Varmam - An ancient martial art of healing and self defence

Varmam is an ancient art of fighting and healing which originated in South India. Varmam is practiced by studying the varmas in the body. Varmas are vital points of energy and it is possible to cure various ailments in the body by healing the affected Varma points.But,attacking a person in the varma points can prove to be fatal and hence this art is taught only to selected students.

 It is widely accepted that Bodhi Dharma,the founder of Zen Buddhism in China was one of the patriarchs of Shaolin Kung Fu.Bodhi Dharma was a South Indian prince who travelled to China to spread Buddhism.Kung Fu is a martial art known to all and even children love Kung Fu, thanks to Kung Fu Panda:).I even came across an article which said that  there is an inscription on the walls of Shaolin Temple which reads "Tenjiku Naranokaku" meaning "The fighting techniques to train the body from India".

Kung Fu 

It is said that Varmam is the root of all martial arts and Buddhist monks were instrumental in spreading this art to different countries. Martial arts like Varmam, Silambattam and Kalari were widely practiced in ancient South India but the number of practitioners has declined over the centuries.This is because the British government had banned Kalari and Silambattam in response to a series of revolts against them during the colonial era.

Silambattam

The art of Varmam originated from Lord Shiva who taught this to his wife Parvati.Lord Muruga   learnt Varmam from his mother Parvati. According to various palm-leaf manuscripts, Sage Agasthiar learnt the art of Varmam from Lord Muruga and revealed this knowledge to his disciples. It had thus been passed on for generations in the Guru - Shishya tradition.To learn Varmam, the disciples have to win the trust of their gurus by proving that they will use the skill only for the benefit of others.

Varma fighting technique Kalari

The practice of martial arts keeps the mind alert and body fit .It would be good to see the widespread revival of these ancient martial arts, which have played a major role in our culture, thereby restoring them to their  former glory.

Sources:

http://www.varmam.org/articles/HistoryOfVarmaKalai.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_martial_arts

http://www.butthan.net/history.html

https://www.facebook.com/thesanatanadharmis/posts/185161191669858

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Della_Valle

http://www.eegarai.net/t88969-topic

http://www.buddhakalari.com/kalarippayattu

WATER !!!

India is a land of mysticism and spirituality. We follow a lot of age old traditions without giving it much thought but the underlying essence of each of these has an abundance of meaning.

WATER - One of the five elements of nature, which sustains and nourishes all life on earth. But, what are the other qualities of water ? Is there anything miraculous in water ?

Well, water has been used in all rituals from the Vedic period till date. Our ancient sages and rishis always carried a Kamandalam (Water Pitcher) with them and they could perform miracles with the water from the Kamandalam. The Kamandalam water was also used by Gods to curse the wrong doers and bless their devotees by sprinkling water on them.

Rishi with Kamandalam

This is very interesting because some scientists have claimed that water has memory. French scientist Jacques Benveniste claimed that "memory" of water could be digitized, transmitted, and reinserted into another sample of water, which would then contain the same active qualities as the first sample.

Masaru Emoto, a Japanese researcher claimed that human consciousness has an effect on the molecular structure of water. Emoto's work explored his belief that water could react to positive thoughts and words, and that polluted water could be cleaned through prayer and positive visualization.

Dr.Emoto's study

It is believed that water given as Theertham (holy water) in temples has a positive effect on the body.This water is energised by the chanting of mantras and hymns.I have already written about this in the post on "Tulasi". In many temples,we come across natural springs (Theertham) and stories about how they were created by great Sages and Gods.The water in these springs have unique qualities and are even used to cure various ailments.

An ancient tradition of holy men performing Arghya at sunrise is a common sight in many river banks till date.Arghya is offering water powered by Gayatri Mantra to the sun.This is very similar to the research done on the effect of  thoughts on water and shows us that our ancestors believed that water can be powered by the chanting of mantras.

Arghya

According to Mythology, demons called Mandehas who lived on an Island called Arunam prayed to Lord Brahma and got a boon to fight with Surya and stop him from rising.Therefore, Brahma gave the concept of Arghya to energize to the sun. The water powered with the Gayatri becomes a weapon and fights with the demons that try to stop the Sun from rising.

On the technological front, it looks like Water Droplets have a huge role to play in the future of computers. Manu Prakash, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford, and his students have developed a synchronous computer that operates using the unique physics of moving "Water Droplets". They are  working on  building a new class of computers that can precisely control and manipulate physical matter.

Well, whatever the properties of water are, be it in science or pseudoscience, it doesn't hurt to stay positive always , especially when drinking water ;)

Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come.

— Chinese Proverb

Sources
http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-mythological-significance-of-offering-water-to-the-sun
http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=700
http://ykantiques.com/2013/08/antique-brass-and-copper-kamandalam.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7505286.stm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Benveniste
http://www.highexistence.com/water-experiment/
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/june/computer-water-drops-060815.html
http://hindumythologyforgennext.blogspot.co.uk/2011_11_01_archive.html

The Bitter SWEET Story

Good food is something which is very essential to live a healthy life.But,the recent food controversies have left us in doubt about what is good and what is not.I recently came across a video about how sugar is bad for us and wanted to write a post about it.

Have you ever thought of sugar as being dangerous?No.....Me neither!!"Refined Sugar" contains "Fructose", which when consumed in large quantities is not good at all.The Glucose present in sugar is a source of energy for all the cells and is found naturally in fruits and vegetables among various other sources."Fructose" is also found in fruits but only in small quantities and therefore does not harm us in any way.

 The Processing of  Sugar:

Sugar is brown in colour.Sulphur Dioxide is added to cane juice before it gets evaporated to bleach the juice so that it produces white sugar. At later stages, phosphoric acid, calcium hydroxide or carbon dioxide is added to absorb impurities. This juice is then filtered through a bed of carbon and then crystallized in a vacuum many times.

Finally, the crystals are left to dry on their own to get paper white crystals of sugar.This process removes all the essential nutrients from the sugar found in it's natural source .

Processing of Sugar

Effect of sugar on health :

• Sugar contains no essential nutrients .
• Fructose is metabolised by the liver and excess of this leads to VLDL (Very Low density Lipoprotein) i.e bad cholesterol.
• Fructose can cause Insulin resistance,which can progress to Type II diabetes.
• The insulin from the pancreas surpasses "Gherlin" an appetite hormone secreted by the stomach.Since fructose creates insulin resistance,we feel hungry and eat more.
• Fructose elevates blood sugar and blood pressure.
• Leads to obesity.

Exercising everyday and including fibre in our diet regularly will help the fructose to get converted into energy since exercise speeds up metabolism and fibre slows the digestive process which is good for us.


Healthier alternatives:

Jaggery:
The best alternative to refined sugar would be jaggery.Jaggery is completely unrefined sugar made from sugarcane juice and has a lot of health benefits.

Jaggery Vs Sugar

Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods in this video.Do watch it for more information.

Sources:

http://authoritynutrition.com/10-disturbing-reasons-why-sugar-is-bad/

http://wellnessmama.com/15/harmful-effects-of-sugars/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/healthyeating/9987825/Sweet-poison-why-sugar-is-ruining-our-health.html

http://www.sugarhistory.net/sugar-facts/benefits-of-brown-sugar/

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/myth-or-fact-brown-sugar-is-better-than-white-sugar.html#b

http://authoritynutrition.com/6-healthy-sugars-that-can-kill-you/

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/other/jaggery-and-sugar.html

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/other/benefits-of-jaggery.html

http://www.thehealthsite.com/fitness/7-health-benefits-of-jaggery-or-gur/

http://ayurveda.md/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=42&Itemid=1

http://www.boldsky.com/health/nutrition/2013/health-benefits-jaggery-032791.html

http://www.sweetsurprise.com