All World
Gayatri Pariwar

    Nature has innately gifted all living creatures with vibrant health. Every creature is born with natural resources to be able to lead a healthy and happy life. It is only at the level of human species that one observes a vast majority suffering from some or other kind of illness, affliction or weakness. When all other creatures, in spite of having nominal intelligence, keep themselves healthy, it is surprising indeed that human beings, claiming themselves to be intelligent, should be suffering from all kinds of diseases?

[In this serial we bring to our readers, in abridged form, Poojya Gurudev’s practical suggestions for improving health and vigour and attaining longevity (from his popular booklet in Hindi titled “Bina aushadhiyon ke kayakalpa” meaning ‘Rejuvenation without medicines’). We begin with: What causes weakness and disease?]

What causes weakness and disease?

The root causes of both the weakness and the disease are same. When adequate life force is not generated for normal functioning of body, it is called ‘weakness’; and when this condition deteriorates further and creates a problem for a specific body part or the entire body, it is called a ‘disease’.

There is a half-baked theory that diseases are spread by viruses. This creates a false impression that diseases come from outside; if one protects oneself from viruses, there will be no disease. To a large extent, this is not true. In a healthy body, there is so much acid, alkali and heat that any external germs or viruses are easily destroyed; external infections get shelter only in a weak body with low vitality. During the spread of highly infectious diseases like plague, cholera, smallpox, etc healthy volunteers serve the patients and also cremate the dead but nothing happens to them. The mothers keep their children infected with smallpox tucked in their laps. Patients suffering from tuberculosis are also nursed by their relatives but it has been observed that nothing happens to the persons attending to them. The sweepers, whose only job is to clean the dirt, are seen to be much healthier than the people who are all the time afraid of germs/viruses. 

It has also been observed that in the so called ‘high class families’, where every care is taken to keep the homes clean and disinfected, residents suffer from many incurable diseases. When so much care is taken to protect the environment, how are the germs or viruses of diseases able to attack the residents? Even if we assume that the disease comes from outside, then also we will have to accept the fact that disease-causing germs/viruses are able to make their homes only in weak bodies. If they enter a healthy and strong body, then the life force will immediately eliminate them.

Normally the root cause of weakness and disease lies in the stomach. When the food intake is not properly digested, it does not produce healthy blood in sufficient amount, resulting in low production of life energy. Therefore, people with disordered digestive system suffer from low vitality. This results in the weakness of inner as well as outer body parts giving rise to many ailments like constipation, acidity, burning sensation, headache, stiffness, pain, laziness, etc. Thus the weakness in itself is a kind of disease.

The disturbed digestive process results in rotting of food in the stomach. Suppose wheat flour mixed with water is kept in a pot in a warm place. Soon it will rot and produce a foul smell; the mixture will become toxic and germs will be produced. Likewise, the undigested food in the stomach becomes toxic and these toxins spread over all parts of the body. Wherever they accumulate, they create trouble or inharmony there. Such troubles or inharmonies are called diseases.

A healthy body removes toxins and unused matter daily from the body through excretion. Excrement, urine, sweat, mucous, ear wax, etc are manifestations of the removal of toxins. But the body with low vitality cannot do this cleaning efficiently and hence the toxins go on accumulating in it. When this condition is aggravated, it is manifested in the form of different diseases.

The white blood cells (WBC) in the blood are like soldiers of the defense system of the body. As soon as they find foreign invaders in the form of toxins, germs or viruses, they gather and start a counterattack and fight till the invaders are eliminated. This process produces heat and swelling in the affected body part. If this battle field is spread over the entire body, the whole body will be heated. This is called fever. The body removes toxins in different forms; for example, phlegm, vomiting, loose motions, mucous, sweat, etc. When these symptoms appear, one should be neither perturbed nor should these be suppressed; rather they should be allowed to run their course slowly so that the task of cleaning is done properly. If the symptoms are suppressed, the toxins will remain in the body; and upon getting a chance, will again strike in some or other form of illness.

What is pain? It is nothing but the effect of a tussle between the life force and toxic elements. In this struggle, if WBC win, then disease will be cured; and if toxic elements win, then they harm the body. A poisonous abscess can emaciate even the adjacent bone; a very high fever can cause death; aggravated diarrhoea may cause excessive weakness; etc. These are examples of the victory of toxins. Defeating the foreign invaders/toxins and helping the army of WBC in keeping the body healthy is the objective of therapy. It should be the duty of a therapist not to suppress the symptoms of the disease but help strengthen the immune system of the body so that it becomes capable of fighting the foreign elements. Unfortunately, the modern methods of treatment aim at demonstrating the miracles of medicines by suppressing the disease. It is true that the patient feels some immediate relief by this method but he is not cured completely. Strong medicines, especially antibiotics, accomplish the task of destruction. They destroy both the viruses as well as healthy cells, leaving the side effects that continue for weeks and sometimes even for months. Supposing our army is fighting that of the enemy; and a poisonous gas is spread so that both the armies die and then rejoice the end of war. Indeed the war ended but our army also vanished along with the enemy’s. It would have been praiseworthy had the army of the enemy died and no harm had been done to our side. Medical treatment must be done. However, it should be such that it neutralizes the body poisons and protects the health preserving cells, even though it may take some time.

Please remember! Weakness and disease, both, are one and the same thing. Improving the digestive system is the basic treatment for all the diseases. By this method, the weakness as well as the disease both are removed and the patient acquires good health. In the subsequent issues we will discuss the principles and practices of strengthening the digestive system, the techniques of rejuvenating the weak, infected and diseased parts of the body, and finally the method of achieving Kayakalp (rejuvenation).