Well Known Neurologist on Health and Spirituality

Santhigiri And Modern Medicine
Dr. Shyam Prasad MD, DM*

People from all walks of life visit Santhigiri Ashram to know about the doctrine of Navajyothi Sree Karunakara Guru the founder of Santhigiri Ashram. They also want to get relief from the difficulties of their life. Guru tries to correct the misunderstandings among people that miracles are not the fulfilment of Divine attainment. Guru re-established Sanathana Dharma according to Yugadharma and initiated the creation of a new world order.

All science and doctrines which would not try to change according to Yugadharma’s will not exist for long. This new ideology explains not only the importance and drawbacks of modern medicine but also ruined prosperity & stability of human life. The authenticity of this new method which is patented by Santhigiri is dedicated to the world through Guru. Years back Guru started to establish Medical practice and it is being conducted carefully. Santhigiri got permission to start the first Siddha College in Kerala. Ayurveda Medical College of Santhigiri is also formulating new methods in Medical practice.

I remember the occasion when I first reached the abode of Guru. Guru asked me “Is human body a machine with jeevan’ (soul) or does it have ‘jeevan’ in it” as he knew about me as a doctor. This question made me to think a lot. I never had thought about such a matter. But I could not convince Guru that human body is only a biological machine and there is no such thing as this kind of ‘Jeevan’ in it. I felt that my thoughts are directed to a particular area. The ‘I’ in myself predominated in my thoughts.

I remember the interpretation of ‘life’ in the book ‘paralokavum punarjanmavum’ (eternal world & rebirth) written by Acharya Narendra Bhooshan. In that book he explains the meaning & importance of ‘I’. Daily more or less hundred times we use this word. What is this ‘I’ which we always use. Is it our body or any part of it? Who is this socalled ‘I’. All of us, ourselves see it through mirror. We appreciate our beauty. The attractive image which we see through mirror is not ‘I’. Such kind of thinking is wrong. If body is the ‘I’ then what is life? Why fear of death? Why we wish to live? What is the purpose of life and death. All men rich & poor, literate & illiterate, scientists & philosophers have to accepte the truth. Do innocent, dishonest, wicked all men face the same end?

Does ‘I’ mean a visible body with mind? If ‘I’ means not body, then what am I? Anything which is in the body? What is the relation between it and the body? Did it exist before body? Then what is its figure like? What is the ultimate aim of the body? Does ‘I’ end with the body?. If not in which form will ‘life’ exist? Is ‘I’ the life or soul (Jeevatma)?

Now I recollect the story of Nachikethas in ‘Kadopanishath’. Nachikethas asked Yamadeva while he was in search of the secret of Jeeva. “Somebody says after death man remains. I need a solution for this problem. Clarify what is eternal? Advise me about Divine knowledge. “A Guru who got spiritual attainment only can give advise on such matters.” That was Yama deva’s reply.

My thoughts reached a dead end. I told Guru “I believe in the existence of life in human body though I did not learn it from Medical books”. With smile Guru said “If you think so what will you do for that Jeevan”. I have never heard such a question in my life. The man who is working for 24 hours is only for his physical & material aim. Learning, wealth and loving each other, praying God are all for material gains. What will man do to “life” when he doesnot know about Jeevan? We do not know that the aim of human life is for purification of ‘Jeevan’ (soul). Those who knew it never tried to do it. I kept silent without answering Guru’s question. Guru continues his question. “You know that all parts of human body can be attacked by any disease. Can you then clarify the disease which affects ‘Jeevan’? How can you diagnose it? Who can cure it?” I remember the occasions when I could not diagnose some diseases precisely. I became aware of the limitations of modern medicine.

I had to face so many situations where I failed to suggest a proper treatment. So we treat only for the sake of treatment. Different names of disease went through my mind. How can Medical Science diagnose the disease which affects Jeevan? In the Medical world we can diagnose only diseases at the body with the help of scaning machine. I wish of we got a machine which can scan the disease affecing Jeevan.

I stood before Guru helplessly. Guru said “Jeevan has somany merits which are good & bad. Good is known as ‘virtue’ (punya) and bad ‘vice’ (papa). Human life is a balanced total of these good and bad parts. This is called as fate.

I felt that I am learning the earlier part of Medical Science. “I tried to analyse the meaning of Guru’s valuable words. Virtue oriented life has luck, healthy body, prosperity and a life with papa has bad luck weak body with somany diseases and their lives become tragic. If so, different kinds of diseases will arise. I failed to think about how to diagnose and treat certain diseases.

The divine words of Guru again come to my mind. “Different types of diseases may arise in human body. The reasons are these.

1. Common disease
2. The disease which results because of misworship
3. The disease relating to ‘Jeevan’.

I felt that, I was sitting in a post graduate class in Medical Science. The classification of diseases based on spiritual factors was something new to me. I was totally perplexed to hear ....... and tried to learn about diseases, related to Jeevan which is due to distorated Aradhana (worship). What is the ‘Aradhana Dosham’ (defect of worship). Is praying God a good deed? How is it wrong? Worshipping anything believing it God is not good. I learned from Guru that worshipping any spirit beleiving it as God is foolishness. That is not the proper way to God.

I remember the advice of Sreekrishna to Arjuna that if we worship devil we attain Devi-Devas if we worship Devi-Devas reaches the same we attain them, the worship of evil spirit Guru ‘pithru’ leads to ‘pithur’ & worship of leads us Guru. I remember many patients of which especially five patients - three women & two men. All of them were following the path of worship evil spirits through which they performed certain miracles to the public. They had achieved wealth and fame and finally became miserable. Three of them got paralysis, one man became in sane & other got giddiness. They achieved fame through worshipping false Gods and thus gained for them faith of the public. At certain stages in the prosperous life the grace of their life vanished and they became sick. The false God (Upasana Moorthy) aspired the virtues of their devotees. The evil spirits encourages their devotees and acquire their virtue of Jeevan and then made them sick. I felt pity for the ignorant devotees of evil spirit.

On another occasion when I was in Guru’s presence a family came to see Guru with their 16 year old girl. She was very weak. She always makes a strange sound like bolech. Because of the strange disease she could eat or drink anything properly for the last three months. Her family treated her in different hospitals like Medical College, Trivandrum & Mental Hospital. As she did not get any relief from the treatments they reached here as directed by somebody. Guru asked me about her disease. I replied that it may be because of some mental problem. But they had already treated her for mental disorders but had no good result. I know nothing more to say.

Again Guru asked me to know about their way of worship. They were people from below poverty line and belonged to S/C. They were worshipping an evil spirit in an Amman Koil near their house. This disease is because of the influence of their deity. I understood that if they followed and believed in Guru’s words the evil spirit will be destroyed & thus the girl might get relief. If they do not follow this way the disease will repeat.Human body is formed according to Jeevakarma for thousands of years. The lack of virtue in Jeeva exists as different types of disease. Sages who are Njani’s say about the reason for diseases as “poorva Janmakritham papam, Vyadhiroopena Jayathe”. Disease which is the result of ‘Janmanthar karma’ is called ‘karma vyadhi’.

The knowledge which we learnt from science is not enough to diagnose or treat all diseases. In most cases diagnosis is not apt. Only a temporary relief is got from the medicines. In some cases medicines have no effect. Asthma, Diabetes, B.P., Cancer are such heriditary diseases. If modern science cannot cure diseases properly what then will be a solution. Each and every person has a halo according to their own ‘Jeevan’s merit & demerit. There was a time when sages of India treated diseases according to the colour of this halo. They had asked the plants themselves about their medicinal value. They got a strange light like knowledge of medicine which is bestowed with God’s Grace. The sage imparted this knowledge to people through disciples. This sage culture has been lost since hundreds of years back. If the disease due to the defect of Jeevan or karmadosha we have to do punyakarma. What is the way for that? A Guru to whom Brahmam has given the power to protect all life can only do this correction appropriately.

Achieve ‘punya’ (virtue) according to ‘kaladharma. That is Gurumargam’. Through that punyam (fortune) one may get at Santhigiri’s theory of Health (Arogyadharma Sidhantham) which is dedicated to the world for this purpose. It is a kind of theory which keeps all science with Guru’s Vision. This is rather a life style than Medical practice.If we accept the way to avoid ‘karmadosham’ we can follow the scientific way of treatment for this karmavyadhi. But in most cases one kind of treatment is not enough. Different types of treatment should be practised at different times.

Let me point out an experience of one of my relatives. It was in 1990. She got breast cancer. Papilaridikt carcinoma which can spread through blood. She went to Guru after diagnosing the disease through Biopsy. Guru said it was due to lack of ‘punya’ in ‘Jeevan’ (years back when asked about the delay of her marriage then also Guru said this. Besides this Guru intimated them that some problems may arise later. But at that time they did not take it seriously.) Guru directed them to pray for God’s Grace and start Allopathy treatment. Operation was conducted. Doctor of R.C.C. concluded that the germs did not spread in other parts of the body. So no more treatment was needed. Knowing this Guru said ‘the disease has spread to other parts and it will come soon. Siddha medicine should be taken in order to prevent this.

As directed by Guru they started taking Siddha medicine with prayer staying at Santhigiri Hospital. Then for sometime Homeo Medicine & finally Ayurveda for a long time. On some occasions Guru gave her Bhasmam & theertham only with special Sankalpam. Guru advised her to pray continually with the sankalpam’ of ‘Appa Guruve’ always. About ten years later she was suffering from back pain & leg pain. They went to R.C.C. and did all tests including bone scan. The report was that she has no disease. Guru said she had disease but it will not apper now. Again started taking Siddha medicine.

Two months later when they repeated the bone scan it was clear that bone cancer had affected her. Guru told them to start treatment in R.C.C. Still they are taking medicine from R.C.C. Besides that ‘Bhasmam’ & ‘theertham’ from Guru and some Ayurveda Medicine. With the Grace of Guru she still lives in good health. She goes for office work and does household work properly. She is coming to Ashram & doing some ‘karma’ there when ever she gets time. I am eagerly wishing that modern Medical Science should be changed according to Guru’s ideology for the well being of the world. Praying always for it.

*The author is a well known Neurologist and Secretary, Santhigiri Ashram Advisory Board)

(Courtesy: Santhigiri International Conference on Health, Peace and Spirituality Souvenir)