig Veda.
One question often asked is whether we would just be observers or whether we could participate in the events that happened 1000 years ago. Suppose I travel back in time with an AK 47 gun and shoot down Raja Raja Chola. What would happen to history as we know it after his death. He had a son by the name of Rajendra Chola. Would he still exist in history after I shot Raja Raja? This paradox is commonly known as the Grandfather Paradox. There are various theories about parallel universes to answer this question.
Two strange miracle stories indicate that our Tamil saints travelled back in time for the sake of their devotees. Not only did they go back in time and but they also interfered with events and changed the course of “history”. There is no such story in anywhere else in Hindu mythology.
I have already mentioned in my article Do Hindus believe in Aliens and ETs? The story of Revati, the episode of Arjuna’s travel to Indraloka (heaven) and Sambandhar reviving a dead person were dealt with in that article. India is full of mysteries and miracles. Just around Chennai there are more than 50 Siddhar Samadhis. Each Siddhar performed a lot of miracles. But what Sundarar and Tiru Gnana Sambandhar did 1000 years ago is baffling.
Often, we hear of stories where a person that was bitten by a snake is revived by a miracle man. At least here we may interpret that the person was bitten by a non-poisonous snake and may have fainted out of fear rather than died. But in the story of Sambandhar and Sundarar, two of the Four Great Saivite Saints, no such interpretation is possible.
This is what happened: Anecdote 1
Sambandhar visited Madras 1300 years ago. He was welcomed by a rich merchant called Sivanesar. Sivanesar was very sad and cried when Sambandhar met him. When the saint asked the reason for his sadness he narrated what happened to his daughter Poompavai several years ago. When she went to pluck some flowers in the garden, she was bit by a snake and fainted. All the efforts to revive her failed and she died. Sivanesar kept the ashes and bones in an urn after cremating her body. When Sambandhar visited Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore, Chennai, Sambandhar asked him to bring the urn containing the ashes and bones. The saint sang a hymn beginning with the Tamil words “Mattitta Punnai”. Even before the saint finished the tenth song, the pot broke open and a beautiful twelve year old girl came out and stood before them. She was none other than the girl Poompavai, Sivanesar’s daughter. When he offered her hand to Sambandhar he politely declined the offer by saying that she was like his own daughter because he revived her. The mystery in the story is that Poompavai had grown since her death. This means Sambandhar went back in time and revived her at that point of time and brought her back with full growth to compensate the lost years. Another interesting thing about this hymn is all the important festivals of ancient Tamils such as Onam, Karthikai lamp festival, Arudra day, Thai Pusam, Masi sea bathing and Panguni Uththiram are mentioned in the decad, providing a unique record of their existence.
Anecdote 2
The second story is about Sundarar reviving a boy who was devoured by a crocodile. There lived a boy called Avinasi Lingam, Son of Gangadharan, in Avinasi, a town in Tamil Nadu. One day Avinasi Lingam went with other boys to a tank to bathe. It was a beautiful lotus tank. Suddenly Avinasi Lingam’s feet were caught by a crocodile and he cried for help. The boy who lived next door to him ran back to town and brought the elders. But Avinasi Lingam disappeared and nobody dared to step in to the tank. The most famous Hindu saint Adi Shankara was also caught by a crocodile, but he came alive after his mother promised him to give him second birth in the way of Sanyasam.
Two years after this incident Sundara visited the Brahmin street where one house was celebrating happily the Punul Kalyanam (Sacred Thread ceremony for the boy), but the opposite house was engulfed in sadness. When he came to know about what happened two years ago, he went straight to the tank and prayed to Lord Siva to return the boy. The crocodile came and spat the boy out. The boy, not only came alive intact but also aged to compensate for the lost two years. This is another instance of Time Travel by a Tamil saint. He went back in time by two years and changed the course of “history”.
The people who wrote about these anecdotes clearly expressed surprise when the boy and the girl were grown to compensate the years they lost in “death”. If it is instant revival we can find many reasonable scientific explanations. Here there is no ambiguity or exaggeration. Sundarar’s miracle decad begins with the Tamil words “Etraan Marakeen Ezumaikkum”. Avinasi is forty kilometres from Coimbatore.
(Please read my article Do Hindus believe in Aliens? Where in I have explained how Hindus view Time. We believe there is more to it than what Einstein had discovered)
By London Swaminathan Post No.840 Date.14th February 2014 (valentine day)
“ And of feminine beings I am fame (Kirti), prosperity (Sri), speech (Vak), memory (Smrti), intelligence (Medha), firmness (Dhrti) and patience (Kshama) – Bhagavad Gita 10—34
47 years ago, I and my brothers attended a meeting organised at Madurai Victoria Edward Hall (also known as Regal Talkies). Dr Ushar Budh of Sanskrit Department of Minnesota University addressed the gathering (Later he has become a Sanyai). He gave us an inspiring talk. He quoted some hymns from the Vedas and challenged the crowd to show a more beautiful love duet from any Indian film. Hindus never saw sex as a taboo, unlike other religions. But they were against any public display of it, which we see in today’s Western Valentine Day parties.
Marriage Hymns
The Vedic hymns used in the Hindu weddings are beautiful ones. They praise the bride as a Maha Rani (Great queen/Empress.
A few Vedic Wedding Mantras सखा सप्तपदा भव । सखायौ सप्तपदा बभूव । सख्यं ते गमेयम् । सख्यात् ते मायोषम् । सख्यान्मे मयोष्ठाः ।
You have walked seven steps with me; be my friend. We have walked seven steps together; let us be friends. Let me get your friendship. Let me not part from your friendship. May you not part from my friendship. [ Note: This is recited by the groom after taking the seven steps around the altar. (विवाह कर्मकाण्ड - vivaaha karmakaaNDa) ]
I am the sky and you are the earth. I am the giver of energy and you are the receiver. I am the mind and you are the word. I am (saama) music and you are the song (RRik). You and I follow each other. [ Note: This is recited by the groom after taking the seven steps around the altar. (विवाह कर्मकाण्ड - vivaaha karmakaaNDa) ]
Thought was pillow; and the sight the collyrium of the eyes; heaven and earth were her treasure box, when Surya went to her spouse. (Matras are taken from samskrutam.com;thanks).
Sex is sanctified in Hinduism. We can sing sexy songs like Gita Govindam in public. We can enact sexy acts in street corner dances known as Kama Dahanam, one day before Holi.
Lover/Beloved simile in Bhagavad Gita
Even in a religious book like the Bhagavad Gita we read a simile about lover and beloved! Arjuna says (11-44): Therefore bowing down and prostrating my body before you, Adorable Lord, I seek thy grace. Thou ,O God shouldst bear with me as a father to his son, as a friend to his friend, as a lover to his beloved. These human relations find in God their fullest realization and later Vaishnava literature utilizes these ideas more fully, says Dr Radhakrishnan in hiss Gita commentary.
Rishi Status to sex writer Vatsyayana , author of the Kamasutra and grammarian Panini were given the status of divine poets. No other religion gives so much importance to sex. But they always keep it within a limit. Family life is one of the four stages of a human being’s life. Brahmacharya, Grihastha (Married life), Vanaprastha (retired or forest life) and Sanyasa ( renunciation) are the four stages prescribed in Hindu scriptures.
Dharma Artha Kama & Moksha Hindu’s four goals in life are Dharma (religious law) Artha (wealth) Kama (Pleasure) & Moksha (liberation). The great Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar also divided his book Tirukkural into three parts Dharma, Artha and Kama in the same order. Oldest Tamil book Tolkappiam also refers to it. They never excluded Kama/ pleasure through married life.
Sex in Tamil Veda Tirukkural
Tiru Valluvar, author of Tirukkural, used the Sanskrit word Kama though out his book (Kama gave the English word Amorous). Early Christian missionaries refused to translate the third chapter of the Tamil Veda Tirukkural, written around 5th century AD (31 BC is a fake date given by the Tamil enthusiasts. See my earlier posts).
The last couplet in the book runs like this, Sweet are quarrels in love when the quarrels end in the bliss of a close embrace — Kural 1330 Is there a heaven happier than the sulking here of hearts that unite in love like water and earth — Kural 1323.
Roman poet Publius terentius afer (190-159 BC) sais in Latin ‘Amarantium irae amoris integrationist’
“The quarrels of lovers are the renewal of love.” Andria. Act iii. Sc. 3, 23. (555.) Another quote giving the same view
The quarrels of lovers are like summer showers, that leave the country more verdant and beautiful. —Madame Necker
Gita Govindam of Jayadeva Jeyadeva’s Gita Govindam is sung in all the traditional Bhajans in South India. Some of them are considered very sexy. But that was divine love, far above the carnal love. Swami Vivekananda, in his lecture on Gopi’s , says that their love towards Krishna was divine. Even to understand this love one’s heart must be as pure as Sukha’s, Vyasa’s son. Incidentally the earliest reference to Gopis is in the 2000 year old Sangam Tamil literature!
The devotional movement laid several paths to reach God. One can see God as his master or a lover or a friend. In the Nayaka- Nayaki (hero/heroine) Bhava one can see God as a lover. In Tamil Nadu Saivite and Vaishnavite girls fast during a particular month (December/January) singing the glory of Shiva and Vishnu as lovers. Manikka Vasagar’s Tiruvembavai and Andal’s Tiruppavai have such songs.
Though we have some sex manual in Greek and songs similar to Nayaka/Nayaki in the Bible, they were no comparison to what we have here in Sanskrit and Tamil literature.
Love marriage is one of the eight types marriage approved by the Hindu scriptures. Swayamvaram, which is not found anywhere in the world, is a unique Hindu way of a woman choosing her would be husband from among her suitors. This was mainly done by the royal families.
Except the public display of sex, all the modern methods were tried and tested in India.
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Pictures are taken from the news papers and Souvenirs.
During war times and military expeditions, army personnel use coded language so that the enemies wouldn‘t understand the message. But in the ancient world this secret language was used for different purposes. According to encyclopaedias it was used in Egypt 5000 years ago followed by Greece. Though the Vedic seers sang that they delight speaking in secret language we are not able to give concrete examples. Scholars have acknowledged the symbolism in the Vedas, but not the encrypted language.
When Vyasa requested Lord Ganesh to write the longest epic in the world, Lord Ganesh agreed to do it on a condition. He will have to write it without stopping. If it all Vyasa couldn’t compose the couplets that fast, he has to find another person to do the job. Clever Vyasa agreed to do it, but put one condition to Lord Ganesh that he should write only when he understood what he wrote. There started the puzzles, encrypted language etc. Once again we have no proof for the puzzles or encrypted language from Mahabharata, though this story is popular. Ancient Hindus followed a system called Katapayadi system to remember the words and numbers easily. This system assigned letters to numerals. No 18= JaYa (old name of Mahabharata).
Personally I think the coded language evolved in India and I will attribute the above facts as a proof for this.
But Dr.Simon Sing, a London based author, gives concrete example of encrypted language in his book ‘The Code Book’. It is very interesting that we have the first example in the sex manual- Kama Sutra!
64 Arts for Women
Following is an excerpt from his book:
“ One of the earliest descriptions of encryption by substitution appears in the Kama Sutra, a text written in the fourth century AD by the Brahmin scholar Vatsyayana, but based on manuscripts dating back to fourth century BC. The Kama sutra recommends that women should study 64 arts, such as cooking dressing, massage and preparation of perfumes. The list also includes some less obvious arts, namely conjuring, chess, book binding and carpentry. Number 45 on the list is Mlechita-vikalpa, the art of secret writing, advocated in order to help women conceal the details of their liaisons. One of the recommended techniques is to pair letters of the alphabet at random, then substitute each letter in the original message with its partner. If we apply the principle to the Roman alphabet, we could pair letters as follows:
A D H I K M O R S U W Y Z
V X B G J C Q L N E F P T
Then, instead of MEET AT MIDNIGHT, the sender would write CU UZ VZ CGXSGIBZ. This form of secret writing is called a substitution cipher because each letter in the plaintext is substituted for a different letter, thus acting in a complimentary way to the transposition of cipher. In transposition each letter retains its identity but changes its position, where as in substitution each letter change its identity but retains its position.
The first documented use of substitution cipher for military purposes appears in Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars. Caesar describes how he sent a message to Cicero, who was besieged and on the verge of surrendering”.
Lot of interesting anecdotes are in the book. Simon Sing’s another popular book is The Fermat’s Last theorem.
This is Part 5 in Indo-Egyptian Connections. Please read
part 1. Did Indians build Egyptian Pyramids?
Part 2. Vedas and Egyptian Pyramid Texts
3. Vishnu in Egyptian Pyramids
4. Hindu Gods in Egyptian Pyramids
before reading this 5th part: London Swaminathan.
During Valentine Day and other occasions girls and women are sent cards with the picture of an arrow piercing the heart of a woman. Though many of us are familiar with such Greeting Cards, a lot of people don’t know this symbol has come from the Atharva Veda. Throughout Sanskrit literature we read Manmathan, God Of Love, shooting five arrows made up of flowers to pierce the heart of a lover. We see it first in the Vedas in the earliest time. The concept of Cupid’s arrow has travelled to different parts of the world from India.
Hindus scored many firsts in the world: First Grammar book in the world—Ashtadyaye of Panini, First Sex Manual—Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana, First Dictionary of Synonyms—Amarakosham of Amarasimhan, First religious Book- Rig Veda, First Maths Book with Pythagoras Theorem etc by Bodhayana, First Logic Book …………I can keep on adding over 100 Firsts. But that is beyond the scope of this article.
Read the Atharva Veda Mantra given below and note the words Heart, Arrow etc.
III, 25. Charm to arouse the passionate love of a woman.
1. May (love), the disquieter, disquiet thee; do not hold out upon thy bed! With the terrible arrow of Kâma (love) do I pierce thee in the heart.2. The arrow, winged with longing, barbed with love, whose shaft is undeviating desire, with that, well-aimed, Kâma shall pierce thee in the heart! 3. With that well-aimed arrow of Kâma which parches the spleen, whose plume flies forward, which burns up, do I pierce thee in the heart. 4. Consumed by burning ardour, with parched mouth, do thou (woman) come to me, pliant, (thy) pride laid aside, mine alone, speaking sweetly and to me devoted! 5. I drive thee with a goad from thy mother and thy father, so that thou shalt be in my power, shalt come up to my wish. 6. All her thoughts do ye, O Mitra and Varuna, drive out of her! Then, having deprived her of her will put her into my power alone!
II, 30. Charm to secure the love of a woman.
1. As the wind tears this grass from the surface of the earth, thus do I tear thy soul, so that thou, woman, shalt love, shalt not be averse to me! 2. If ye, O two Asvins, shall unite and bring together the loving pair-united are the fortunes of, both of you (lovers), united the thoughts, united the purposes! 3. When birds desire to chirp, lustily desire to chirp, may my call go there, as an arrow-point upon the shaft! 4. What is within shall be without, what is without shall be within! Take captive, O herb, the, soul of the maidens endowed with every charm! 5. Longing for a husband this woman hath come, I have come longing for a wife, As a loudly neighing horse I have attained to my good fortune!
(Translation by Maurice Bloomfield, Year 1897).
Now read the Egyptian ‘Mantra’:
We have seen the attributes of Egyptian God Thoth in the Fifth part of this series. One other attribute of Thoth is his skill in magic. Thoth knew magic spells. It was known that he possessed spells such as this one, which was cast to ensure that one’s love was returned: “should she drink, eat or sleep with anyone else, I shall cast upon her ear, I shall cast a spell upon her breath, I shall cast a spell upon her three physical apertures; but in particular I shall cast a spell upon her vulva, which I wish to penetrate, until she comes to me and until I know what is in her heart, what she has been doing, what she is thinking of now, immediately, immediately’ (National Library, Paris, Greek Manuscript, IV 147-153).
Picture: T shirt with Manmatha’s arrow as described in Atharva Veda
AC Das View
A.C.Das showed that the Egyptian religion has a close similarity with the worship of gods –Siva, Kama and Kalaratri. He thought it is probable that the Egyptians had the knowledge of a god equivalent to Brahma ( AC Das –Rig Vedic India, Vol.II,Ch.XII). Das believed that the Egyptians migrated from Pandyan Kingdom in the transition from Vedic to Puranic periods.
Double statue of Amenemhet III (1844-1797 BC) has fish emblem like the Pandyas of Tamil Nadu.
Daksha -Shiva clash in Egypt
Indians are very familiar with the clash between Daksha and Lord Shiva. This story is also found in Egyptian literature in a slightly different way. Once when Daksha performed a big Yagna (Fire Sacrifice), Sati went to attend it uninvited. Daksha spoke to her rudely insulting her husband Shiva in front all those assembled. Sati (Parvati) was so upset that she jumped into fire rather than hearing the insults. Hearing this, Shiva became furious and destroyed the Yaga of Daksha. He carried his wife’s body on his shoulder like an insane person. Vishnu pacified his anger after cutting the body of Sati with his Sudarsana chakra (Boomerang used by Vishnu). Sati’s body parts fell in different parts of the country and those places became holy shrines of Goddess Shakti.
Egyptian Version:
Osiris was one of the oldest gods of Egypt. He was worshipped for 3400 years until 400 AD. He was compared with Lord Shiva. His parents were Geb and Nut. He was born with four siblings including his sister Isis, who became his consort. His adversary was Seth. Isis gave birth to god Horus by impregnating herself with the semen of Osiris after his death. Seth found Osiris body and cut into 14 pieces and scattered them along the Nile valley. But Seth missed Osris’ penis. Isis found all the parts and buried them at the sites of various sanctuaries. She restored the penis with replica which became the focus of Osirian cult. This is similar to our Shiva Linga worship.
Both the Shiva –Daksha clash and Osiris- Seth clash are symbolical stories. The scattering of the body parts was allegorized with the winnowing and scattering of grains in the fields.
Jain Statues and Egyptian Statues
Jain Thirtankara statues in India look like Egyptian Pharaoh’s statues. Both the figures with bare and broad shoulders stand straight. No one can miss the similarities. We don’t know how this came about. Of the 14 Jain Manus, one of them was Ksemenkara. We have one pharaoh with the name Menkaure.
Nemi was one of the Puranic kings who mummified his body like the Egyptians. He was one of the 24 Jain Thirtankaras.
Abyados was the first capital of ancient Egypt. Peribsen was one of the pharaohs. All these names are similar to Jain names. The pharaohs’ names end with Sen, Khet or Athen. We have all these suffixes in India as Sena, Ketu and Athan. Mahabharata Who’s Who? gives scores of names with Sena and Ketu. Tamil Chera kings have Athan, Kuttuvan suffixes in their names. According to Puranas, Chakora was ruled by Chandra Ketu. We have a big city Saqquara in Egypt. In the earlier parts, I have dealt with the maze (Chakra) in the city.
Via Brooks Hall on Jan 23, 2012
A Book Review.
