Swachch Bharat, a passionate slogan given by prime minister Narendra Modi needs to be coupled with internal cleanliness to produce a new generation of Indians who live for others and Thena Thyakthena Bhunjithaha, that is, they rejoice in giving. For long-term results our educational system must internalise this external and internal cleaning into our curriculum. A clean India is a healthy India which, in turn, is a wealthy India.
All of us take a bath daily, maybe even twice daily, to get rid of the dirt, grime, germs and the all the unwanted things from our body’s outer surface to keep ourselves healthy. However, we never try and cleanse the mind which harbours more deadly poisons that could destroy us very easily. The mind is an integral part of the body and resides in every cell in the subatomic quantum level. This quantum concept of the mind explains many of the intricacies of the mind that were hitherto a mystery and did not come under scientific scrutiny.
With advances in quantum physics comes the realisation that the mind (consciousness) is the one which observes everything—even in the most complicated scientific experiments. The human body has between 50-120 trillion cells, each of which has its mind on the cell wall with the antennae ready to receive signals from the universal consciousness (universal mind). While every human cell loves another cell in the body, these body cells also love other living creatures’ cells.
The mind, thus defined, is the source of all our thoughts that, in turn, direct all our actions. The mind does not reside in the human brain. There are basically two kinds of thoughts—positive and negative. While the former help the growth and development of the organism, the latter, the negative thoughts, are now known to be at the root of all our ills on this planet, beginning with the simple common cold to the deadly heart attacks, strokes and even cancer, the all-pervasive destroyer!
Study after study of the risk factor hypotheses has revealed the vital role played by negative destructive emotions on the major killers. The Johns Hopkins’ student study, the London White Hall study, and the Scandinavian study of men with heart attacks, showed the major role played by frustration, hostility and depression in this disease. Similarly, depression, with or without treatment, came up as the single most dangerous predisposing factor for growth and maintenance of cancers, with anger as the leading cause of stroke! The simple summary is that it is not what one eats that kills him, but it is what eats one that kills him.
Indian Yoga and praanaayaama are soaps for cleaning the mind. Regular physical exercise, especially outdoor walking, enjoying the bounties of nature en route would add to the perks. Diet enriched with fruits and vegetables could be an added bonus. Small regular meals, four to five times a day, help keep the internal environment within the limits of healthy fluctuations of the multifarious functions of the body.
Man lives for others. Helping others is the rent one pays for the comforts one enjoys in society. Molecular biology has taught us that even the thought of helping others brings on favourable changes in the cells of the immune system to prevent diseases! Praying for others is very effective as shown by a couple of well-controlled prospective studies done in the US. In addition, praying for others helps one to see life in a better perspective. It gives purpose to life and makes life worth living, avoiding depression. The latter is the greatest epidemic of the West these days. Breathe away to happiness and glory! Bath for the mind consists in daily replacing our negative thoughts, like hatred, greed, jealousy, anger and pride, with positive thoughts, like compassion, camaraderie, cooperation, empathy and enthusiasm to work and love.
“Cleanliness may be defined to be the emblem of purity of mind.” — Joseph Addison
