Monsoon Herb Aghedo (Apamarg)

Monsoon Herb Aghedo (Apamarg)

Aghedo known as Apamarg in Sanskrit is a pungent but a famous plant in Ayurveda used as purgative, diuretic and in the diseases of dropsy, bleeding piles, boils, skin eruptions, colic, toothache, painful menses and asthma. It’s roots are used as astringent and seeds are used as emetic and in hydrophobia and in enlarged spleen. It is anti inflammatory. It is mentioned in Ayurveda that if the roots of Aghedo is tied in the waist or pined in the hair amboda of a pregnant lady on the day of delivery, the delivery becomes normal. 

It is a natural salt, therefore, I was searching for it’s use in correcting lipid profile and removing blocks. 

In Gandhinagar, the Capital City of Gujarat plenty of Aghedo plants come up in Monsoon every year. In monsoon the plants come up from the earth and by Sharad-Diwali it gives seeds. 

Nature can’t grow herbs without meaning. What is the use of the Aghedo seeds in Sharad? Sharad (Bhadrapad) is a season in India in which many humans die. It is a season of diseases. रोगाणाम् शारदी माता। It is Mother for the Doctors and Vaidhyas as they earn the maximum during Sharad season. वैध्याणाम् शारदी माता। 

In Varsha (monsoon) the Pitta (heat) in the body accumulates. And in Sharada, it explodes. Therefore, Sharad is a season of fevers. To prevent it, our ancestors found out the use of milk to control the pitta. Therefore, Shraddha Parva is celebrated as ritual to pay homage to the diseased with offering of Khir made of milk and rice. Khir controls the pitta and saves us from fever and death. It is considered blessings of long life from the ancestors. 

How to use Aghedo, a hot herb in Sharad? 

If Sharad Khir made with Aghedo seeds, it becomes a medicine, perfect with the cooling agent milk and rice. And to my great surprise, this Sharad Khir and Adgedo seeds, the natural salt removes blockages of heart, brain and all other parts of the body. If it is cleaning the atherosclerosis, what a wonder! My heart pumping went down to 50 last year rose up 55-60 after taking Aghedo Khir for 15 days during Shraddha Parva. We used to collect fresh Aghedo seeds everyday during our morning walk. With the removal of the waste materials from the arteries, the LDL came down and with the smooth flow of bloods into all the arteries and veins, the major organs functioned well. 

What else does one need?

Take out seeds from the Aghedo plants around you, make a tasty Khir and enjoy the morning of the Sharad Ritu. 

शतम् जीव: शरद:  

Punamchand 

15 September 2018

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मिच्छामि दुक्कडम्

🙏🙏🙏

मिच्छामि दुक्कडम्।

The soul is pure but He carries deceit, hatred and attachments, these darts creat obstruction in the path of liberation, nirvana. मिच्छामि दुक्कडम् is a path of purification, roots out the internal darts and bring sanity.

God has given us spotless bed sheet. But we make it dirty with our acts and omissions. Knowingly or unknowingly, we hurt others and injure or kill other creatures.

In a year of 365 days, these 8 days of Paryusan-Samvatsari is a period of passing through the path of purification. It is a Parva of introspection, confessions, repent and taking a pledge to not to repeat errors. The repentance for the breach of vow (prayaschit) removes the darts over the soul. It leads to self correction. One asks for forgiveness for the various errors of commission and omission, the faults and the sins committed knowingly or unknowingly. We should say Michchhami Dukkadam.

There are nine subtypes of präyaschhit. (1) To confess one's mistake in the presence of the preceptor and with a pure heart - that is called älochanä. (2) To repent for the mistake that has been committed and to refrain from it, as also to remain alert that no new mistakes are committed - that is called pratikramana. (3) When these älochana and pratikramana are performed together - that is called a combination of älochana and pratikramana. (4) When prohibited food and drink happen to have been received and the fact comes to light later on, then to discard these food and drink - that is called viveka. (5) To regret the mistake committed, one adopts an attitude of concentration to give up the operations of body and speech - that is called vyutsharga. (6) To regret the mistake committed, one performs external penances like anashana etc. - that is called tapas. (7) Corresponding to the gravity of the offense committed, the reckoned period of monkshood is reduced by a day, a fortnight, a month or a year - that is called chheda. (8) To keep an offender at a distance from oneself and not to have with him engaged any dealings of any sort for a fortnight, a month or the like as might suit the gravity of his offense - that is called parihära. (9) When on account of a violation of the earlier accepted mahävratas (major vows) - non-violence, truthfulness, continence etc. - they are forfeited - that is called upasthäpanä.

A long path of Tapa to walk on the path of Nirvana. One can make a small beginning, ask for forgiveness from all those whom we have hurt knowingly or unknowingly during the past years. Then every year, we do this prayaschit and pratikraman to keep the sanity and purity of the Soul so that one day He reaches to His ultimate destination of Kaivalya, the Nirvana!

मिच्छामि दुक्कडम्।

Punamchand
13 September 2018

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Can Arjun become Krishna?

Can Arjuna become Krishna?

From the platform of unreal-impermanent, Vijay Ranchan Sir words his poem referring the verse 5 of the Chapter 4 of Gita: सुनते हैं कृष्ण! तुम सब कुछ कर सकते हो, मुझे बस तुम्हारे साथ बिताये जन्मों  से भी लम्बे प्रहर भूलने का वरदान दो |

In Chapter-2, Lord Krishna explains the immutability of the Self.

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचित् नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ।।२0।। (Gita, 2.20)
(He is not born nor does he ever die; after having been, He again ceases not to be; Unborn, Eternal, Changeless and Ancient, He is not killed when the body is killed)
The Self is unborn, eternal, birthless and deathless. The six changes: birth, existence, growth, decay, disease and death are the common womb of the pain in mortal’s life. Waves are born and die away but the Ocean is not born with the waves, nor does it die when the waves disappear.

But in verse 5 of Chapter 4, he says:
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव चार्जुन ।
तान्यहं वेद सर्वाणि न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप ॥ ५ ॥
(Many births of Mine have passed as well as yours, O Arjuna; I know them all but you know them not, O Prantapa.)

Lord Krishna explains the theory of birth and rebirth and His incarnation. In one verse, he explained that the Self is unborn and eternal and in this verse He contradicts himself with the theory of births and rebirths. He and Arjun had many births but He knows them all but Arjun doesn’t. He as a Master enjoys all freedom but Arjun as Servant carries the limitations. He further explains in verse 6 (ch.4), though I am unborn and am of imperishable nature, and though I am the Lord of all beings, yet, ruling over My own Nature, I take birth by My own MAYA.

Can’t Arjun become Krishna?

The Self (Pure Awareness) is the same in both, then why is the difference? Krishna carries Awareness and Arjuna is living in Ignorance. One is talking from the platform of the Supreme, Master of His Maya, knows the game of creation, enjoys his freedom to hold the vehicle (body) and leaves it with all freedom. But Arjuna is victimised by his ignorance, believes the world of Maya as real, forgets the past, carries the desires and passing through the cycle of endless births and deaths in ignorance of the Self, suffers the pains.

Where is that platform of the Supreme from where Krishna says loudly: weapons cleave It not, fire burns It not, water moistens It not, winds dries It not (2.23 Gita); just as a man casts off his worn out clothes and puts on new once, so also the embodied Self cuts off its worn out bodies and enters other which are new (2.22 Gita).

What is Real and what is Unreal? That which was not in the past and which will not be in the future, but seemingly exists at present is Unreal. The objects we regard as real are illusory will disappear. The Real exists at all times, in the past, the present and the future. All the objects, our sentiments and our ideas, the body-mind-intellect are ever changing in us, therefore they are not Real. Then where is that changeless substratum? If water flows in river, there is riverbed. Where is that riverbed, on which the experience of life (experience of body, mind, intellect) synchronised? Which is that something in us remains unchanged all through our changes? Which is that thread that holds the beads in a necklace?

It is the Self in us, the Pure Awareness, the Consciousness remains the same, endless experiences come under it, get illuminated and dies away. That Awareness, Spiritual Entity, Eternal, All pervading, Inborn, Undying, and the Changeless, the infinite in me, if I (Arjuna) rest in it, Arjuna becomes Krishna.

Hare Krishna.

મિચ્છામિ દુક્કડમ્ 🙏

Punamchand
13 September 2018

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