Vedanta, Hinduism & Indian Philosophy

My blogic attempt to unfold the secret of Indian philosophies especially Vedanta and bringing it's spiritual teachings to common men. I'll be pleased to answer any question that you think I am worthy of. Please write to pratikp {at} gmail {dot} com.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Moved to Domain

Hi Friends, This blog has moved to a new domain - www.tantra2.com. On www.tantra2.com, you will find my latest posts on hinduism, vedanta and indian philosophy.

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Friday, May 04, 2007

Spiritual Secret of Winning Friends & Influencing People

Sri Krisna, courtesy : krishna.comSri Krishna had dark complexion, yet he was very attractive. Everybody was attracted towards him. Nobody could resist his attraction, be indifferent towards him. The word "Krishna" is based on the Sanskrit root "Krsh" which means to attract. "Akrishta" and "Akarshan" are some other words based on this same root having the meaning related to attraction.

Black hole is also dark and have the great gravity i.e. attraction power. Nothing can go away from it if comes close to it once. Darkness or black color signifies attraction. It shows the void or the space too. The one who has vacuum in himself/herself i.e. the one without ego becomes immensely attractive like Krishna. According to science, when there's void somewhere, everything feels a strong pull towards that place. And this is the true secret of attracting or influencing people.

Now the question arises how one can be egoless. All the methods strengthen the ego, not eradicate it. To be free from ego, one must observe his/her all mental and physical activities all the time without interfering in the process. It means one should always be aware of one's intentions, feeling and thoughts without trying to change or suppress them. This is a continuous meditation. Kabir mentioned its ripe state as "Sahaj Samadhi". It is the secret spiritual key of influencing people and winning friends.

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Sunday, April 15, 2007

Commentaries on Classical Literature of Ayurveda

I was searching commentaries on various classical literature of Ayurveda. After doing some googling on Internet, I found following list that looks very good to me -

S.No Name of the Text Book Author/Commentator Year of Publication
1. Sushrutarthsandipan Bhasya
Harana Chandra Chakravarthy 1908
2. Charakopaskar Yogindranath Sen (Calcutta) 1920
3. Charakapradipika Jyotishchandra Saraswati (Calcutta) 20th Century
4. Nighantu Ratnakar Duttaram Chaube (Mathura) -do-
5. Commentary on Charaka Samhita, Chikitsa Kalika & Bhaisajya Ratnavali Jaideo Vidyalankar 1970
6. Commentary on Charaka Sushruta & Astanga Samgraha Atrideo Vidyalankar 20th Century
7. Commentary on Charaka, Astanga Hrdaya etc. Pt.Ram Prasad Sharma (Patiala)-do-
8. Commentary on Sushruta Samhita etc.Bhaskar Govinda Gharekar (Varanasi)-do-
9. Commentary on Rasaratna Samuchchya Duttatraya Anant Kulkarni (Varanasi)-do-
10. Critical Commentary on Astanga Hrdya, Bhava - Prakash & Ashtanga Samgraha. Lal Chandra Vaidya (Varanasi)-do-
11. Rasa Hrdaya Yantri, Rasa Sara and 14 Other Books
Yadavji Vikramji Acharya 1910-1911
12. Padarth Vijnana Pt.Ramrakshaji Pathak 20th Century
13. Ayurveda Kriya Sharira Vd.Ranjeet Roy Desai -do-
14. Abhinava Prasut Tantra Pt.Damodar Shastri Gaur -do-
15. History of Medicine in India, Dravya Guna Vijnana (Varanasi) and Indian Medicine in Classical Age etc.Acharya Priyavrat Sharma 1972

The article looks very good to me and it talks about various other commentaries at different period. The details article can be found here.

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Correct Way Of Performing Neti

1 JALANETI - (CLEANSING OF NASAL PASSAGE BY USE OF WATER)

Contraindications : Blocked nostrils. Salt not to be used if a person is
suffering from hypertension or if salt is contraindicated for any other reason.
Materials Required : Jalaneti cup, glass/tumbler, body-warm potable water,
common edible salt, spoon and a napkin. Saline water should be prepared by
adding half a teaspoon of salt in half a litre body-warm water. Adjust the
quantity of salt and temperature of water as per needs.
Technique : Stand comfortably, preferably before a basin or in a bathroom.
Alternatively, sit on a chair or squat in the open space.
Fill the Jalaneti cup with saline water. Hold the filled cup in the left palm,
keeping four fingers outside and thumb towards the body. Hold the cup firmly
fixing middle finger and thumb in the depressions provided on the respective
sides of the Jalaneti cup. Bring the chin towards chest and tilt the head
suitably towards the right side. Insert the spout of the Jalaneti cup in the
left nostril, keep the mouth open and breathe through mouth throughout. Raise up
the cup slowly taking left elbow up but without changing the position of the
head unless the change is absolutely necessary. Due to this, saline water will
enter from the left to the right nostril and glide down from it. Let the flow of
water coming out of right nostril be slow, smooth, continuous and uniform.
Repeat the above actions, now holding the filled Jalaneti cup in the right
hand for getting the flow of water out from the left nostril. This completes one
round of Jalaneti. Normally, one round of Jalaneti, practised preferably in the
moring, is enough. In special conditions, however, rounds of Jalaneti can be
increased and practised for more than once in a day and at convenient times, as
per needs.

RUBBERNETI (CLEANSING OF NASAL PASSAGE BY RUBBER CATHETER)
Contraindications : Growth of bone or flesh in the nostrils, septum deviation
or blocked nostrils.
Materials Required : 1) Rubber Catheter (surgical quality) of suitable length
and diameter. Clean the catheter thoroghly. Dip it in boiling water before and
after use for making it hygienic. Use the moist/wet catheter only. 2) Clean
napkin. 3) Clean hot and cold potable water.
Technique : Stand before the basin or in a bathroom/ open space or sit in a
chair or squat. Take wet catheter in the right hand. Open the mouth, tilt the
head a little up and back. Give a slight inward curvature to the tapered end
side of the moist/wet catheter and gently insert that end of the catheter in the
right nostril. Along with the inhalation, gently push the catheter inside. If
needed, one can close the left nostril while inhaling by right nostril to
increase the force of inhalation which will enable catheter to go inside along
with forceful
inhalation. But the force should not be more than required as otherwise the
catheter may go more to the upside and touch the olfactory nerves which may
cause intense pain.
Coughing or irritation felt at the throat are the sure indications of catheter
having entered in a throat. At that stage, stop pushing the catheter further
inside. Now wide open the mouth. Enter the pair of thumb and the index finger or
that of index finger and the middle finger inside the throat and catch the
tapered end of the catheter. Slowly pull the catheter out from mouth,
simultaneously loosening the other end of the catheter. Catch hold of upper end
of the catheter in the right hand thumb and index finger and its lower end
coming out from the mouth in the left hand thumb and index finger. Keep the
mouth open and give a gentle massage to inner layer of the nasal passage by
gently moving the catheter to and fro for 3 to 5 times. If required, the number
of massaging movements can be increased provided they are done comfortably and
with the least efforts.
Gently pull the lower end of the catheter out from the mouth simultaneously
loosening the other end of the catheter for facilitating the catheter to come
out comfortably. The upper wide open end of the catheter will cleanse the nasal
passage and remove dirt while coming out from the mouth. Clean the catheter
thoroughly both from inside and outside before using it again. Do the same
action of Rubberneti through the left nostril. Cleansing right and left nostrils
with the rubber catheter will complete one round of Rubberneti.
After completing the practice, clean the catheter thoroughly inside-outside,
shake off water from the catheter, wipe it with a clean and dry cloth. This
should be done meticulously as otherwise lapse in it may prove dangerous. Keep
the catheter in an air-tight box of a suitable size and* preferably of a round
shape.
Notes :
1. One round of Rubberneti may be practised daily or as and when
required,
preferably in the morning. One can practise Rubberneti from any of the
nostrils first.
2. In the beginning, one can lubricate the tapered end of the
catheter with a
suitable edible oil or ghee for ensuring smooth and comfortable
movement of catheter inside the nostrils.
3. Nails of index, middle and thumb fingers must be well trimmed and
filed so hat they don't hurt the mucous membrane while taking out end of the
catheter from the mouth.

Benefits :
1. Cleanses the nasal passage thoroughly.
2. By gentle massage, refreshes nerve ends at the inner layers of
nostrils.
3. Increases the resistance and tolerance level of
delicate inner layers of the nostrils and the nerve ends.
4. Helps to prevent and cure functional types of cold , asthma,
bronchial troubles and breathing problems. Improves the overall health of the
ear, nose and throat.
5. Prevents and restricts septum deviation and troublesome growth
of bone or flesh in the nostrils. Improves breathing.
6. When practiced along with other nasal cleansing processes like
Jalaneti, Shwasana-Marga Shuddhi, Kapalabhati, benefits get enhanced.

Taken from a post from AyurvedaOnline forum. Please check the full post here.

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Dangers of Pranayama and Kundalini Yoga

Pranayama and Kundalini Yoga, if not performed properly, can be very dangerous. Pandit Gopi Kishan has written a good book about it. I have also found a good discussion on AyurvedaOnline forum that can be found here.

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Saturday, April 07, 2007

Scientific Verification of Vedic Wisdom

A vast number of statements and materials presented in the ancient Vedic literatures can be shown to agree with modern scientific findings ... and they also reveal a highly developed scientific content in these literatures. The great cultural wealth of this knowledge is highly relevant in the modern world. Techniques used to show this agreement include: - Marine Archaeology of underwater sites (such as Dvaraka) - Satellite imagery of the Indus-Sarasvata River system - Carbon and Thermoluminiscence Dating of archaeological artifacts - Scientific Verification of Scriptural statements - Linguistic analysis of scripts found on archaeological artifacts - A Study of cultural continuity in all these categories.

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Thursday, March 29, 2007

Which Pranayama for Your Disease

Previsouly Pranayama was seen as a mean for spiritual practice with little or no connection with physical health. Recently Ramdev Maharaj did a great job by telling common people about its medical benefits in curing deadly diseases and maintaining good health. There are different pranayama practice e.g. kapalbhati, bhastrika, anulom-vilom for different problems. Here I found a good article tha tells about what all pranayamas needs to be done and how many sets for the same for particular diseases/disorder -

Pranayama for Different Diseases

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Saturday, March 17, 2007

What is Yoni Tantra?

The Yoni Tantra is a religious text from Bengal (16th century) mainly concerned with describing the Yoni Puja, or "Mass of the Vulva"; one of the secret and esoteric Tantric rituals dedicated to creating - and consuming - the sacred fluid which is called yonitattva.

According to this text, sexual union (mithunam) is an indispensable part of Tantric ritual and may be performed by and with women between the age of twelve and sixty years, married or not, except for a girl not yet menstruating. The text specifies nine types of women (navakanya) who may perform sexual rituals, yet explicitly forbids an incestuous mother/son constellation.

More infomrmation can be found on this web page.

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Spiritual Buddha Dance

100 Hands & 1000 Eyes Buddha Dance

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Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Sattwa, Rajas & Tamas

Please check how Sattwa, Rajas & Tamas are defined in Mahabharata.