Yajna. Vedic Scriptures
enjoin five types of service known as Pancha-Mahayajna; service
to the gods, service to sages, service to manes, service to human
beings, service to animals. The ancient Law-giver Manu has given
the injunction to divinize the body through these five practices.
(” Through the repeated practice of these five great yajnas, the
human body gets divinized”.)
“The human body is the greatest instrument for Self-Actualisation “,
said the famous Sanskrit poet Kalidasa. Maintaining the divine status
of the body is not easy.It should be kept as clean, healthy & we should
not allow any kind of physical or mental indulgence to defile its sanctity
& harmony. (“Chastity is the flowering in man ” said Thoreau and
continence has been prescribed for spiritual progress). That is to say,
change in attitude towards the body brings with it a new responsibility
for one’s own health. Surprising indeed is the fact that many people
think that restoring health and curing diseases are solely the
responsibility of the medical profession. In the holistic health system,
responsibility for falling ill & getting well both rest primarily with
the patient. The doctor only assists in curing himself. As Albert
Schweitzer said ” All healing is Self-healing “.
Holistic medicine postulates that the responsibility for healthcare rests
in the patient’s hands because that is where the knowledge and control
of the variables lie ( diet,stress,exercise,genetics,emotion & medication).
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