The famous 15th century mystical poet of India, Kabir, once said: “pothi parhi parhi jag muwa, pundit bhaya na koyi, dhayi akchar prem ka parhai so pundit hoye” : people study books and die unenlightened – without becoming pundits, but those who understand the two and a half syllables of love (“prem”) become pundits (enlightened)!”
Is love is the key to the secrets of the universe? How can knowing love enlighten us? What does Ayurveda have to say about the connection between love and understanding the world we live in?
Vaidya Mishra explains that love is the link between our inner world (body, mind and soul) and the cosmic world that surrounds us. Love connects us from the most subtle to the most gross level to the reality of life, because love is the transformative force of creation. It is out of love that the universe was created and it is with love that it is maintained. But what does this mean?
Love is that transformative power which ignites the eternal “silence” of creation and creativity into the ever-present “dynamism” of the created world and its multiplying realities. Love sparks silence into dynamism. The silent source that is all-potential, all-present, never-ending, unfolds into the dynamic reality of time where everything changes, is always becoming and transforming.
Shiva and Shakti:
In India, this idea is expressed beautifully through the image of Shiva and Shakti, the eternal couple which represent the play between silence and dynamism, creativity and creation, eternity and mortality. The “divine play” of Shiva and Shakti brings forth universes, it creates everything we know and experience, as well as everything we cannot grasp through our senses alone. Shiva and Shakti, the eternal lovers, are the primal energies that race through our bodies on a very concrete level. Our bodies and our lives are an expression of their eternal play. We have to maintain just the right balance in order to let the unending bliss of love flow through us and brighten our days. But balance of what?
Three Cosmic Properties:
The play of Shiva and Shakti creates a universe that is made up of Guna-s or properties. Every created aspect or reality shares a unique combination of the three possible Gunas or properties that are: Satwa, Rajas, and Tamas. Each Guna has different qualities. Satwa is is life supportive and creative, it is more silent; Rajas upholds transformation and raw dynamism, it is more active even though it is also somewhat silent; Rajas can bring premature consumption of life when it is present in larger quantities; Tamas ushers in new beginnings as it clears a clean slate; it is thoroughly active with least or no silence in it; as such,Tamas counters life, it carries the value of negation and suppression. It is the least desirable guna and can be the root cause of many imbalances, diseases, etc. Rajas and Tamas are devoid of creative impulses, they may hinder and/or delay creativity and life when found in the absence of Satwa. Satwa is the primary quality or guna that Ayurveda identifies as desirable.
The Guna-s rule our minds through our bodies. They cast their light – satwic, rajasic, or tamasic – on our minds and hearts and alter our body’s chemistry. In parallel, Ayurveda categorizes foods as Satwic, Rajasic, or Tamasic, based on their chemical make-up as well as other more subtle properties. The kind of diet we keep, therefore, has great impact on the state of our minds and our hearts. The impact of Shiva and Shakti is experienced very concretely in our lives through what we ingest. What we eat determines who we are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually!
Satwa and Satwic:
In Ayurveda, Preeti (love), Paramatma (God), and Ahar (food), are connected to each other through the concept of Satwa or Satwic – as taught in the SVA tradition. The Shastras (vedic texts) explain that Satwic food is Preeti Vardhan : Satwic food increases (unconditional) love. But what is Satwic food? And why would it increase (unconditional) love?
Ojas:
Satwic food means Soma predominant food. It is freshly prepared food that is more nurturing and nourishing, yet has enough Agni, or metabolic fire, to facilitate the transformation of Soma to Ojas. What is Ojas? Ojas is the subtle bi-product of the tissues after perfect digestion/assimilation/cellular transformation of food. According to Ayurveda, Ojas, the ultimate refined bi-product of total digestion is the connecting factor, it is the “glue” that holds together body and soul. In scientific terms, Ojas corresponds to the neuro-transmitters that serve as messengers in our nerves, sending signals to and from the brain tissue to the rest of our body. While Science can observe their activity on the gross level through a microscope, Ayurveda tells us about how deep their activity goes on the subtler more “spiritual” levels. Ayurveda explains that Ojas or Appar Ojas is the communicating factor between the individual mind and the “light of the soul” also known as Satwa. Our karmic debt is housed in our Satwa. The purity of the Satwa, or the light that the soul generates, is an indication of our karmic debt. The bigger our dues through past life offenses, the dimmer the light. Vaidya speaks of black bugs fluttering in the light, making it impure and dim! The best pesticide for these unwanted pollutants is Satwic food!
Satwic Food:
Satwic food nourishes and purifies the light of the soul, or the Satwa. The Shastras say: Ahar Shudhi Satwa Shudhi: pure clean food purifies and cleans the Satwa or the light of the individual soul. When the light of the soul shines through unobstructed, it travels to the “Heart Lotus” and connects it with the mind, establishing a bridge between Satwa Buddhi and Mano Buddhi. Satwa Buddhi is the power of the heart, and Mano Buddhi is the power of the mind. Each is incomplete on its own, like a bird trying to fly with only one wing. But when Satwa Buddhi and Mano Buddhi are in communication, through the help of Ojas, the heart is wide open and unconditional love flows out unconditionally. The individual feels balanced, happy, and glows!
The Secret:
This is the secrete knowledge of the SVA lineage that explains how the ayurvedic concept of Satwic food can increase unconditional love. This is how food is in direct relation to the finest, purest bi-product of perfect digestion, Appar Ojas, which acts as the catalyst as well as the communicating factor between our individual selves and the cosmic universal reality that surrounds us. The heart is connected to the ultimate reality of the universe, the silent ocean of love out of which all creation arises, through this refined bi-product, Appar Ojas. When the heart is connected to the ocean of love, it receives waves of endless love and spreads waves of endless love. This is how Satwic food is Preeti Vardhan, this is how Satwic food increases unconditional love. We are creatures made out of love that thrive on love. When we maintain a satwic diet and lifestyle, then we have arrived home and the secrets of this universe have been revealed to us in our own hearts! This “coming home” is a real experience, because the body exhibits a specific bio-chemical reality: it is filled with Ojas. The Shastras say that good quantity and quality of Ojas give the body glow and bliss!
This is why Ayurveda always emphasizes the abundance of Ojas. Soma is the raw material for Ojas in Satwic food. A Satwic meal is a perfectly balanced meal, not in terms of carb and nutrient intake which remains on the surface level, but in terms of the proportions of pure (unprocessed) Soma, Agni, Marut – the raw material out of which the universe is made.
Vaidya’s Wish:
On the occasion of this Valentine’s, Vaidya Mishra’s message to you is to try to consume as much Satwic foods as possible, because Satwic food is the foundation for receiving more Prana, and therefore, unconditional love. It enhances the quality of all your personal and public relationships. On a personal level, partners can enjoy enhanced physical, sensual, emotional, and mental love without losing connection with the divine within, before, during, and after intimacy. Satwic food is Pranic food. Prana is also enhanced by an open heart (see Vaidya’s recording on Love and Prana for 2010 and 2011 available at www.chandika.com). Love enhances Prana. Those who have more delivery and reception of Prana tend to produce more Ojas. More Ojas, means better connection between heart, mind, and soul, and therefore unconditional love. No hidden or exposed conditions or restrictions between lovers can withstand the power of unconditional love!

According to Rishi Carak, sleep is one of the three main sub-pillars that support our health (Carak Sutrasthan Chapter 11 verse 35). Our bodies need sleep when the mind and body are over-exerted after a long day of sensory overload. Good quality sleep occurs when the mind completely withdraws from the senses; if the mind remains engaged with sensory objects or perceptions, the quality of sleep deteriorates. But sometimes it is not easy to disengage the mind after a long or intense day of activities, even if we crave to have replenishing sound sleep. So what to do then?

You may already be feeling it: suddenly you are furrowing through your closet in search of things to throw away, or you are roaming around in your living space looking to de-clutter, caught ina joyful frenzy to clean up so that by the time you finally fling your windows wide open for that sun-lit Spring air, you have made some space for the new and the renewed in your life. But you may also be experiencing it on a more physical level in your own body: less stiffness, less heaviness, more flexibility, a certain feeling of overall lightness despite not having lost any weight, or worked out, or changed your routine in any way whatsoever. A physiological sense of being well in your skin that affects even your overall mood. What has happened? As the deep dark cold of winter days gives way to the fragrant warmth of the Spring, the sunlit days grow long on us again and temperature climb, leading our shrunken circulatory channels to dilate, thawing toxic build-up, and initiating the physiology into a nature detox mode. In nature, things become very pretty as pulsating life once more flows freely through the plant kingdom, spreading colorful and fragrant blooms everywhere. It’s a recurrent annual event, timed by Mother Nature, that embraces all aspects of life on every level. We, as humans, are not only an important part of this annual transformation, but we can also chose to become central players by maintaining and supporting Nature’s re-awakening, or delay and impede it.

The word cholesterol conjures up many negative emotions nowadays. Doctors have taught us that cholesterol causes heart attacks and strokes and that if our cholesterol becomes too elevated, it should be brought down with diet and exercise. If we are not able to lower our cholesterol through changing our diet and lifestyle, then they resort to the use of “statin” drugs, or, drugs that lower cholesterol. The “holistic” doctors in America feel that these drugs are too dangerous, since they come riddled with side effects and toxicity for the liver and kidneys. Instead, they try to address the cholesterol issue through the use of red yeast rice and fish oil. All in all, there is little consensus on how to ideally control and lower bad cholesterol, but it would be helpful to understand this issue a little more. For example, let’s look at the issue of carbohydrates. We know now that white sugar and white flour, both carbohydrates, are highly refined nutrients that have been shown not to be good for our health. But does this mean that we need to avoid all carbohydrates all the time? “Carbs” have suddenly been lumped into one category, and everyone goes to extremes in avoiding all of them. This means that the good carbs, such as whole grains like millet, oats, barley, buckwheat, rice, quinoa are also left out of our diet… We, as americans, have developed a typical mind-set of throwing out the baby with the bath water! The same thing holds true for the cholesterol issue! Yes, there are some foods that contain cholesterol that are not good for you to consume, such as red meats, aged cheeses, fried foods. However, to avoid all cholesterol in the diet is not a good idea either. Why? To find in-depth yet practical answers I go to the ancients teachings of Ayurveda, the time-old medicine of India as practiced and taught to me by Vaidya R.K. Mishra. Since Ayurveda is an ancient science, it was given to man through the revelations of seers and not the microscopic vision of lab tools and research; yet modern science is nowadays confirming every single one of its findings. So according to the ancient seers who cognized Ayurveda, the human body is made up of many physical channels (srotas) which which act as elimination channels for discarded materials – such as urine, sweat, blood, food, toxins, and so on. The seers knew and explained that if these channels were to either shrink, clog up or become inflamed, then whatever was trying to get through the channel would have a difficult time being evacuated. Like anything else, these channels need proper care to function optimally. Diet constitutes a very important aspect of their care. In line with that thought, Vaidya Mishra teaches how to identify modern foods that shrink our channels, such are the family of the nightshades (eggplant, bell peppers, white potatoes and tomatoes). Then, the foods that clog them can be such items as hard aged cheeses, soy products, large beans (garbanzo, pinto, kidney, lima beans, etc), bananas, heavy meats, cold dairy, processed foods, leftovers, etc. The foods that inflame the channels are sour/acidic and pungent foods – vinegar, onions, garlic, to name a few. To give you a concrete example from our clinic in Cinnaminson, N.J., I had 3 patients who followed a vegan diet, eating a lot of soy, never consuming any animal products like butter, cheese, meats or milk, and all 3 dropped dead of a heart attack at a young age. The high reliance on soy clogged their channels. The artery is one type of channel, so in this case, their heart attack and their clogged channels were directly co-related. Yet, all 3 patients had low cholesterol and were very thin… On the other hand, if you are eating certain food items that contains a type of cholesterol which can be easily absorbed from the channels into the cells, such as warm milk and ghee, the arteries or other channels won’t clog, even though both these foods contain cholesterol. So, the real issue is whether the food is channel-clogging, not whether or not it contains cholesterol! Trans fats and hydrogenated oils, which are one molecule away from plastic may not have cholesterol, yet they can severely clog the arteries since our bodies can’t metabolize that type of chemical, they cannot accept it in from the channels and absorb it into the cells. In addition to the issue of the food being channel-clogging or not, we need to address our own digestion, and make sure it is in good shape, so that we can digest food into small enough particles that can go from the channel and be absorbed across a delicate cell wall (which is itself made of cholesterol!) and nourish the cell. Once the food is inside the cell then the cell can use it to make energy, etc. The liver manufactures the bile, which is held in the gall bladder. The gall bladder squirts the bile into the small intestines when we eat. The bile itself contains two “detergents” which emulsify the fats in the foods we eat into small enough particles so we can use them. In many people, probably the majority of people in the world, the bile gets too thick over time, turning into a “sludge”. At this point, we need to thin out this sludge so that the bile can flow, otherwise it can remain stuck in the gall bladder, giving symptoms over time (heartburn, gas, bloating, gall bladder attacks, fullness under the breastbone or under the ribs on the right). If the bile remains thick for too long, cholesterol gall stones can develop. At this point, the patient will have severe gall bladder symptoms usually and will require removal of the gall bladder. I see many patients, several every single week, where the bile is too thick, and we use certain remedies, such as SVA Triphala or SVA High Pitta Triphala (and other remedies) to thin out the bile. Once the bile starts flowing, they can digest better, their acid reflux goes away. In fact, at least half of my acid reflux patients don’t technically have a problem with making too much stomach acid, but instead have this problem with sludge in the gall bladder instead. In these cases, the drugs like Prilosec and Nexium do not help them, since the underlying problem is the gall bladder and not the stomach. I can’t tell you how many patients I’ve had through my 26 years in practice who had instant relief of these symptoms once we addressed their gall bladder. I’ve saved hundreds of patients from having gall bladder surgery as well. When the doctors see the sludge in the gall bladder, they want to remove the gall bladder. But they do not realize that all that really needs to be done is to thin out the bile. So, what happens when the bile gets too thick and doesn’t flow well? You guessed it! The cholesterol remains in the bloodstream because the bile is not there to remove it out of circulation. Now you can see that just taking a remedy, whether it’s a statin drug or fish oil (which will only bother the gall bladder even more) or red yeast rice isn’t the answer! We need to help the patient digest their fats better so that the cholesterol goes out of the “channel” (here the artery) and into the cell so that the cells can use this much-needed cholesterol. And where is cholesterol used? First, the brain and all the nerve cells, including the myelin sheath (covering to the nerve cells) are all made of cholesterol. This is why the ancient doctors said ghee would be good for the brain. (They also said that ghee made from yogurt cream was the easiest to digest, containing rare and much-needed essential fatty acids, and wouldn’t make the cholesterol go up or put weight on the body – we are so fortunate to have Vaidya Mishra making the divine “Mum’s Ghee” for all of us!) The adrenal glands themselves are made of cholesterol and their hormones are also made out of cholesterol. The reproductive hormones are also made out of cholesterol (which is why the ancient doctors said that women who ate ghee would be fertile. Latest research shows that women who take whole milk got pregnant much more easily than those who drank skim milk.) I can’t tell you how many infertile women I’ve helped conceive by adding back whole milk and ghee to their diets. And speaking of whole milk – there is an epidemic of osteopenia and osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) in our country since we started drinking 2% and lowfat/non-fat milk. It turns out the fat in the milk delivers the cholesterol to the bones, and if you take the fat out of the milk, then the calcium in the milk goes in one end of the channel and out the other end, never properly nourishing the bones along the way! But always boil milk first and drink it warm, to make the fat more digestible. And finally, did you know that the cholesterol in your blood migrates up to your skin – and when the sun hits your skin, this cholesterol is converted into Vitamin D? And if you’ve been listening to Vaidya over the past few years, he has lots to say about Vitamin D and its absorption. He now makes his transdermal creams and roll-ons of Vitamin D since this vitamin is fat-soluble and if taken orally can upset the liver. So, now you can see how important cholesterol is to our minds and bodies! And one other important point – our bodies need about 1,000 mg of cholesterol every day. We can’t possibly get enough of that in our diets (we can get about 200 mg in the diet), so our liver has to manufacture the rest – that’s how important it is to our life! I have had tremendous success treating Multiple Sclerosis in my practice. I have identified numerous reasons why a patient might get MS – mercury, aspartame, MSG burning the myelin sheath, EMF toxicity, parasites eating the myelin sheath. But I remember the very first patient I treated with MS told me that hers developed after following a strict low-fat diet and doing too much aerobic exercise (which burns fat). She too had starved her nerve tissue and myelin sheath of fats. Once I showed her how to reincorporate the good fats in her diet, she was pleased to see that she did not gain weight, that her body was actually absorbing these good fats and using them, and she was shocked to see her MS go away! Thank you to the ancient rishis for leaving us their divine knowledge of Ayurveda to help alleviate tremendous suffering in the world. And even more thanks to Vaidya Mishra for training us doctors to help our patients at this very deep level. So many of us are grateful for all the work you do on our behalf!