By Lalit Garg
The entire life of Mahavir is a living inspiration for the rise of self and other. He has illuminated millions and millions of people with his aura of positivity. Therefore, becoming a Mahavir is a symbol of the meaning of life. To become a Mahavir means to lead a healthy life, to develop immunity, to illuminate the soul and become a person who is self-reliant. For this, every person should do spiritual practice to look within himself and introspect. The aim should be to imbibe Mahavir in life instead of just worshiping.
Mahavir was born centuries ago, but his life and teachings are equally effective and relevant in today’s time of crisis and diseases. Mahavir is a wave of health-evolution, a smokeless crest of healthy life-light. There is an unnamed river of courage and restraint. There was a hint of eternity in his dialogues. His lifestyle was so dominant that he would have been bound by a once-living. There was such brilliance in his eyes that the one who saw him once could not forget. There was such an invitation in his call for a healthy life that it could not be ignored. His guidance was so perfect that the one who found him could never go astray.
“Appana sacchameseja,” he said, meaning find the truth yourself. He did not make anyone run with the help of crutches. If you have the ability to walk on your feet, then you can walk whenever you want and reach wherever you want. He not only illuminated the way, but also created the inner light. These are all the reasons that remind us of Mahavir.
Mahavir believed in a healthy life. He lived on his own. He also taught others to live by themselves. No disease could touch him. He gave many sources of health. One of them was the formula – Kayotsarga. Kayotsarga means purification of the body, maintenance of the body, purity and restraint towards the body. Kayotsarga is also the starting point of sadhana and it is also the final point. This is the first understanding of health and the final conclusion. It is the shield for emergency situations involving the body. It is the use of stress-immersion and is free from all sorrows.
Mahavir’s sadhana period lasted twelve and a half years. During this period he repeatedly used kayotsarga. As the wearer of protective armor does not have the fear of being shot, similarly after going into deep Kayotsarga, the effect of adverse conditions of major diseases and deadly and life-threatening attacks is attenuated. Like Mahavir, one who practices Kayotsarga becomes healthy, and can lead a happy life by being absorbed in expansive meditation.
To become like Mahavir means to lead a healthy life, to develop immunity, to illuminate the soul and become a person who is self-reliant. It is necessary that we inculcate the teachings given by Mahavir in our life and practice. A person who is completely devoted to his goals, whose lifestyle is restrained and disciplined, and who has the capacity to bear the sufferings could only become Mahavir. One who can maintain equanimity, restraint and balance even in adverse circumstances, which is ready to practice silence and heat the body. In whose mind there is a feeling of coexistence towards the whole being. One who not only knows how to change his destiny through effort, but also wishes for a bright future for the entire humanity
Those people who want to get rid of various kinds of diseases, want to become healthy and have to take medicine in the form of Kayotsarga. Mahavir had the science of medicine whose constituent elements are not mentioned in medical science, he gave such an unfading system of health, which is as easy as it is difficult. Kayotsarga is a type of penance. In which physical restlessness and anger etc. have to be immersed. The focus has to be on the breath. Is the mind fickle or the restlessness of the mind is the mind. On the basis of this concept, it seems difficult to stop the restlessness of the mind.
In the practice of Kayotsarga, words like relaxation, shavasana or relaxation for the body are used. Kayotsarga is such a door, from where one can get a glimpse of the soul, a feeling of existence apart from the gross body. In Kayotsarga, the body and mind get complete relaxation. Mahavir talked of giving rest to the body.
How can the principle of suffering be valid in such a situation? Answer is: Any austerity or penance does not mean to cause pain to the body, but to cultivate the body. The mind cannot be controlled without the body. Therefore, through yogic processes, a way has been made to cultivate the body.
Kayotsarga has a special significance in the field of spirituality. Its usefulness in medical science is also undeniable. Kayotsarga also plays a big role in various investigations done by the modern equipment of medical science. In every medical examination, it is advised to leave the body a little loose and slow down the breathing, it is said to leave the mouth loose even during the extraction of teeth. In case of high blood pressure, it can be balanced by kayotsarga.
Unbalanced lifestyle and stress are the major problems of this time. Small and big, rich and poor, everyone is surrounded by this tension. This is a problem for which doctors do not even have a cure. Kayotsarga can be a permanent solution to the problem of stress and fear. If Kayotsarga is done regularly, then there will be no leave for tension and fear to arise. Through Kayotsarga, both body and mind can be kept healthy. Kayotsarga is a mantra for self-meditation, in the same way; health is also a mantra for spiritual practice.
In modern life, the practice of silence, mantra cultivation and restraint is very useful. Silence gives rest, happiness comes. But the glory of silence that is accompanied by Kayotsarga is different. Be it silence, meditation, fasting or any other restraint ritual, all have a useful place in getting rid of diseases. Those who want physical, mental and spiritual health, want to avoid epidemics and diseases, they should use this great mantra Kayotsarga of Mahavir. Kayotsarga is medicine and highway to health. Anyone following this can lead a healthy life.
Lord Mahavir is truly a shining beam of light and the founder of universal religion. He is the savior of the human mind of this creation. Mahavir had given maximum emphasis on fasting, restraint and character. Mahavir’s entire life is the culmination of austerity and meditation, and he was self-motivated. The teachings of the Lord are life-giving in which the solution of life’s problems is contained. Lord Mahavir is Chinmaya Deepak, a lamp that has the never lasting illumination light. He is a lamp that removes the darkness, but the usefulness of the Chinmaya lamp is to defeat the darkness of ignorance. In fact, Mahavir’s discourses and teachings are millions of beams of light. In order to be flooded with the rays of knowledge, it is necessary to immerse in them, only then will we be able to move towards a healthy life.
Lalit Garg is a senior journalist and columnist based in New Delhi
