Recently it was in the news that the BBC science show presenter Dr Michael Mosley has discovered that eating less can increase your lifespan because it slows down the metabolic rate, and hence the rate of cell decay in the body. It is incredible to see that with every passing day every new ‘discovery’ of modern science is only rediscovering and reconfirming what our ancestors had said many thousands of years ago.
Be it the nasal irrigation technique (jal neti) to fight infections that has become a rage in the United States; the hydro-colon therapy (basti) or the recent research by Dr Mosley, the world is gradually waking up to the ancient Vedic sciences and laying claims to the knowledge of our ancestors. However, still being in the stage of development, modern sciences are able to touch upon these principles only partially, as in the case of the ‘eat less, live longer’ mantra of Dr Mosley.
Ageing is not just a product of a stressed-out digestive system, it works upon all layers and organ systems of a being. With every breath you take, every activity you are engaged in and every thought that enters you, you are constantly ageing. As per Ayurveda, shiryate iti shariram (the body is constantly moving towards destruction). The root of this destruction (or ageing) lies in hyperactivity. Your body is run by various agnis, which function as the fuel of the body. The more hyperactive you are, the faster you spend these agnis and the shorter becomes your lifespan. You can understand this by the example of an automobile. Driving at a high speed gives you the kick, but it also leads to greater fuel consumption and faster wear and tear of the car. The key to longevity is in slowing down, that is, optimising the fuel consumption of your vehicle and increasing its efficiency through practices like Sanatan Kriya so that you can travel a greater distance with the limited amount of fuel that you possess.
My book, Sanatan Kriya: The Ageless Dimension, which was written two years prior to the BBC research, details various reasons and processes involved in the ageing of the body as well as offers doable and practical solutions while keeping in consideration your age, lifestyle and prakriti (constitution). Along with beauty recipes, yogic kriyas, ayurvedic formulae, rasayans and daily regimes based on Vedic wisdom, the book deals with the relationship between diet and ageing, which was recently rediscovered by Dr Mosley. He seems to have read a chapter from the book and calls it his own research, though partially what the book explains completely.
Any disease or imbalance first manifests in your etheric body (which can be seen clairvoyantly as a grosser shade or colour) and then works its way to the physical body. The Vedic rishis gave us potent techniques to access and alter the etheric body through which one can affect a change in the physical body. Most modern sciences, however, are unable to tap into the science of a ‘being’ in totality and restrict themselves to the physical body. The ancient sciences of yog prescribe certain techniques like the ‘Anu Vilakshan Kriya’, regular practice of which naturally brings down your breath rate and reduces your dietary intake, thereby slowing down the rate of cell decay and enhancing lifespan.
While the Western scientists are acknowledging the importance of Vedic principles and techniques, we are busy aping the West. I wonder when we will wake up to the phenomenal gyan that is contained in the Vedas. I hope it happens before the rest of the world rediscovers the entire Vedas, and ironically will be teaching us about them. The silver lining is that, at least then, we will follow the Vedic way of life, for the Vedas say that the earth and its beings are all one — no east or west exists — knowledge is for all, who cares who rediscovers it?
Published in Indian Express
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