Death of civilization
“If there will be water after our gross disrespect by water usage (by inefficient agriculture, unwanted industry usage, faulty management, deforestation), that water will be sheer poison due to excess use of fertilizers.”
What do you expect from a polluted rivulet or river? Foster mother like nurturance?
My dear friend, come out of day-dreaming. Please break your delusion by visiting nearby water bodies. Each ecological setup has its limit to sustain the stress. We have gone beyond this limit by polluting our rivers. Mother is at deathbed, waiting for son to help for her revival.
Still not convinced?
Take for example, modern aggressive chemical dependent agriculture impact on your local water bodies: Research shows nitrogen is accumulating in soil – creating health risks like “blue baby syndrome” and environmental dead zones in rivers and oceans
Keep these research quotes in mind while we shift from macro to micro[1]:
“A large portion of the nitrogen applied as fertilizer has remained unaccounted for the last several decades,”
“The fact that nitrogen is being stored in the soil means it can still be a source of elevated nitrate levels long after fertilizers are no longer being applied.”
Like rivers outside, we as an individual are living life with polluted rivers inside. Surge of mental disorders to rise in cancer cases to frequent dengue like vector borne epidemics, there is one common thread i.e. polluted rivers or रस-रक्त दुष्टि.
[Article was started by discussing polluted rivers supporting our living on mother earth. This is because, when macro is understood, micro is easy to understand. For next few paragraphs, please keep polluted rivers in mind.]
What is Ahara Rasa?
Food is converted into आहार रस during digestion process. Quality of dhatu depends upon two things
- Quality of food
- Quality of जठराग्नि (Digestive fire), It is raw material for the nourishment of सप्त धातु. Three things can deteriorate quality of this raw material
- Improper food intake (against prakriti, against timing)
- Improper mental state
- Weak जठराग्नि (digestive fire)
Before we understand रस-रक्त दुष्टि, it is important to understand, classification of रस & रक्त as धातु in Ayurveda.
॥धारणात् धातव:॥
Sanskrit word धातु comes from root धृ-धारयति. धारण means holding, placing, containing, causing. Dhatu means tissue, that which holds the body together. Dhatu is a smallest possible observable structure, that physician can observe and take decisions about the state of health of the patient. Well-nourished dhatu(s) give strength to body and maintain health and immunity.
Dhatu(s) are classified as 7 types.
- Rasa
- Rakta
- Mamsa
- Meda
- Asthi
- Majja
- Shukra
What is Rasa Dhatu?
Rasa Dhatu is first dhatu being nourished by Ahara Rasa.
तत्र रसगतौ धातुः अहरहर्गच्छतीत्यतो रसः
Dhatu that is continuously circulated in body is called Rasa dhatu. The location or seat of Rasa Dhatu is said to be Hridaya or Heart. Ahara Rasa travels through heart and from here, it is circulated throughout the body, for the nourishment of the dhatu. Nutrients constantly in motion, nurtures largely the successor in sequence i.e. Rakta dhatu.
First layer of pollution in micro-rivers is observed in Rasa. Negative emotions flow within Rasa dhatu. Excessive stress causes vitiation of Rasa dhatu. Excessive food intake, too cold food, too hot food and excessive oily food contribute in imbalance of Rasa dhatu by increased level of Ama (half-digested food) in circulation.
Please note: Focus on last sentence and refer how nitrates from chemical agriculture pollute water bodies.
रसजं पुरुषं विध्यात् रसं रक्षेत् प्रयत्नतः।
अन्नत् पानात् च मतिमान् आचारात् च अपि अतन्द्रितः॥(सु.सू.१४/१२)
Essence of digested food shapes us. It has to be formed best (digestive fire, quality of food and sound and calm mental state), it has to be circulated fine in the body so that it nourishes other dhatu(s). Chew your food well. Focus on food while eating. Revere food and digestive fire, so that, together they can provide us best raw material.
What is Rakta Dhatu?
देहस्य रुधिरं मूलं रुधिरेणैव धार्य्यते।
तस्माद्यत्नेन संरक्ष्यं रक्तं जीव इति स्थितिः॥
सुश्रुत says that Rakta dhatu is the root of living body. Proper diet and regimen can only help in nourishment of superior quality of the blood.
Second dhatu being nourished by Ahara Rasa. Although modern science considers Rasa and Rakta, together as Blood, Ayurveda considers them different. Rasa is always circulation. Rakta too circulates continuously. While Rasa provides nutrients, rakta provides life in the form of Oxygen.
Liver and spleen are considered center of rakta dhatu. It is rakta that supplies Prana to individual cells. Body cannot survive without prana and it is rakta that is the transport medium. Imagine the impact of polluted later 2 i.e. polluted rakta! Direct impact on प्राण पूर्ति!
When your transport is faulty, it is difficult to expect nourishment at the receiver end! Cells starve when the blood is vitiated.
Like Rasa, Rakta too is affected by negative emotions. Tamasik person, for being fond of rotten and processed food, is prone to Rakata pollution. There is new trend of eating unlimited dishes! Excessive food intake also affects the quality of blood.
When rasa and rakta are polluted, it is very difficult to nourish remaining dhatu(s). Polluted river water cannot be used for irrigation.
Dhatu क्षय & वृद्धि have their own symptoms but our focus is on धातु दुष्टि. I see rasa-rakta dushti as modern inflammation. For example, Scientists @ Kings collage, London[2] reveal how inflammation affects the life of brain cells. According this research, mounting evidence points to high levels of inflammation as an important biological abnormality leading to depression in at least one third of patients. And the reason is that inflammation affects the birth and death of brain cells
Another scientist from IIT-Mumbai, Dr Uday Bhawalkar, claims[3] that “Mosquitoes bite only those people whose blood has nitrates. Only female mosquitoes bite us, they need blood with proteins and nitrates. Before actual biting, they sense our blood nitrates by smelling our skin. Nitrates produce specific smelling compounds in our blood and these are also in the sweat. Their biting also warns us to stop polluting our water bodies.”
In summary, excessive undigested nutrients in the flow is against the health of the organism, be it mother earth and her rivers or our body and rasa/rakta duo.
All hints and texts point to single point:
Destruction of civilization, be it macro or micro, starts with death of river, life-enriching flow.
Protect rivers. Within and outside. Get rid of excessive nutrients. Respect bodily fire. Go back to गौ-based agriculture. Be disciplined and दक्ष in meal quality and routine.
- Fertilizer applied to fields today will pollute water for decades
https://uwaterloo.ca/stories/fertilizer-applied-fields-today-will-pollute-water-decades - Scientists reveal how inflammation affects the life of brain cells
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/news/records/2017/10-October/Scientists-reveal-how-inflammation-affects-the-life-of-brain-cells.aspx - Understanding Plague
http://www.wastetohealth.com/understanding_plague.html
