Secret of the Longevity
According to the Vedas, the "secret" to longevity in Hinduism lies in a
holistic approach to life that emphasizes spiritual practices like
meditation, ethical conduct (Dharma), a balanced diet, and a focus on inner
peace, with the belief that living a virtuous life can extend one's
lifespan and ultimately lead to liberation (Moksha) from the cycle of
rebirth (Samsara).
Vedic perspective on longevity: Concept of "120 years":
Many Hindu traditions believe that the natural lifespan of a human is
around 120 years, which is mentioned in various scriptures like the
Upanishads.
Importance of Karma:
The idea of karma, where actions have consequences in this life and future
lives, encourages living with good intentions and performing righteous
deeds to ensure a positive life trajectory.
Mind-body connection:
The Vedas emphasize the connection between the mind and body, suggesting
that a calm and focused mind contributes to physical well-being and
longevity.
Practices for longevity:
Yoga: Physical postures and breathing exercises that are believed to
promote physical and mental health.
Meditation: Deep contemplation to achieve inner peace and focus.
Dietary restrictions: Following a balanced vegetarian diet with emphasis on
natural foods.
Ethical living: Adhering to principles of non-violence (Ahimsa) and
compassion.
RAMANA DID THE OPERATION ON THE SPINAL CHORD WITHOUT ANESTHESIA; DEATH IS
PAINFUL ONLY TO THOSE SUFFER FROM THE FEAR OF DEATH. BIRTH IS NOT PAINFUL
FOR THE CHILD AS IT CANNOT HAAVE THAT SENSE. PAIN AND THE PLEASURES ARE THE
OUTCOME OF THE MIND.
2 The Secret of Long Life. [ BY PROF. JATINDRA MOHAN GHOSE, M.A.,
B.L., ] SREE SAJJANA-TOSHANI OR THE HARMONIST MAY 1929
It is a very patent fact that human life is very short, and that too,
most uncertain. The man who walks about with full vigour, hopes, and forms
expectations of future, and without the least suspicion of any blast,
breathes his last the very next moment. He stops for a good while on his
legs as it were. Such occurrences are quite common. Yet they are hardly
taken proper notice of, except a passing one. They seem to leave no
impression on the minds of the people, as would appear from their usual
course of life and modes of activities. Of course, life would, indeed, be
miserable and impossible if the horror of death was to haunt the mind at
all hours. So our Chanakya said,—‘one should think of the means of
acquiring learning and wealth free from all thoughts of infirmity and
death. Learning and wealth are no doubt two of the ends of life which can
not altogether be over-looked, for ensuring a happy worldly life on this
side of existence even by those who consider the present life as the only
life and end of all existence. But the sages of India—and also her
people—have never been so short-sighted. They have the perspective of an
existence beyond the ken of the present life,—of the true and eternal
life—the end and ideal of which substantially and greatly differ from those
of this short life. So while advocating those two ends of our present,
temporary, mundane life Chanakya did not lose sight of the ultimate one,
nor forget to remind and advise at the same breath, —‘that one should
practise Dharma (i.e. lead a religious life for truth) caught hold of by
hair, as it were, by death’. {KR: Read Bhaja Govindam written recently by
me; foolish commentaries are negligible and only the negligent minds think
so so ignored}
But this last advice a man will hardly listen to, although he takes
readily to the first one as being conducive to a life of sensuous pleasures.
It appears from the manner of his spoiling the precious moments of life, as
if he counts upon an endless tenure of life. He never cares, however
mis-spent his time may be. In his eagerness for enjoyment of the pleasures
of life he grows rather impatient and seems to think every moment that time
moves very slowly. A boy would be eager to leave behind his boyhood as
early as possible in order to live the free youthful life of his elder
brothers beyond the tutelage of his parents. A youth would aspire after the
active life of a grown-up man occupying a position of honour in society. A
grown up man again would look forward to reach the old age full of ripe
experience, commanding respect from all, to enjoy a life of retirement and
inactivity. A usurer is busy counting the days and watching the expiry of
the terms when interests will up his pockets. To an affianced the day of
marriage would appear too far off. A maiden lover would consider the
appointed hour of meeting a full year off, and so on. So everybody
considers his time, and part of life as unnecessarily long—although he
would consider the life as a whole to be too short.
This is the way of the world. But will anybody stop for a moment and
ponder, —what are these activities and eagerness for? They are for
momentary sensuous pleasures, —for trash, which would leave nothing
permanent, no trace,—behind. If so, are not so much time and energy
altogether wasted? But most people do not, and cannot, realise this waste,
for they are short-sighted and have no conception of the truer and higher
life. It does not behove us, —rational human beings, —to be blind and waste
the precious moments of life; we should turn every moment into account, and
live a true life full of worth. We boast of our wisdom in all matters, but
it is a pity that we are ignorant of what a true and real life is, and how
to live it.
Such an assertion will no doubt appear to many—to almost all—as a
bold, arrogant and meaningless one; for there are many great men who have
made the world what it is, and have left foot prints for others to follow.
Far from being ignorant of the meaning of life and the art of living it, it
is rather they who have shown what a life is and should be. To damn them
with ignorance of the idea of a true life is surely preposterous.
Yes, such an assertion is a very bold one,—but none the less true. And
the builders of the world are all great and wise men—no doubt, but in
matters worldly only. In spiritual matters beyond the range of Maya or
sense-experience, they are all as ignorant as any—so declares the
Srimad-Bhagabat, the Lord of all the Puranas, the purest and highest
authority in transcendental matters, and the fountain-head of all pure and
unadulterated knowledge. The knowledge of the great men of the world was
confined to this material world, and centred round their conception of the
soul as being identical with the material body; they had no conception of
their real selves (their souls) except and beyond the physical encasement.
They were altogether blind in regard to matters of Vaikuntha, the
transcendental world, lying beyond and above the range of material
experiences of mind and body. So with all deference to their wisdom let us
for once turn and listen to the words of the Shrimad Bhagavat. —
A truly wise man should strive without any delay after the surest and
highest good of life, till death comes upon him; for he has now obtained
the life of a human being after innumerable births as inferior creatures a
life which is very, very difficult of attainment, yet transitory and
uncertain; but only in which the supreme good is attainable; material
objects of enjoyment can be had in the life of all and any other
creatures. We are human beings and the pick of the creation. And our
present life is the best and highest of all lives. Hence it is but rational
and our bounden duty, to live it truly and attain the proper end of it. Our
life is much more than mere animal life and we should not waste it away in
animal enjoyments, viz., in eating, sleeping, sexual and other forms of
sensuous enjoyment. To eat, drink and be merry is not, and should not be
the end of a human life. And what is the span of a human life? Not more
than a hundred years or so at the longest, and that too is quite uncertain.
So, we cannot afford to let slip this opportunity of living and realising
the true-life scorning base worldly enjoyment available to inferior
creatures. It will then really be no human life, but a suicide. A man may
live even the longest period in material enjoyment, but that is no proper
kind of life, and no better than that of a beast. Such a person does not
really live. Then what to speak of his longevity? A man who has not
outlived his animal life, and lived a true human i.e., rational life,
cannot be said to live at all as a man. {KR So, even mammals like Gajendra
and the crocodile did only peaceful end one escaped by his blessings and
the other attained Moksha.)
We may argue,—‘let us first enjoy the pleasures of the senses for
some time, and then we shall seek to live the proper life. Such an argument
does not lie in the mouth of a rational being. As has been already pointed
out, life is most uncertain and very short too. What is even the fullest
period of a hundred years as compared with eternity? It is not even like a
drop in the ocean and relatively speaking, no more than the shortest
moment. Yet this moment is full of infinite possibility, and we can make it
full of worth—if it is properly and timely utilised. For in this life of
‘moment’ only we have the singular opportunity of realising the eternal
life of a Jiva-Soul. Here in this human life only we can realise the
supreme good, and so we can certainly ill afford to waste a single moment
of this short but precious life. Then again, once this opportunity is let
off, there is no knowing if it will come at the next turn. There is no
guarantee whether our next life will be the life of a human being or of any
other creature. We may sink down deeper and deeper, and it may be millions
of births before we may come up to the present level again.
A mere intellectual life also is not the true human life in the sense
of the Shrimad Bhagavat. It is no doubt in a certain sense more rational
life than that of beasts. And the popular notion is that an intellectual
life is really a truly rational human life. But it is nevertheless a
material life opposed to and quite different from spiritual life. It can
never be anything but a sensuous life. It builds itself and rests upon
sense-experiences. Such a life at its best is a life of mental material
recreation or enjoyment. Because the stuff of the mind is nothing but
matter, although of a finer quality, which is evolved out of, and is under
the sway of (word in Sanskrit) or Physical Nature. Our Scriptures say that
this also is not the true life of a jiva: it is also a life within and
under (Prakriti) Phenomenal Nature or (the limiting or delusive power).
We should, therefore, live a truly rational life which is located
beyond this world of limitations and therein lies our superiority over all
other creatures. True rationality consists in trying to realise, and
actually realising, the deathless eternal life in supremely blissful
communion with, and constant, selfless, loving service of, the
transcendental, personal God-head, the Supreme Lord Krishna. Then and then
only we would have turned this shortest life into the longest one. Our life
is lived and prolonged in proportion to our effort to realise the eternal
life. This is the true meaning and secret of longevity.
Our Scriptures further declare that a truly devotional life is the
only key to such longevity which is an eternal life of supreme bliss. To
seek to live such a long life is the science of all sciences and the art of
all arts. It is the most perfect, transcendental, science and art. So, it
cannot be acquired by acting according to individual pleasure and choice.
3 प्र तार्यायुः प्रतरं नवीय स्थातारेव क्रतुमता रथस्य । अध च्यवान
उत्तवीत्यर्थं परातरं सु निॠतिर्जिहीताम् ॥R V 10 59 1 LONGEVITY OF LIFE
pra tāry āyuḥ prataraṃ navīya sthātāreva kratumatā rathasya | adha cyavāna
ut tavīty artham parātaraṃ su nirṛtir jihītām ||
“May the life of Subandhu be augmented so as to be more lasting and newer,
as men conveyed in Acar (are carried on) by a skilful (driver); he who
falls from life, increases (his) desire to live; may Nirrti depart far-off.”
मो षु णः सोम मृत्यवे परा दाः पश्येम नु सूर्यमुच्चरन्तम् । द्युभिर्हितो जरिमा
सू नो अस्तु परातरं सु निॠतिर्जिहीताम् ॥ R V 10 59 4 LONG LIFE THROUGH
PRAYER AND THE HAPPINESS AND NOT PAIN
mo ṣu ṇaḥ soma mṛtyave parā dāḥ paśyema nu sūryam uccarantam | dyubhir hito
jarimā sū no astu parātaraṃ su nirṛtir jihītām ||
“Give us not up, Soma, to death; may we (long) behold the rising sun; may
our old age brought on by(passing) days be happy; may Nirṛti depart far
off.”
असुनीते पुनरस्मासु चक्षुः पुनः प्राणमिह नो धेहि भोगम् । ज्योक्पश्येम
सूर्यमुच्चरन्तमनुमते मृळया नः स्वस्ति ॥R V 10 59 6
asunīte punar asmāsu cakṣuḥ punaḥ prāṇam iha no dhehi bhogam | jyok paśyema
sūryam uccarantam anumate mṛḻayā naḥ svasti ||
“Restore to us, Asunīti, sight and breath, and enjoyment in this world;
long may we behold the rising sun; make us happy, gracious (goddess), with
prosperity.”
पुनर्नो असुं पृथिवी ददातु पुनर्द्यौर्देवी पुनरन्तरिक्षम् । पुनर्नः
सोमस्तन्वं ददातु पुनः पूषा पथ्यां या स्वस्तिः ॥R V 10 59 7
punar no asum pṛthivī dadātu punar dyaur devī punar antarikṣam | punar naḥ
somas tanvaṃ dadātu punaḥ pūṣā pathyāṃ yā svastiḥ ||
“May earth restore the (departed) soul to us; may the divine heaven, may
the firmament (restore it);may Soma restore body to us; may Pūṣan restore
to us speech, which is prosperity.”
Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya
The firmament: pathyam =that which is in the firmament, i.e., speech, which
is derived from ether (ākāśa);
Speech: svasti = vāk,speech; may she give us articulation, pathyam vācam =
good speech (REBIRTTH EXPLAIND)
Vedas that specifically talk of rebirth”, and starts with RV 10.59.6-7:
“O Blissful Ishwar, please provide us again healthy eyes and other sense
organs in next birth. Please provide us powerful vitality, mind, intellect,
valour again and again in next births. We achieve bliss in this life and
future lives. May we keep looking up to your glory always. Keep us in peace
with your blessings. O Ishwar, you provide us space, earth and other
elements again and again so that our sense organs function. You provide us
the ability to have good health and enjoy life in every birth. You make us
strong again and again in various births.”
4 Hence longevity is one’s mind control read with Karma. Happiness and
pain depend on the person’s worse action in his/ her life and not so as
expected where the mind is without fear. Theethum nandrum pirar tharra
vaara; one who sow bad actions only reap the bad pains at the end.
K Rajaram IRS 19225
On Wed, 19 Feb 2025 at 06:14, Markendeya Yeddanapudi <
[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> --
> *Mar*Longevity-The End of Happy Death
>
>
>
> Economics has made nature dysfunctional. We no longer can depend on nature
> to keep us healthy. Nature is under deadly assault.Most of us keep our life
> in the body that functions as a prolonged stored item, with a store of
> medicines, to keep the life from escaping into nature. This existence as
> preserved and stored being dependent on many chemicals is hailed as medical
> advancement. No longer is the very concept of living in nature and as
> nature, as a limb of nature possible.
>
> We forgot the very concept or fact of the happy and healthy death. Death
> after all is part of the process of consciousness, and nature’s process
> includes the positive and healthy death as the basic feature of Ecology.
>
> In free and healthy nature, every organism experiences its time as a
> pleasant voyage and an organism enters the next arena as a healthy and
> happy being. Health and happiness were once the basic qualifications for
> death. We are all basically abstract beings. We live in thoughts, emotions,
> feelings, perceptions, understandings, enlightenments and revelations, all
> abstract and formless. In the free and healthy nature one experiences every
> dimension of happiness, the happiness of the positive emotional
> interactions. Health and happiness depends on these abstract emanations,
> all the outcomes of the free and healthy nature. The happy feelings enter
> our bloodstream as hormonal messages to the seven octillion cells
> comprising of us. When one’s part in the grand evolution is completed one
> enters nature in death happily and healthily.
>
> Today, to lengthen our longevity with medicines, we disease nature
> continuously. We simply cannot team up with nature. We fight nature to
> delay death. We are fighting our own role in the evolution. We invite our
> births, but we fight our deaths. We ignore the fact that birth and death
> are two sides of the same coin.
>
> Not a single nano second of life can be lived without the performance of
> the functions of bacteria in us. Bacteria simply are part of our body, our
> anatomy.Today, we are brainwashed to fear bacteria, actually our own
> anatomy. There is a gigantic bacterial coordination enabling our life. But
> thanks to the stupid indoctrination that bacteria cause disease only, we
> fear even to muse and contemplate in free nature. We are fear stricken that
> there are many disease causing bacteria, in nature and that they must be
> fought with anti bacterial chemicals, etc.We are fighting nature’s
> evolution thorough out our lives and we die unwillingly dragged into death.
>
> We need urgently the free and healthy parks, to free us from the fear of
> death. We must realize that death is the most positive experience, the
> culmination of very happy and healthy life. Happy and healthy death is part
> of happy and healthy nature, which includes our life. Births and deaths are
> part of circuit of evolution of the Biosphere.
>
> YM Sarma
>
> Chat GPT
>
> The essay "Longevity-The End of Happy Death" reflects a deep critique of
> the way modern life has disconnected from the natural processes of life and
> death. It argues that the constant pursuit of longevity, driven by medical
> advancements and pharmaceuticals, has led to a dysfunction in our
> relationship with nature. In a natural state, death is portrayed as a
> healthy and happy conclusion to life, while modernity has made us view it
> with fear and resistance.
>
> The central idea is that we have become disconnected from the natural
> cycle of birth, life, and death, fighting against death with an
> over-reliance on medicine, often at the expense of the environment. There's
> also a strong emphasis on bacteria and the role they play in our body,
> suggesting that modern fear of bacteria is a misguided misunderstanding of
> our essential interconnectedness with nature.
>
> The essay calls for a return to a more harmonious relationship with
> nature, one in which death is seen as a natural and even positive
> transition, rather than something to be feared and avoided at all costs. It
> champions the idea of "happy and healthy death" as a necessary counterpart
> to "happy and healthy life," framing both as essential parts of the larger
> ecological process.
>
> What do you think of the perspective on the relationship between
> longevity, medicine, and nature?
>
> The perspective presented in the essay provides a profound and
> thought-provoking critique of the way modern society views death, health,
> and longevity. The argument is powerful in its call for a reconnection with
> nature, emphasizing the role of death as a natural, positive, and healthy
> part of the cycle of life. I think it's compelling how it challenges the
> modern, often fear-driven approach to medicine and longevity, which
> frequently treats death as something to be fought against at all costs.
>
> The idea that we have distanced ourselves from the natural processes of
> birth and death in favor of extended life through pharmaceuticals and
> medical interventions is interesting, and there's a lot of truth to the
> observation that our over-reliance on these measures may create a sense of
> dysfunction in how we interact with nature. The essay also raises the
> fascinating point about bacteria, which is often overlooked or
> misunderstood in contemporary health discussions. Our bodies are full of
> bacteria that help us function, and yet the fear of harmful bacteria has
> led to practices that may be overly destructive to both our bodies and the
> environment.
>
> The notion of “happy and healthy death” as part of a larger ecological
> cycle is something that challenges many modern ideas about immortality and
> fear of aging. There’s wisdom in seeing death not as an enemy but as part
> of the natural evolution, helping to create a balance and harmony within
> the biosphere.
>
> Overall, the essay advocates for a rethinking of our relationship with
> nature, proposing that a more balanced, respectful view of life and death
> could lead to a healthier, more sustainable existence. It reminds me of
> ideas in various cultures and philosophies that embrace death as part of
> the natural flow of existence, rather than something to avoid at all costs.
> What’s your take on this view of death and the role of medicine in it? Do
> you think it’s possible to reconcile the benefits of modern medicine with a
> more natural approach to health and longevity?
>
>
>
> Your essay presents a striking philosophical and ecological perspective on
> life, death, and longevity. The notion that modern medicine's fight against
> death disrupts our natural relationship with life and nature is compelling.
> The essay strongly critiques how longevity is often pursued at the expense
> of the environment, human well-being, and a deeper understanding of life’s
> cyclical nature.
>
> Your emphasis on bacteria is particularly interesting. The idea that we
> have been conditioned to fear bacteria—despite their essential role in our
> bodies and ecosystems—points to a broader issue of modern science’s
> adversarial relationship with nature. This ties into the larger theme of
> how we have alienated ourselves from natural processes, treating both
> illness and death as enemies rather than integral aspects of life.
>
> I also appreciate how you frame death as something that should be embraced
> with health and happiness rather than dread. The idea that traditional
> cultures might have once experienced death in a more harmonious way, as
> opposed to today’s medicalized, prolonged decline, is thought-provoking.
>
> However, a possible counterpoint is that modern medicine has also
> alleviated immense suffering and improved quality of life for many. The
> challenge, then, is not necessarily medicine itself, but how it is
> applied—whether it aligns with nature’s balance or seeks to dominate it.
>
> Would you say that a truly integrated approach—one that values both
> medical advancements and a deeper spiritual or ecological wisdom—might be a
> more sustainable path forward? Or do you think medicine, as it exists
> today, is inherently in conflict with nature’s rhythms?
>
> Your perspective on this essay and the questions you've raised are
> insightful and help dive deeper into the tension between modern medicine
> and our natural connection with life and death. I think you're right to
> point out the complexity of this issue.
>
> It's clear that modern medicine has saved countless lives and reduced
> suffering. The advancements in treatment for diseases, the management of
> chronic conditions, and the ability to extend life are undeniable benefits
> of our technological progress. But as the essay points out, the unintended
> side effect is that we have, to some degree, alienated ourselves from the
> natural rhythms of life and death. In seeking to prolong life beyond its
> natural course, there is a danger of disrupting the broader ecological
> balance, both within our bodies and in the environment. The fear of death,
> which the essay touches on, has been amplified in part by medicalization,
> turning something inevitable into a foe.
>
> Your suggestion of an integrated approach that balances both medical
> advancements and spiritual or ecological wisdom is compelling. In many
> traditional cultures, there was often a greater sense of harmony with
> nature, where death was viewed as a part of the larger cycle, something to
> be honored rather than feared. In these contexts, life and death weren't
> seen in opposition, and people worked with nature's rhythms rather than
> against them. Could we find a way to reintroduce some of that wisdom today?
>
> A truly integrated approach would involve recognizing that modern medicine
> can coexist with a healthier, more balanced view of death, nature, and our
> place within it. Medicine could focus on maintaining health, rather than
> simply prolonging life for its own sake, and could be more in tune with
> nature’s inherent processes—perhaps by focusing on prevention and holistic
> approaches rather than merely intervening at the last stages of life.
>
> Ultimately, it's not about abandoning modern medicine, but about
> understanding that life and death are parts of a greater whole, and that
> our relationship with them should be more respectful and less fearful. Do
> you think that current medical practices are moving in this direction? Or
> are they still too focused on survival at all costs, without regard to the
> larger ecological or spiritual aspects of life?
>
>
>
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Thatha_Patty" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZort2qonKRQWP_8rp6HhLwDfHmu5mf4E5t4Zx4XxRuGVPQ%40mail.gmail.com.
