Survival Food Series: 3 Ways To Naturally Make Yeast

Tess Pennington
Ready Nutrition
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Where would we be without the discovery of yeast?  Fresh, puffy bread would be non-existent, and need I not mention the fact that beer, wine and alcohol products would cease to exist. Of course, all yeasts were not created equal. Some yeasts are made for making bread and baked goods, and some yeasts are made for distilling spirits.

Knowing ways of making this essential prep would be beneficial to anyone trying tolive off of the food supply they have. Grains, vegetables and fruits are three of the easiest ways to find yeast. Some have even used herbs to get their yeast.

How Does It Work?

Did you know that yeast is actually alive on plants?  As long as it has warmth, moisture, and food to grow, it will stay alive. Fruits, vegetables, herbs, and all edible sources have yeast living on it’s surface. As a result, using different produce will add to the flavor of the bread you make. Simply by soaking the produce in water, you can separate the yeast and use the water it is floating in. The water and yeast actually start the fermentation process that when mixed with flours creates that desirable baked good we love so much. This fermented concoction is also called a bread starter by some.

By using this method, however much water the recipe calls for is how much water to soak the fruit, vegetable, herb or grain in. Those that have used this method rave about raisins as being one of the best fruits to use for acquiring yeast.

Grains

In the book, The Little House Cookbook, Ma Ingalls explains how she ferments her bread dough using what she has on hand,”You start it by putting some flour and warm water in a jar and letting it stand till it sours…”Then you use it, always a little. And put in the scraps of biscuit dough…and add warm water, and cover it and just set it in a warm place.”

Because yeast is already present on grains, when combined with water, the yeast will separate from the grain. As a result of the soaking process, the combination will begin to ferment.

To create this starter you will need:

• 1 1/4 unbleached all-purpose white flour
• 1 cup of warm water
• Glass jar with lid or piece of cheesecloth

1. Mix flour and water in the jar and let stand until the batter bubbles and rises.  This may take anywhere from overnight to a week!

Here is another method you could use

Potatoes

Wild yeast naturally lives on potatoes, as well, making this a popular choice for making distilled spirits, such as vodka. According to the article,”Homemade Yeast: Making and Using Yeast For Bread,” the author states that using potatoes to make yeast starters dates back to 4,000 B.C.

Yeast Starter 1

• one medium potato, unpeeled
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp. sugar

1.  Boil potato in the unsalted water until done. Drain, but save the water.
2. Mash potato then add sugar and salt.
3. Cool to lukewarm, add enough potato water to make one quart of mixture.
4. Cover and set in a warm place and allow to ferment. Note: If the starter is not rising, you can add a package of store bought yeast to speed up the process (but it will be just as good if allowed to ferment without the added yeast). This recipe is about right for a large family requiring more than one loaf for baking.

Yeast Starter 2

• one potato, unpeeled (about the size of a large hen egg)
• 3/4 cup potato water
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• flour

1. Boil potato, drain and save potato water (unsalted).
2. Mash potato well, and then add potato water, sugar and enough flour to make a fairly stiff batter or soft dough.
3. Keep in a warm place until fermenting process is complete.
4. Put mixture in a wide mouth jar and cover loosely–never use a tight fitting lid. In about five or six days it should be ready.

*Bonus* Here’s a quick and easy way to make a potato starter

Fruit Yeasts

Many fruits can be used to make yeast for bread. Oranges, apples, grapefruits, grapes and even dried raisins all have traces of yeast on them. Using yeasts from fruits will create different flavors to the breads that you make. Skins of fruit can be used as well as cores of apples and even tomatoes. The only fruits that should be avoided are kiwi, pineapple and papaya. These fruits contain actinidin, an enzyme that breaks the dough down and it creates a sticky mess.

Fruit Yeast Starter

• 3-4 tbls. raisins (or any fresh or dried fruit)
• bottled water
• clean jar

1. Place raisins in clean jar and pour bottled water into the jar until it is 80% full.
2. Loosely cover the jar and leave at room temperature. This process should take a few days.  You will notice small bubbles and “activity” occurring inside the jar.
3. At this point, all the raisins should be floating at the top. The jar should smell like wine. Once it is done, store in the refrigerator.

*Tip: Adding 1-2 tablespoons of honey or sugar to your mixture speeds up the fermenting process and leads to a better result.

Source

Without yeast, our lives would be void of many of our day-to-day products. Getting back to the basics and learning how to make yeast yourself will give you an invaluable skill to hold onto and share with others. Using different produce such as oranges, potatoes, herbs and grains is not only a great science experiment, but a way for you to play around with the flavors of your favorite bread recipes.

Russians Reveal Kailash Pyramid Mystery

Russians Reveal Kailash Pyramid Mystery http://vedicempire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=73&Itemid=9

Written by Evelina Rioukina, UNECE

Sacred Mt Kailash "Nor should one ignore recent Russian studies of Tibet and the Kailas range in particular, the results of which, if true, could radically alter our thinking on the growth of civilizations. One of the ideas the Russians have put forward is that Mt. Kailas could be a vast, human-built pyramid, the centre of an entire complex of smaller pyramids, a hundred in total. This complex, moreover, might be the centre of a world–wide system connecting other monuments or sites where paranormal phenomena have been observed. It is difficult to explain all the available information in a short article for UN Special. I have copied in the photo below the pyramidal complex as proposed by the Russians. The idea of the pyramid in this region is not new. It goes back to the timeless Sanskrit epic of the Ramayana." Axis Mundi Questions… Enigma… Mysteries… The Axis Mundi, the centre of the universe, the navel of the world, the world pillar, Kang Tisé or Kang Rinpoche (the ‘Precious Jewel of Snow’ in Tibetan), Meru (or Sumeru), Swastika Mountain, Mt. Astapada, Mt. Kangrinboge (the Chinese name) - all these names, real or legendary, belong to one of the holiest and most mysterious mountains in the world – Mount Kailas. Both geography and mythology play roles in the sacred significance of Mount Kailas. This holy mountain rises to an altitude of 6714 meters. It cannot compete with peaks in the nearby Himalayan range, which includes Mount Everest, and its grandeur lies not in height but in its distinct shape – four sheer faces marking the cardinal points of the compass – and its solitary location, free of neighboring mountains that might dwarf or obscure it. Mt. Kailas is regarded as the earthly manifestation of the Hindus’ mythic Mount Meru, or Sumeru, the spiritual center of the universe, the axis mundi in Buddhist and Jain as well as Hindu cosmology. The area around this great mountain is the source of four life-giving rivers; the Indus, Brahmaputra, Surlej and Karnali, which is a major tributary of India’s sacred Ganges, begin here. To further enhance the symbolic mysticism of the mountain as a sacred place, two lakes are situated at the base of the mountain. The higher lake Manasarovar (one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world), is the sacred lake, and is round like the sun. The lower lake Rakhast Tal (one of the highest salt-water lakes) is the devil’s lake and has the shape of the crescent moon. The two lakes represent solar and lunar forces, good and negative energies respectively.  To Tibetan Buddhists, Kailas is the abode of the tantric meditational deity Demchog. Hindus see Kailas as the throne of the great god Shiva, one of their most significant deities. Jains revere Kailas as the site at which their first prophet received enlightenment. Buddhist, Hindu and Jain pilgrims from the world over go to this holy mountain to circumambulate. Climbing Mount Kailas is forbidden (the only person to have ever been atop the sacred mountain is Milarepa, a 11th century Tibetan Buddhist yogi). Long before Buddhism took root in Tibet in the 7th century Kailas was venerated by the adherents of the Bön (or Bnpos or Bönpos), the indigenous, religion of the region who maintained that the mystic region around Mt. Kailas and the Nine-Story Swastika Mountain was the seat of all power. When viewed from the south face, a swastika can indeed be seen. According to Bön accounts, while the circumambulation is made (anticlockwise, whereas followers of the other religion walk in the clockwise direction) 18 powerful and enlightened teachers will appear in this eon including Tnpa Shenrab, the most powerful of them, the founder of the Bön religion. He is said to have been born in the mythical land of Olmo Lung Ring, whose location remains something of a mystery. The land is traditionally described as dominated by Mount Yungdrung Gu-tzeg (edifice of nine swastikas), which many identify as Mount Kailas. Russian Kailash Report Legends of a mythic land were spread throughout the centuries and became of interest to philosophers, adventurers, theologists and even… political leaders! It received many names: Shambhala, Shangri-La, etc., and many locations have been suggested: the Tibet plateau, the Gobi desert, the Altai, but the Mount Kailas range is most frequently named. The poem by Frank Scassellatii below best describes the curious mixture of past and present, mysticism and reality: There Lies a World Hidden, Mysterious, unknown, and forbidden. Where dwell entities with technologies beyond our comprehension, And knowledge kept hidden from us, in this other dimension. Will the truth ever be revealed? Earthly forces of power and greed forever sealed, Forbidden knowledge for warfare to wield. When humankind understands, To use the knowledge acquired from these strange lands.For the benefit of humankind, Then entrance into their world we will find.  The interest has been universal. Tsar Nikolai Romanov had some connection with Tibet through the monk Badmaev, who was himself closely associated with a highly placed Tibetan, the lama Agvan Dordzhiyev, tutor and confidant of the 13th Dalai Lama. Dordzhiyev equated Russia with the coming Kingdom of Shambhala anticipated in the Kalachakra texts of Tibetan Buddhism. The lama opened the first Buddhist temple in Europe, in St. Petersburg, significantly dedicated to Kalachakra teaching. One of the Russian artists who worked on the St.Petersburg temple was Nicholas Roerich, who had been introduced by Dordzhiyev to the legend of Shambhala and to eastern thought. George Gurdjieff, another mystic who had some impact on Western thought, knew Prince Ukhtomsky, Badmaev, and Dordzhiyev. Gurdjieff was accused by the British of being a Russian spy in Central Asia, a pupil of the mysterious Tibetans. Even Marx had contacts with Tibetan lamas as did Lenin who met some of them in Switzerland. What were these people interested in and what attracted them to Tibet? The beauty of the mountains or the mysticism? The desire to find the remains of lost civilizations or the desire to learn how to acquire extreme power so as to govern the world? Not only contacts with lamas, but even expeditions were organised in this area. What, for example, brought about the odd juxtaposition of Tibetan lamas and German SS officers on the eve of World War II? The search for lost remnants of an imagined Aryan race hidden somewhere on the Tibetan plateau? Or some other reason? It is known that Nazi leaders such as Heinrich Himmler believed that Tibet might harbour the last of the original Aryan tribes, the legendary forefathers of what was considered the German race whose Aryan leaders were supposed to possess supernatural powers that the Nazis thought they could use to conquer the world. Ideas about an Aryan or master race began to appear in the popular media in the late nineteenth century. In the 1890s, E. B. Lytton, a Rosicrucian, wrote a best-selling novel around the idea of a cosmic energy (particularly strong in the female sex), which he called «Vril.» Later he wrote of a Vril society, consisting of a race of super-beings that would emerge from their underground hidingplaces to rule the world. The Vril Society claimed to have links to Tibetan masters, apparently drawing on the ideas of Madame Blavatsky, the theosophist, who supported the existence of super-beings in a mystic land which she described in such well-known works as the Secret Doctrine. She claimed to be in telepathic contact with spiritual masters in Tibet and confirmed that she was receiving this information from them. Nikolai Roerich went to the region of Tibet where he spent several years. Depending on the source, the reasons for his mission vary, from purely botanic studies in the region of the Gobi desert on behalf of the US Government to political and spiritual. He may have been inspired by Kalachakra teaching and legends of Shambhala while working at the painting of St.Petersburg temple, described above. His painting “The Path to Kailas” can be seen in the New York museum dedicated to his work. He devoted many years to the search for this mystic land. Many of these people were ready to believe in the existence of the super-natural in whatever form – higher intelligence, power, or energy. This interest remains strong to this day in many countries, to find this axis mundi, the most powerful place, the highest power, or the hidden intelligence in whatever form it exists, if indeed it does. Nor should one ignore recent Russian studies of Tibet and the Kailas range in particular, the results of which, if true, could radically alter our thinking on the growth of civilizations. One of the ideas the Russians have put forward is that Mt. Kailas could be a vast, human-built pyramid, the centre of an entire complex of smaller pyramids, a hundred in total. This complex, moreover, might be the centre of a world–wide system connecting other monuments or sites where paranormal phenomena have been observed. It is difficult to explain all the available information in a short article for UN Special. I have copied in the photo below the pyramidal complex as proposed by the Russians. The idea of the pyramid in this region is not new. It goes back to the timeless Sanskrit epic of the Ramayana. Since then, numerous travellers, especially in the beginning of the 20th century, have expressed the view that Mt.Kailas is too perfect to be a totally natural phenomenon, or at any rate give the appearance of human intervention. Kailash Pyramids?  For example:  In shape it (Mount Kailas) resembles a vast cathedral… the sides of the mountain are perpendicular and fall sheer for hundreds of feet, the strata horizontal, the layers of stone varying slightly in colour, and the dividing lines showing up clear and distinct...... which give to the entire mountain the appearance of having been built by giant hands, of huge blocks of reddish stone. (G.C. Rawling, The Great Plateau, London, 1905).  However, it is only fair to add that the Russian claims to have discovered in the Mt.Kailas area the highest ever human-built pyramids were denied three years later by Chinese scientists in the official Chinese Press. Of human construction or not, Mt. Kailas is one of the most mysterious, secret and at the same time one of the most holy and sacred mountains of Asia, if not of the world) the circumambulation of which has for many centuries or possibly many millennia remained a vital pilgrimage, symbolising the life’s stages of death, purification and rebirth. Buddhists and Jains refer to the circumambulation as khora, Hindus as parikrama. A single circumambulation equals one turn of the Wheel of Life and will wipe away the sins of one’s life, twelve circumambulations will purify one’s karma for all past and future lives, enlightenment is attained after 108. Even one khora presents an extremely difficult task since the mountain is difficult of access and dangerous. Dangers or not, some of us may dream of discovering for ourselves what there is to be seen on this mountain. Pending this adventure, I decided to speak to some of the few people who have circumambulated the mountain and recorded their personal experiences, to ask for their records and to interview them. Their replies are the subject of one of the next issues of UNSpecial! January-August 2004 (With deep thanks to Mr. Wolf Scott, former Deputy Director of UNRISD, for helping me to systematise and to structure very complicated material resulted from many months of research and studies of numerous sources and private archives). SOURCE

Paul Niehans

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Paul Niehans (21 November 1882 – 1 September 1971) was a Swiss doctor who was one of the developers of cellular therapy. His renown grew through his treatment of celebrities such as Pope Pius XII, King Ibn Saud, Konrad Adenauerand Charlie Chaplin.

Niehans discovered cell therapy in 1931 by chance, when he replaced a parathyroid gland damaged during an operation with parathyroid cells from a calf, instead of the then customary whole parathyroid implants. He later used the Kuettner approach on a female patient whose parathyroid gland had been erroneously removed by another doctor.^{[citation needed]} As transplant was not possible Niehans injected live cells from the parathyroid of an embryonic ox as a temporary survival technique; this technique was not only well tolerated, but the patient recovered completely and lived for an additional 24 years.^{[citation needed]} Niehans was influenced by the earlier work of Alexis Carrel, who had found that by adding healthy fresh cells to a dying cell colony, the moribund cells acquired new life.

In 1937, influenced by the work of the neurosurgeon Harvey Williams Cushing, Niehans first used cerebral cells, from the hypothalamus and the hypophysis. Beginning in 1948, he also used liver, pancreas, kidney, heart, duodenum, thymus, and spleen cells. In 1949, he began to use lyophilized (freeze-dried) cells, not only fresh ones. In 1953, Prof. Dr. Paul Niehans treated Pope Pius XII, who in gratitude appointed him member of the Papal Academy of Sciences. Due to this success, European physicians slowly began to accept Niehans' work with cell therapy. Cellular therapy was on the way to becoming an accepted regenerative technique in Europe, but not in the United States, where it is not legally available because of safety concerns and lack of proof of its effectiveness.^[1]

In 1954, Niehans' classic work, Die Zellulartherapie (Cellular Therapy) was published in German. Swiss publisher Thoune released the English version and update of Niehans' original work which also included papers by researchers from Germany.

Live cell therapy, pioneered in the ’30s by Swiss doctor Paul Niehans is an “organ-specific” approach, which involves harvesting fresh cells from cow or sheep embryo and injecting them directly (intramuscular) on the patient’s buttocks.^[2][3]

hinduwisdom

http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Glimpses_IV.htm

Mahendra Pal Arya

Read the life story of Mahendra Pal Arya .... who has now become an eyesore to all islamicsites online.

http://hindusunite.at.ua/index/from_mosque_to_sanatan_dharma/0-17

Mahendra Pal Arya was an IMAM originally but came in contact of Sanatana Dharma and now preaches the vedic true Dharma.

He has challenged all over Islamic foundations to give answers to his questions on Islam and he will embrace Islam again.

Videos by Mahendra Pal Arya debating with Islamic scholar and defeating him can be seen at his youtube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MahenderPalArya

In 2002, Dr Zakir Naik mailed him with his views on Islam. Pandit Mahendra Pal replied with his own set of questions. He invited Dr Naik to debate with him in public.

 The invitation is available on internet as well. But since then, Dr Naik has been avoiding him. In 2006, he defeated Abdullah Tariq of Rampur (an eminent scholar of Islam) in a debate at Bulandshahar.

Since then Abdullah Tariq has been refusing to have any public discussions with anyone from Vedic background.

I am attaching a pdf of the text of challenge issued by Pandit Mahendra Pal Arya. It is in Hindi and contains certain questions. If they are answered, he is more than willing to accept Islam. He can be contacted at +919 810 797 056.

Mahboob Ali was the Imam of Badi Masjid, Baraut. Having brought up in a religious family, he knew Quran by heart. Since childhood, he was known as an exceptional student. Being a Wahabi (one of the 73 or more sects of Islam that claims to be the only one on path of truth, rest being hell-seekers), Quran alone was his passion, zeal and vision.

 He knew that the only message of peace is that of Quran. Only Quran could provide solutions to problems of humanity. He was convinced that all that is good in other religions is borrowed from Islam. Islam meant peace, brotherhood, love and compassion.

Inspired by the vision of the Messenger of Peace, he started a campaign to spread awareness about Islam and its message of peace. Since Quran taught him to love all humans, he would enter into peaceful dialogues with  scholars of other faiths to nurture a common platform of brotherhood.

He believed that such an approach would help spread the true message of Islam among those who knew nothing about it. Each morning, after his prayers, he would walk in his locality singing verses of Quran, joined by others who would sing verses of other religious books, emphasizing peace, brotherhood and compassion.

He knew that if he did not help create this awareness, fellow innocent people would enter into Hell forever because of their ignorance. Thus, he was widely respected by Muslims and non-Muslims alike as a saintly figure having only a singular mission of peace and brotherhood. Imam Mahboob Ali was progressing well in his journey towards Heaven forever. Then suddenly something happened…

As part of his campaign to have dialogues with other faiths, he once enteredGurukul Indraprastha. This being an Arya Samaji gurukul, the caretakers had no qualms in inviting a Muslim to stay at their gurukul for as long as he liked.

 Next day, he met Amar Swami and explained his mission. He recited a verse from Quran that emphasized on peace and brotherhood. Amar Swami smiled and recited another verse from Quran that meant the opposite.

 Imam Mahboob Ali was surprised to hear such clear pronunciation of Quranic verse from a non-Muslim spiritual teacher. He then recited another verse from Quran on brotherhood.

Amar Swami too recited yet another verse with an opposite sense. Now the Imam could not resist his queries. He asked, "Swamiji, How do you know Quran? And why you have provided these examples? Do you hate Muslims and Islam? If so, why I see a smile on your face?”.

Amar Swami replied, "Dear Imam, Hatred is against our principles. I just wanted to know that do you have any justifications for these verses? And if not, how can we have peace if we still believe in them?”

Imam had been exposed to this aspect of Quran for the first time. Though he knew the verses, he never took them so seriously and considered them to be directions in specific contexts. He politely stated, "These are for different contexts.

” Soon the two scholars of Islam were discussing the details of Quran. Imam Mahboob knew that he is not talking to an ordinary person, but someone who knows more about Islam and Quran than all the maulvis he had ever met.

Imam had to admit that his study was still incomplete and he would need to do more research.

At this stage, Amar Swami suggested him to read a book cover-to-cover, and then seek the queries that have evolved. The meeting ended.

The Gurukul caretakers procured for him a copy of Urdu translation of a book named Satyarth Prakash in Hindi, which translated into "Light of Truth” in English. This book was written by Swami Dayanand Saraswati in 1883. The book has 14 chapters followed by a glossary.

Imam Mahboob Ali stayed in gurkul for next few days, all alone and completed the book cover to cover. Within few hours, suddenly the world, the life, its purpose, its meaning – everything was different for him.

He had now witnessed a perspective that he had never imagined before. He tried his best to find credible loopholes in the content of the book, but could not. Imam had to spend next several days in isolation to digest all this and stabilize.

In his desperation, he wrote to all leading scholars of Islam with certain doubts he had. He personally went to meet several of them. But none could provide any answers. Most refused to even utter a word.

One said that merely by raising such questions, he has reserved place in Hell. Another abused him of being a manic. He waited for a more reasonable reply, but nothing came.

Imam was left with no options. That one small incident and one book had changed the course of his life forever….

Today, after 27 years of that episode, Pandit Mahendra Pal Arya has now only one mission in life – to spread the message of Vedas.

He has brought innumerable people in the Vedic fold, has defeated many a scholars of Islam in countless debates, and continues to spread the Light of Truth despite threats.

Being a Bengali Muslim, he knew nothing of Hindi or Sanskrit. However, he first mastered these languages, then studied the original Satyarth Prakash (Light of Truth), the Vedas and all other Vedic texts. He lives in his small home in outskirts of Delhi and has issued open declaration to embrace Islam, if one can answer the very questions that made him leave Islam.

In 2002, Dr Zakir Naik mailed him with his views on Islam. Pandit Mahendra Pal replied with his own set of questions. He invited Dr Naik to debate with him in public.

 The invitation is available on internet as well. But since then, Dr Naik has been avoiding him. In 2006, he defeated Abdullah Tariq of Rampur (an eminent scholar of Islam) in a debate at Bulandshahar.

Since then Abdullah Tariq has been refusing to have any public discussions with anyone from Vedic background.

I am attaching a pdf of the text of challenge issued by Pandit Mahendra Pal Arya. It is in Hindi and contains certain questions. If they are answered, he is more than willing to accept Islam. He can be contacted at +919 810 797 056.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/26611087/Mahendra-Pal-challenges-Islamic-scholars

भारत में लिथुआनियाई भाषा पढ़ाने का इरादा'

नवभारत टाइम्स| Jan 4, 2014, 01.00 AM IST

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यूरोपीय देश लिथुआनिया की विलनियस यूनिवर्सिटी की रुचि काफी पहले से भारत के समृद्ध प्राचीन दर्शन और धर्मग्रंथों में बनी रही। लेकिन लिथुआनिया पर सोवियत संघ का शासन कायम हुआ तो भारत सहित दूसरे देशों का प्राचीन अध्ययन रोक दिया गया। अब वहां फिर से प्राचीन भारतीय दर्शन को लेकर रुचि पैदा हुई है। विलनियस विश्वविद्यालय के ओरियंटल स्टडीज विभाग के निदेशकप्रफेसर हबील आडियस बेनोरियस कुछ उपनिषदों का लिथुआनियाई भाषा में अनुवाद कर रहे हैं। प्रस्तुत है विलनियस में प्रोफेसर हबील से हमारे राजनयिक संपादक रंजीत कुमार की बातचीत:

उपनिषदों का लिथुआनियाई में अनुवाद करने का विचार कैसे आया?
लिथुआनियाई और संस्कृत भाषा में काफी समानता है। संस्कृत के जरिये भारत और यूरोपीय देशों के बीच संपर्क विकसित हुआ है। यूरोप में लिथुआनिया सबसे प्राचीन भाषाओं में है। लेकिन सोवियत काल के दौरान भारत को लेकर लिथुआनिया में किसी भी तरह का अकादमिक अध्ययन रोक दिया गया। सोवियत संघ से आजादी के बाद हमने नब्बे के दशक में लिथुआनिया में भारत के प्राचीन और समकालीन विषयों को लेकर फिर पढ़ाई शुरू की। हमारे विभाग में 15 सीटें हैं। भारतीय अध्ययन और इसमें प्रवेश के लिए यहां के छात्रों में काफी होड़ लगी रहती है। करीब 70-75 आवेदन मिलते हैं जिनमें से हम सर्वश्रेष्ठ छात्रों को ही चुनते हैं।

संस्कृत और भारत के प्रति आप में लगाव कब पैदा हुआ?

शायद पिछले जन्म से ही यह लगाव मुझमें था। मैं 16 साल का ही था, तब से भारत और संस्कृत को पढ़ने और जानने की इच्छा पैदा हुई। तब लिथुआनिया पर सोवियत शासन था और ब्रेझनेव की कम्युनिस्ट क्रूरता का दौर था। तब किसी तरह की राजनीतिक गतिविधि की इजाजत नहीं थी। तब भारत ने मुझे दार्शनिक विकल्प प्रदान किया। हमने अहिंसक विरोध के बारे में सुना हुआ था। मेरे पिता तो मुझे कैथोलिक पादरी बनाना चाहते थे, लेकिन मैंने संस्कृत पर ही ध्यान दिया। हमने भारत के ज्योतिष शास्त्र के बारे में भी अध्ययन किया। हमारी प्राचीन भारतीय विज्ञान में भी दिलचस्पी रही है। लिथुआनिया को 1993 में रूस से आजादी के बाद यहां के लोगों ने भारत की ओर ध्यान दिया। भारतीय योग, आयुर्वेद और समसामयिक भारत को लेकर यहां काफी आकर्षण पैदा हुआ है।

मैं नब्बे के दशक में चार साल तक कोलकाता में रहा और वहां मैंने प्राचीन भारतीय ग्रंथों का अध्ययन किया। अब हमारे यहां विलनियस विश्वविद्यालय में भारत अध्ययन के सात शिक्षक हैं। वे वेद, प्राचीन ग्रंथ, संस्कृति, दर्शन और भारतीय सिनेमा के अलावा संस्कृत और हिंदी भी पढ़ा रहे हैं। यानी भारत के प्रति गहरा लगाव वहां देखने को मिलता है। लिथुआनिया में भारत के प्रति जैसा लगाव है, उसके मद्देनजर यहां भारत को जल्द ही अपना दूतावास खोलना चाहिए। आखिरकार लिथुआनिया यूरोपीय संघ का एक सदस्य देश है। लेकिन हमें खुशी हुई कि जवाहर लाल नेहरू विश्वविद्यालय में इस साल से लिथुआनिया और बाल्टिक गणराज्यों के लिए एक अलग विभाग खोल दिया गया है। इससे भारत और लिथुआनिया में रिश्ते मजबूत करने में मदद मिलेगी।

भारतीय ज्योतिष शास्त्र में आपकी रुचि कैसे बनी?
ज्योतिष शास्त्र भारत की सबसे समृद्ध और जीवंत विद्या रही है। भारतीय ज्योतिष शास्त्र की एक लाख से अधिक पांडुलिपियां दुनिया भर में मौजूद हैं। 19वीं सदी के अंत से ही भारतीय धर्म और विज्ञान के पश्चिमी इतिहासविद और शास्त्रीय भाषाविदों जैसे एच कर्ण, ए वेबर, थिबोट आदि ने लंबे अर्से से संस्कृत के ज्योतिष ग्रंथों को संरक्षित और प्रकाशित करने की कोशिश की। इनके महत्व पर बराबर जोर दिया। तार्किक तौर पर केवल विज्ञान के इतिहासविदों ने ही भारतीय ज्योतिषीय विद्या की ओर देखने की कोशिश की। लेकिन उन्होंने अपनी रुचि समसामयिक गणित और खगोल विज्ञान तक ही सीमित रखी। लंबे अर्से तक उन्होंने ज्योतिष विज्ञान के ऐतिहासिक विकास और विश्लेषण को इसे छद्म विज्ञान बताकर रोके रखा।

भारत में भी बहुत लोग ज्योतिष को अंधविश्वास मानते हैं। मैं इसी विषय पर शोध कर रहा हूं कि भारतीय ज्योतिष विज्ञान वास्तव में एक खास ब्रह्मांडीय दृष्टि पर आधारित है। वह मानवीय अनुभवों को मूल्य और अर्थ प्रदान करता है। मेरा शोध कार्य भारतीय ज्योतिष के ऐतिहासिक विकास और डिविनेशन पर है जो एक पारंपरिक ज्ञान है।

भारत पर अपना अध्ययन करते हुए आप दरअसल क्या करना चाहते हैं?
वास्तव में भारत को समझते हुए हम अपनी पहचान को ही समझना चाहते हैं। भारत और लिथुआनिया में गहरा बसा है। लिथुआनिया के लोग भारतीय आश्रमों में जाते हैं और अपने देश में आयुर्वेद अपना रहे हैं। दुर्भाग्य से हम यहां भारत के बारे में केवल बलात्कार की घटनाएं जान पाते हैं। भारत की समसामयिक राजनीति और सामाजिक विकास के बारे में हमें कुछ भी पढ़ने को नहीं मिलता है। हम चाहते हैं कि दोनों देशों के लोग एक दूसरे को नये सिरे से समझें और उनके प्राचीन स्वरूप व रिश्तों के बारे में जानें। लिथुआनियाई और संस्कृत में काफी समानता है। यूरोपीय भाषाओं के लिए यह एक महत्वपूर्ण बात है। हमारा इरादा भारत में भी लिथुआनियाई भाषा पढ़ाने का है।