What is a Guide?

What is a Guide? This Guide seems to be the root of all conflicts.

Shri Shri Thakur : He, in whom the doctrines of being and becoming have got revealed or had got revealed, is verily the Guide or Guru. That is why all Gurus are same. He, who gives such doctrines directly to someone, is his Ideal, Guru or Guide. He is the one to be followed and all others (from past) are to be revered, to be adored. Discussion on their life and work makes us unimpeded and integrated with our principles. As a result progress freely accompanies us1.

Hanumaan seemed to have said,

``Shrinaathe Jaanakinaathe avedha paramaatmani |

Tathaapi mama sarwasya Raam kamal-lochana ||''

(Even though Shrinaath i.e. Shri Krishna and Jaanakinaath i.e., Shri Raam are the manifestations of the same Supreme Soul, still lotus-eyed Raam means everything to me)

Wherever there is conflict amongst Guru-hood, there lies its definite denial– be it between Hindus, Muslims, Christians or Buddhists. One should always shun such association where there is denial of devotion towards Guru, because it invites downfall. There is no Guru-hood in such association, rather the opposite is found there. However, where there is real Guru-hood, one should justly offer his devotion and service there, envisioning different forms or images of his own Ideal, Guru or Guide.

Kabir has said,

"Sabse rasiye sabse basiye

Sabkaa lijiye naam |

Haanji haanji karte raho

Baitthey apnaa thaam||"

(Appreciate all, give company to all, take everyone's name; do accept others' point of views remaining firm in your place)

Without being disrespectful to other Gurus, if one remains devoted and adhered to his own Guru, then all genuine Gurus become satisfied with him. So it is said, "sarva devomayo guru"(Guru is the embodiment of all divine beings).

Foot notes:

1 – "We need not fear any excessive influence. A more generous trust is permitted. Serve the great. Stick at no humiliation. Grudge no offence thou canst render. Be the limb of their body, the breath of their mouth. Compromise thy egotism, never mind the taunt of Boswellism. Be another; not thyself, but a Platonist; not a soul, but a Christian; not a naturalist, but a Cartesian; not a poet but a Shakespearian.". – from `Uses of Great Men' by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

[Ref: Nana Prasange Vol.1, Ninth Edition, Dec-2001, Page 11-12]

THANKUNI PATA (Centella asiatica)

Followers of Sri Sri Thakur Anukulchandra commonly known as Satsangees all over the world take one or two fresh leaves with plenty of water in the morning after morning rituals. This is prescribed by Sri Sri Thakur Himself.

THANKUNI PATA (Centella asiatica)

Medicinal effects : a mild adaptogen, is mildly antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcerogenic, anxiolytic, a cerebral tonic, a circulatory stimulant, a diuretic, nervine and vulnerary.

It is used as a leafy green in Sri Lankan cuisine, where it is called Gotu Kola. In Sinhalese Gotu is translated into conical shape and Kola for leaf. It is most often prepared as Malluma; a traditional accompaniment to Rice and curry, and goes especially well with vegetarian dishes such as dhal, and jackfruit or pumpkin curry. It is considered quite nutritious. In addition to finely chopped Gotu Kola Malluma almost always contains grated Coconut and may also contain finely chopped green Chilis, Chili powder, Turmeric powder and Lime (or Lemon) juice.

A variation of the extremely nutritious porridge known as Kola Kenda is also made with Gotu Kola by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka. Kola Kenda is made with very well boiled red rice (with extra liquid), coconut milk and Gotu Kola which is liquidized. The porridge is accompanied with Jaggery for sweetness. Centella leaves are also used in the sweet "pennywort drink."

In Indonesia, the leaves are used for sambai oi peuga-ga, an Aceh type of salad, also mixed into asinan in Bogor.

In Vietnam and Thailand this leaf is used for preparing a drink or can be eaten in raw form in salads or cold rolls. In Bangkok, vendors in the famous Jatujak Market sell it alongside coconut, roselle, crysanthemum, orange and other health drinks.

In Malay cuisine the leaves of this plant are used for ulam, a type of Malay salad.

It is one of the constituents of the Indian summer drink "thandaayyee".

Centella asiatica may be useful in the treatment of Anxiety and may be used as a promising anxiolytic agent in the future.

In Thailand cups with gotu kola leaves are used as an afternoon stimulant. A decoction of juice from the leaves is thought to relieve hypertension. A poultice of the leaves is also used to treat open sores.

Richard Lucas claimed in a book published in 1966 second edition in 1979) that a subspecies "Hydrocotyle asiatica minor" allegedly from Sri Lanka also called "Fo ti tieng", contained a longevity factor called 'youth Vitamin X' said to be 'a tonic for the brain and endocrine glands' and maintained that extracts of the plant help circulation and skin problems.However according to medicinal herbalist Michael Moore, it appears that there is no such subspecies and no Vitamin X is known to exist.
Scientific reports have documented Centella asiatica's ability to aid wound healing which is responsible for its traditional use in leprosy. Upon treatment with Centella asiatica, maturation of the scar is stimulated by the production of type I collagen. The treatment also results in a marked decrease in inflammatory reaction and myofibroblast production.

The isolated steroids from the plant have been used to treat leprosy. In addition, preliminary evidence suggests that it may have nootropic effects. Centella asiatica is used to re-vitalize the brain and nervous system, increase attention span and concentration, and combat aging. Centella asiatica also has anti-oxidant properties. It works for venous insufficiency. It is used in Thailand for opium detoxification.

'There have been so many reports showing the medicinal properties of C. asiatica extract in a wide range of disease conditions like diabetic microangiopathy, edema, venous hypertension, venous insufficiency (Incandela et al., 2001a; Incandela et al., 2001b; Incandela et al., 2001c). The role of C. asiatica extract in the treatment of memory enhancement and other neurodegenerative disorders is also well documented (Mohandas Rao et al., 2006). The first report concerning the antitumor property of C. asiatica extract was on its growth inhibitory effects on the development of solid and ascites tumor and that lead to increased life span of the tumor bearing mice (Babu et al., 1995). The authors also suggested that the extract directly impeded the DNA synthesis. In our study, C. asiatica extract showed an obvious dose dependent inhibition of cell proliferation in breast cancer cells'

Common names:

Barhami Booti - Urdu
崩大碗 (literally: "chipped big bowl"- Chinese)
'வல்லாரை, pronounced vallaarai - Tamil
Thankuni Pata
Gotu Kola (ගොටුකොල)
Asiatic Pennywort
Indian Pennywort
Luei Gong Gen
Takip-kohol
Antanan
Pegagan
Pegaga
Kula kud
Bai Bua Bok (ใบบัวบก)
Brahmi (this last name is shared with Bacopa monnieri[20])
Rau má (literally: mother vegetable- Vietnamese)
Manimuni (Assamese)
Saraswathi Plant (Telugu: సరస్వతీ ఆకు)
Ondelaga or ಒಂದೆಲಗ (Kannada)
Ekpanni or ಒಂದೆಲಗ (Konkani)
Kudakan or Kudangal or കുടക‍‍൯ / കുടങ്ങല് (Malayalam)
Yahong Yahong (Philippines)

Work with honesty and sincerity because laziness will ruin you

Bhola owns a donkey called Khandya. Bhola is a very tolerant and kind master. The donkey is lazy and is always finding ways to avoid work.

Once while returning with loads of salt on his back, Khandya falls in the river. He realizes that the fall has lessened the weights of the sacks as the salt has dissolved in the water.

The next few days Khandya purposely falls into the water everyday. Bhola is unhappy at the way Khandya is behaving because he is losing money in the process. He decides to teach Khandya a lesson.

The next day instead of salt bags he loads Khandya with bags of cotton. Khandya is unaware of the change. As planned, he falls into the water and gets the bags wet. He is surprised to find the load unbearable. His otherwise master also starts beating him.

Khandya learns his lesson and starts behaving..

Moral: Work with honesty and sincerity because laziness will ruin you.

All developed nations follow dharma through apt activities

Question : Nowadays, like in Russia, no body considers dharma as a big thing. I have heard Kamal Pasha does not even follow Quran.  At present, having sidelined dharma, many nations are still able to run in an orderly state. Japan is so developed and yet there is no outbreak of any dharma there.¹

Shri Shri Thakurji : We may leave dharma, but dharma never leaves us. As long as we are alive and we are growing, we have to follow or do certain things, which in essence are nothing else but dharma – so we do need to follow them. It does not matter whether we call them dharma or not².  Kamal Pasha can never deny dharma because his very existence is based on it and Quran is that where the collection of all those essential things of dharma can be found. Nevertheless, he may drive away all the anti-dharma things disguised in the mask of dharma – in fact he should rightly do that. Thus he can do away with all the misinterpretation of Quran, but not Quran itself. This applies to Japan and Russia as well. There dharma may not exist for the sake of its name, however it must exist there in all their activities, otherwise there could not be any development there.

Foot notes:

¹ – "In our large cities the population is godless, materialized – no bond, no feeling, no enthusiasm."   – R. W. Emerson

² – "This much I know looking after seventy – men without religion are moral cowards and mostly physical cowards too when they are sober. Civilisation cannot survive without religion. It matters not what name we bestow upon our divinity – without religion life becomes a meaningless concatenation of accidents." – Bernard Shaw

Ref: Nana Prasange Vol.1, Ninth Edition, Dec-2001, Page 16-17]

Ideal first, then country

Question : In our country too, we see leaders like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru calling out `country first, then religion' – what does it mean?

Shri Shri Thakur : The word `desh'<sup>1</sup> (country) is derived from the word 'aadesh' (order). Now this 'aadesh' (order) has to come from an Ideal and Ideal brings love and life with Him. So Ideal should come first. The place, where all those people who follow such an Ideal stay together, is known as a `desh'(country). So it should be `Ideal first, then country.'

 

Foot notes:

¹ – Desh comes from root word Dish which means to order (aadesh).

Ref: Nana Prasange Vol.1, Ninth Edition, Dec-2001, Page 17-18]

SRISRITHAKUR on 'Miracles' and 'mysteries'

Question : People say you have done a lot of miraculous and mysterious things – how do you do them?

Shri Shri Thakurji : I do not know about anything miraculous or mysterious – neither have I ever done anything of that sort. There seems to be sheer lack of sense in what people talk about. What I am is only what you see. We think something as mysterious only when we do not know what is causing it¹. You write in shorthand². It is strange to me as I do not know what it is. When I practised Homeopathy, I used to think in my mind about the medicines, about the causes of diseases, about different patients.

One day as I was going to visit a patient walking through a road in Kasipore,  I saw a Muslim man coming from the direction of Pabna market. He was carrying a basket on his head and few baby Sareng fish in his hand. Looking at him, the image of a Homeopathy medicine `veratrum album' flashed through my mind. Immediately I went to him and said, `brother, do not eat these fish at any cost, you are going to have a serious stomach disorder.'  Hearing this he said, `Allah has given birth to me, one day I have to die' and off he went. I too headed towards my own destination. After finishing my visit to the patient, I came back home. Soon after, a relative of that man came to me and informed that he had bowel motion for a couple of times, his hands and feet were cold and he was feeling nausea and cramped. It seemed after returning from Pabna, he washed his hands and feet and just as he sat down to smoke hubble-bubble, he felt a commotion inside his stomach. He went to toilet. Then he started to feel dizzy and began sweating on the forehead. After a while he went to toilet again. At this point he started panicking and sent his relative to call me immediately. So I went there and gave him `veratrum album - 30'. He got cured. He, however, did not believe that I cured him through medicine. He started telling people that I had supernatural power.

Question : As soon as you saw that man you felt he could suffer from cholera – how did you attain such an exceptional ability of observation?

Shri Shri Thakurji : When a man gets sincerely engaged with something and start to apply that, it brings him experience. From experience grows common sense, which finally turns into an instinct. I think this might be the case with me.

Foot notes:

¹ – "It is true, man sees more of the things themselves when he sees more of their origin; for their origin is part them and indeed the most important part of them. Thus they become more extraordinary by being explained. He has more wonder at them but less fear of them. For a thing is really wonderful when it is significant and not when it is insignificant."   – `St. Francis of Assisi' by G. K. Chesterton

² – The person asking the question to Shri Shri Thakur is Shri Indranath Chowdhury, a Free Press reporter. He was using shorthand to note down His answers.

Ref: Nana Prasange Vol.1, Ninth Edition, Dec-2001, Page 19-20]

Foods that Heal

Apples - Protects your heart, Prevents constipation, Blocks diarrhea, Improves lung capacity, Cushions joints

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Apricots - Combats cancer, Controls blood pressure, Saves your eyesight, Shields against Alzheimer's, Slows aging process

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Artichokes - Aids digestion, Lowers cholesterol, Protects your heart, Stabilizes blood sugar, Guards against liver disease

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Bananas - Protects your heart, Quiets a cough, Strengthens bones, Controls blood pressure, Blocks diarrhea

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Beans - Prevents constipation, Helps hemorrhoids, Lowers cholesterol, Combats cancer, Stabilizes blood sugar

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Beets - Controls blood pressure, Combats cancer, Strengthens bones, Protects your heart, Aids weight loss

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Blueberries - Combats cancer, Protects your heart, Stabilizes blood sugar, Boosts memory, Prevents constipation

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Broccoli - Strengthens bones, Saves eyesight, Combats cancer, Protects your heart, Controls blood pressure

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Cabbage - Combats cancer, Prevents constipation, Promotes weight loss, Protects your heart, Helps hemorrhoids

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Cantaloupe - Saves eyesight, Controls blood pressure, Lowers cholesterol, Combats cancer, Supports immune system

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Carrots - Saves eyesight, Protects your heart, Prevents constipation, Combats cancer, Promotes weight loss

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Cauliflower - Protects against Prostate Cancer, Combats Breast Cancer, Strengthens bones, Banishes bruises, Guards against heart disease

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Chestnuts - Promotes weight loss, Protects your heart, Lowers cholesterol, Combats Cancer, Controls blood pressure

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Chili Peppers - Aids digestion, Soothes sore throat, Clears sinuses, Combats Cancer, Boosts immune system

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Figs - Promotes weight loss, Helps stops strokes, Lowers cholesterol, Combats Cancer, Controls blood pressure

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Fish - Protects your heart, Boosts memory, Protects your heart, Combats Cancer, Supports immune system

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Flax - Aids digestion, Battles diabetes, Protects your heart, Improves mental health, Boosts immune system

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Garlic - Lowers cholesterol, Controls blood pressure, Combats cancer, kills bacteria, Fights fungus

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Grapefruit - Protects against heart attacks, Promotes Weight loss, Helps stops strokes, Combats Prostate Cancer, Lowers cholesterol

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Green Tea - Combats cancer, Protects your heart, Helps stops strokes, Promotes Weight loss, Kills bacteria

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Honey - Heals wounds, Aids digestion, Guards against ulcers, Increases energy, Fights allergies

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Lemons - Combats cancer, Protects your heart, Controls blood pressure, Smoothes skin,
Stops scurvy

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Limes - Combats cancer, Protects your heart, Controls blood pressure, Smoothes skin, Stops scurvy

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Mangoes - Combats cancer, Boosts memory, Regulates thyroid, Aids digestion, Shields against Alzheimer's

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Mushrooms - Controls blood pressure, Lowers cholesterol, Kills bacteria, Combats cancer, Strengthens bones

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Oats - Lowers cholesterol, Combats cancer, Battles diabetes, prevents constipation, Smoothes skin

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Olive Oil - Protects your heart, Promotes Weight loss, Combats cancer, Battles diabetes, Smoothes skin

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Onions - Reduce risk of heart attack, Combats cancer, Kills bacteria, Lowers cholesterol, Fights fungus

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Oranges - Supports immune systems, Combats cancer, Protects your heart, Strengthens respiration

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Peaches - Prevents constipation, Combats cancer, Helps stops strokes, Aids digestion, Helps hemorrhoids

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Peanuts - Protects against heart disease, Promotes Weight loss, Combats Prostate Cancer, Lowers cholesterol, Aggravates, Diverticulitis

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Pineapple - Strengthens bones, Relieves colds, Aids digestion, Dissolves warts, Blocks diarrhea

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Prunes - Slows aging process, Prevents constipation, Boosts memory, Lowers cholesterol, Protects against heart disease

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Rice - Protects your heart, Battles diabetes, Conquers kidney stones, Combats cancer, Helps stops strokes

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Strawberries - Combats cancer, Protects your heart, boosts memory, Calms stress

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Sweet Potatoes - Saves your eyesight, Lifts mood, Combats cancer, Strengthens bones

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Tomatoes - Protects prostate, Combats cancer, Lowers cholesterol, Protects your heart

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Walnuts - Lowers cholesterol, Combats cancer, boosts memory, Lifts mood, Protects against heart disease

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Water - Promotes Weight loss, Combats cancer, Conquers kidney stones, Smoothes skin

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Watermelon - Protects prostate, Promotes Weight loss, Lowers cholesterol, Helps stops strokes, Controls blood pressure

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Wheat Germ - Combats Colon Cancer, prevents constipation, Lowers cholesterol, Helps stops strokes, improves digestion

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Wheat Bran - Combats Colon Cancer, Prevents constipation, Lowers cholesterol