PAIN, PSYCHOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY:

In today’s modern, technologically advanced world, many of us suffer from chronic pain, anxiety, diabetes, hypertension, obesity…etc. Many of these diseases are related to our upbringing, lifestyle, and the environment we live in. Can some of these diseases be prevented or cured through philosophical wisdom? 

If we understand our body & mind, by default they are designed for instance sensual pleasure to enjoy everything available in this world. Like animals or other living beings, basis of our enjoyment are mostly in eating, sleeping, mating, and other recreational activities. However, the quality and quantity of our enjoyment are determined by our overall personality or consciousness—whether it operates in the mode of goodness, passion, or ignorance.

Mode of Goodness Personality: A person who is self-contained, self-controlled, and self-satisfied tends to have fewer desires for instant sensual pleasures.

Mode of Ignorance Personality: A person who has unlimited desires and constantly craving for sensual pleasures. Instant sensual pleasure may taste like nectar in the beginning but often ends in poison—though, for some, it may always taste like nectar… 😂 

With common sense, personal experience, and by observing those around us, we know that anything in excess—whether food, sleep, recreation, or even work—can harm our mental and physical health. As a human we can understand all these, have capabilities to change our lifestyle and thus prevent & cure many above mentioned chronic diseases.

Prevention is better than cure. Evolution is better than revolution. Of course, despite our best efforts to live a healthy life, there are times, especially during medical emergencies, we need the guidance and intervention of physicians to manage or cure diseases.

As a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) physician, I like to redefine PM&R as follows:

   •  P: Purifying our body and mind

   •  M: Minimizing bad habits and maximizing good ones

   •  R: Re-creating life—adding years to life and life to years

AND let’s remember this slogan to remain young, vibrant & healthy: Health is Wealth, Motion is Lotion, Rest is Rust and Laughter 😂 is Must.

Four relevant slokas (verses) from the Srimad Bhagavad Gita express this wisdom beautifully. 

TEXT 6: Bg 6.6: For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy.

Bg 6.17 — He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system. 

TEXT 8: Bg 17.8: Foods dear to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one’s existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart.

Bg 18.39 — And that happiness which is blind to self-realization, which is delusion from beginning to end and which arises from sleep, laziness and illusion is said to be of the nature of ignorance.

Website: https://vedabase.io 

Jay Shree Krishna 🙏 

Thank You 🙏 

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I am inspired to learn the Vedic scriptures by regularly listening to the discourses of Sri Pandurang Shashtri Athvale with the Swadhyay Parivar every Sunday at the Swadhyay Kendra.

I also enjoy reading the discourses and writings on Vedic philosophy by Srila Prabhupada and his disciples from ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness).

Jay Yogeshwar 🙏 

Hare Krishna 🙏 

Thank You 🙏 

LIFE COMES FROM LIFE:

LIFE:

We are thinking, expressing, talking, singing, laughing, crying, joking….just because we have chemicals in our bodies? The body is made up of chemicals but where is the origin of feelings, emotions, consciousness and spark 🔥 which keeps us alive & lively? 

1. Consciousness comes from other consciousness. Consciousness can’t be manufactured in the factory... LOL 😂.

2. Consciousness & energy combined can’t exist without the living form AND living form comes from other living form.

3. Very precise & intricate designed like an Universe & Living entity can’t be originated by chance, yes anything & everything can be destroyed by chance....😂 

4. Invisibility is not a proof of nonexistent. Like Mr. Frog in the well with very limited vision can’t understand the ocean Similarly we can’t understand the God & universe beyond this world by Mental Speculation….. 🙏 

Our Forefathers were not Monkeys 🐒:

Living form can’t be produced from the matters. Life can not take birth from chemicals. Life comes from other life. Anything, form or formless has to have an origin from a Form. Heat and sun rays are formless but can not exist without the Sun form. Every living entity has a form & came from another form (cow born from cow, lion born from lion, have you ever heard or seen that lion born from cow? 😂 similarly human born from another human. We human didn’t evolve from monkeys).

Most of us have seen our grandparents…. maybe great grandparents but we haven’t seen our forefathers….. it doesn’t mean they did not exist. Invisibility is not proof of nonexistence. Our forefathers were intellectual & compassionate personalities like Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma, Lord Rishabhdev, Lord Hanuman, Lord Ganesha, Lord Buddha, Rishi Atri, Bhrigu, Marichi…….you can name them as per your belief……but you can’t deny their existence. We should be proud of them. 

Our Designs:

Why we all have a different mindsets & body shapes? 

There are approximately 8.4 million varieties of species or designs are available to accommodate different levels of consciousness. The living entity simply transfers himself from one womb to the next, just as a man transfers himself from one house to another depends on his affordability...😂.  In other words, the species are created to accommodate individuals desires & needs.

We are here and born in this world due to our desires. We have Free will to live our lives and we are responsible for our desires, actions, outcomes, happiness, birth & death cycle. 

Here is the few slokas from the Srimad Bhagavad Gita explaining the different body designs we acquire in repeated birth-death cycle.

TEXT 8: The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another, as the air carries aromas. Thus he takes one kind of body and again quits it to take another.

TEXT 9: The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, eye, tongue, nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.

TEXT 10: The foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor can they understand what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of the modes of nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can see all this. Vedabase.io 

This divine scripture was spoken/written very intelligently with lots of compassion to help us to understand this world and our personalities (and our defects too…😂).

Jay Shree Krishna 🙏 

Thank You  🙏 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I am inspired to learn the Vedic scriptures by regularly listening to the discourses of Sri Pandurang Shashtri Athvale with the Swadhyay Parivar every Sunday at the Swadhyay Kendra.

I also enjoy reading the discourses and writings on Vedic philosophy by Srila Prabhupada and his disciples from ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness).

Jay Yogeshwar 🙏 

Hare Krishna 🙏 

Thank You 🙏 

MY OCCUPATION & ASHRAM:

We can’t run society only by focusing on internal or spiritual development…we also need our fully furnished houses…😂, luxurious vehicles, expensive gadgets, strong 💪 defenses, health care, science, entertainment…😂. 

MY OCCUPATION & ASHRAM: Every Occupation & Ashram (orders of our life) is valuable and it has its own importance & contribution to society. In the Gita, Lord Krishna has mentioned VARNASHRAM society. Varna means Occupation and Ashram means orders of life; they both are necessary for our material & spiritual development. In order to run a systematic, smooth, prosperous & peaceful society, we need varnashram model. Consciously or Subconsciously every one of us is following this Varnashram model. Human society all over the world is divided into four kinds of occupation and four orders of life. Let’s look deeper into it. 

Four Varnas or Occupations: Varnas system is about choosing our occupation based on our passion, personality to support our family, society & the nation. Yes, they are chosen as per our psycho-physical nature and are required to run the society.

1. Intelligent, Advisory & Teaching services.

2. Administrative & Defense services.

3. Business & Trading services.(Mercantile & Farmers). 

4. Manufacturing, Health Care, Construction and other Public services.

Bg 4.13 -- According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable.

Four Ashram or Orders of our lives:

1. Brahmachrya ashram— Student life: In this ashram, the primary focus is education (both material & spiritual). No other responsibilities or burdens…. but plenty of time to chill out. Have all fun in the world while parents are paying your bills…… 😂 

2. Grihastha ashram— Family/Householder’s life: No more studies & exams...LOL 😂. Yes, it is time to enjoy fully with our family & friends. At the same time, we have financial & many other responsibilities towards our family, society & the nation. Out of the four, this is the most important ashram, supporting the other three ashrams. In this ashram we are supporting our children’s needs when they are students and our parents when they are retirees. We are also supporting the volunteer, philanthropy and religious/spiritual organizations.

3. Vanprastha ashram— Retired life: It is a time to contribute our skills & efficiency to society, volunteer & philanthropy activities. We have more free time to pursue our hobbies, passion, improve our physical fitness and advancement towards spiritual development. 

During Grihastha Ashram (Family Life) we have to adjust ourselves to please our family, friends & society. Many times we get agitated, angry, greedy, have silly arguments with spouse, family & friends ...😂 and sometimes we compromise our ethics, morality or principles in order to maintain or fulfill our and our loved ones’ needs. Our Consciousness degrades further while dealing with society. Vanprastha ashram--Retired life is the time to bounce back and recover from those agitated & unpleasant moments and uplift our consciousness to upgrade ourselves spiritually.

4. Sannayasa ashram— Devotional life: The focus is more towards spiritual development & contributing to society’s spiritual advancement. 

Our overall internal development depends on what we do in our free time.

All humans irrespective of their varnas (occupations), religions or nationalities, have to pass through these four orders of life. We should utilize them rightly to build material & spiritual lives wisely.

It is easy to say, but difficult to follow…. 😃 

TEXT 63: 18.63: Thus I have explained to you knowledge still more confidential. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do. Vedabase.io

These are general guidelines in our lives as mentioned in Srimad Bhagavad Gita, but we have the free will to live our lives the way we wish and imagine.

Jay Shree Krishna 

Thank You….. 🙏 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I am inspired to learn the Vedic scriptures by regularly listening to the discourses of Sri Pandurang Shashtri Athvale with the Swadhyay Parivar every Sunday at the Swadhyay Kendra.

I also enjoy reading the discourses and writings on Vedic philosophy by Srila Prabhupada and his disciples from ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness).

Jay Yogeshwar 🙏 

Hare Krishna 🙏 

Thank You 🙏 

THE EVERLASTING GIFT:

While celebrating good occasions (birthday parties, weddings, housewarming parties, retirement parties, festivities….) we have received many gifts 🎁 from our families & friends....(or bought gifts for someone) starting from toys 🧸 , bikes 🚲 , candies 🍭 , sweets, books 📚 , shoes 👞 , clothes, gadgets, cars, furniture......a long list. Unfortunately, each & every gift we have received or bought for someone gets used up, broken down or outdated over time. Whatever we have in our possession now is temporary; nothing lasts forever. 

Is there any valuable gift we have bought or have in our possession which is useful forever & never gets outdated? Yes, there is one Everlasting Gift--Bible, Quran, Torah, Tripitaka, Agama, Guru Granth Sahib, Gita or any other Scriptures...we should have in our lives. 

I am happy to share a few lines of wisdom from my Everlasting Diwali Gift-- Srimad Bhagavd Gita.

1. Regulate the Lifestyle: It is healthy for us & our family to live a regulated life meaning balancing our eating, sleeping, recreation and work. There is happiness in the Mode of Goodness lifestyle. Yes, we should work hard & stretch our boundaries to do more & achieve more, but at the same time, pay attention to our limitations & health. Bend yourself, but don’t break your self. Don’t sacrifice your family, friends & health for power, position, fame or wealth.

Bg 6.17 -- He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.

2. Duty without Expectation: We should do our prescribed duty either as a parent, child, spouse, student, teacher, friend, colleague, employee, employer....etc, but don’t expect anything in return & remain detached from the result. When we expect anything in return, we set ourselves up for misery.

Bg 2.47 -- You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.

3. Be prepared for miseries in our lives: All life on Planet Earth 🌍 wants to be happy & peaceful all the time. Unfortunately happy moments can not last for long time due to duality nature of the material world meaning everything rotates in a cycle like.....Illness-Recovery, Birth-Death, Success-Failure, Praise- Criticism, Winter-Summer, Happiness- Sorrowness....etc. The material miseries are unavoidable, unstoppable and sometimes come unexpectedly. Spiritual wisdom will help us to swallow & digest the Pill of Miseries..LOL... 😂.

TEXT 14: 2.14: O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.

4. Don’t Compete with others: Don’t compare & compete with others. Every one of us has a different mindset & passion to do good for our family & society. Be yourself but continue to improve yourself. Don’t expect a fish to climb the tree or a bunny to swim. Everyone is a genius in their own way.

Bg 3.35 -- It is far better to discharge one’s prescribed duties, even though faultily, than another’s duties perfectly. Destruction in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s duties, for to follow another’s path is dangerous.

5. Sweet & Encouraging Speech: Our relationships, enthusiasm, success and overall direction of the life shape up by the sweet, beneficial & stimulating words we hear from our loved ones or we speak for our loved ones & others. And of course have some LOL 😂 😆 moments with friends/family/colleagues. 

Bg 17.15 -- Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others, and also in regularly reciting Vedic literature. Vedabase.io

Out of 700 verses from Gita, by implementing only these 5 verses in our lives, we can be on the right track. 

It is easy to say, but difficult to follow. 

Jay Shree Krishna

Thank You 🙏.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I am inspired to learn the Vedic scriptures by regularly listening to the discourses of Sri Pandurang Shashtri Athvale with the Swadhyay Parivar every Sunday at the Swadhyay Kendra.

I also enjoy reading the discourses and writings on Vedic philosophy by Srila Prabhupada and his disciples from ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness).

Jay Yogeshwar 🙏 

Hare Krishna 🙏 

Thank You 🙏