Spiritual Prescription: Yoga, the Greatest Healer : Dr KK Aggarwal

The Sanskrit word for ‘healthy’ is ‘Svastha’ – Sav-Stha – means being established in one’s own true self. This is only possible when the body is in union with the mind and the consciousness.

The Bhagavad Gita (Ch. IV shloka 36), says Api chedasi papebhya sarvebhya pap kritama or in other words “even if thou are the sinner of all sinners, you shall cross over all sin by the raft of knowledge”. Here sin can be equated with physical or mental sickness.

Again, in shloka 37, Krishna says “Gyanagni sarva karmani bhasmasat kurute tatha”. In other words, “as fire reduces fuel to ashes, the fire of knowledge reduces all karma to ashes”.

In shloka 38, Krishna said “Na hi gyanena sa drisham pavitram ih vidyate” or in other words “there is no greater purifier than knowledge. One realizes it in his own heart in time, as he practices yoga”.

The medical interpretation of these is that to acquire mind-body union, one needs to practice yoga which helps to establish pure consciousness. Once that is established, only then one can be called as healthy. This is further clarified in Ch II verse 65, where Krishna said “prasade sarva dukhanam hanirasya upjayte” or in other words “in peace all the troubles are destroyed”. Here ‘peace’ can be equated with one with pure consciousness and troubles with ‘sickness’.

Yoga sutras of Patanjali also describe the first sutras as “yoga chitta uritti nirodhe” or in other words “yoga is the cessation of fluctuations in the mind”.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this write up are entirely authors own views

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