EDITORIALHRIDAY - YOG

What’s inside

TENNESSEE, USA January 2021

Interview of Dr. Baidya Rajesh

Kotecha

ADVAITA VEDANTA versus WESTERN

RATIONALITY – An Epistemological

Discussion

Continue to p. 2

VIVEKANANDA as THE TURNING POINT: Rise of Vedanta in the West

MBBS, MD (MED), DNB (CARD), FACP, FACC. Consultant Cardiologist and Cardiac Electrophysiologist. Memphis VA Medical Center, Memphis, TN . Adjunct Professor; The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA. President: American Academy for Yoga & Medicine

DR. INDRANILL BASU RAY

Editor-in-chief

DR. RAVI KANT (Mentor) DR. BHANU DUGGAL (Editor)

Published by : American Academy of Yoga and MeditationGermantown, TN, USA. Website : www.aaymonline.org

Feedback : contactus@aaymonline.org +9199096135255

Swami Vivekananda’s impact on the western intellectuals was revolutionary; it opened the gateway that connected eastern

philosophy to the West. Swami Vivekananda brought the West a religious philosophy of the Hindus, so-called the ‘Advaita Vedanta.’ This had far wider ramifications than was ever imagined. He introduced the western world to the concept of Vedanta.

Advaita Vedanta’s concepts where, unlike established western religion, have always been close to the ideas in the frontiers of physics and cosmology. Starting from Julius Robert Oppenheimer to Werner Heisenberg and David Bohm, many twentieth-century physicists have been influenced by this philosophy. As Dr. Oppenheimer once said, “the general notions about human understanding… which are illustrated by discoveries in atomic physics are not in the nature of things wholly unfamiliar, wholly unheard of, or new. Even in our own culture they have a history, and input to stand Hindu thought a more considerable and central place. What we shall find is an exemplification, and encouragement, and the refinement of the old wisdom.” Julius Robert Oppenheimer, Science and the Common Understanding, pages 8-9.

This concept is further defined in the Upanishad’s;He who dwelling in all things,Yet is other than all things,Whom all things do not know,Whose body all things are,Who controls all things from within –He is your soul, the inner controller,the immortal. (Brihad-aranyaka Upanishads, 3.7.15.)

Welcome and Namaskar. What is your view on Ayurvedic and traditional medicines emerging as a powerful tool to combat COVID 19?

This pandemic has retrieved the importance of health and wellness, which are also the core principle of Ayurveda. The WHO has too recognised the importance of traditional medicine in the combat against COVID 19. In India, A study was taken up at a digital platform through AYUSH Sanjivani Mobile app to record the acceptance and usage of AYUSH advocacies and measures among the population and its impact in prevention of COVID-19. The cumulative data of 1.47 crore health seekers across the country were gathered.

85.1% has been reported of using the AYUSH measures for prevention of COVID-19 and 89.8% have benefitted AYUSH advisories. More important it also captured the parameters pertain to general well being such as appetite, bowel habit, sleep, mental well-beings.

India has specifically mentioned the utility of Ayurveda, Yoga and traditional medicines as effective systems for treating COVID 19 at World Health Organization. What has been the response?

Various efforts have being taken for the globalization of these systems. We are having 24 country specific MoUs, 24 Institute specific MoUs to work in area of research etc.

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Baidya Rajesh Kotecha

Breaking convention of appointing

bureaucrats as secretary, the

Government of India on October, 2017

appointed Ayurveda expert Baidya

Rajesh Kotecha as Secretary in the AYUSH ministry.

He is former vice-chancellor of Gujarat Ayurveda University in Jamnagar. In a

candid interaction he spoke a lot of about

power of Ayurveda as well Yoga in the new

world scenario.

Interview of Dr. Baidya Rajesh Kotecha

After p. 1 Thus the concept of prophets and their masters, the Father or God, being in charge of the geocentric earth that prevailed for thousands of years until overruled by modern-day

science was never a problem with the Hindu philosophy. The strange part is that Advaita Vedanta was pregnant with these concepts thousands of years before even civilizations dawned in the West, let alone the birth of modern-day quantum physics. As appropriately explained in the Upanishads;

Tranquil, let one worship it.As that from which he came forth,As that into which he will be dissolved,As that in which he breathes. (Chandogya Upanishad, 3.14.1)It would be interesting to remember Vivekananda introduced Nikolai Tesla to the notions of

prâna, âkâsha, and kalpas, three elementary concepts of the Vedantic doctrine. Respectively, these can be understood as vital energy, the ether, and the idea of the eon. Prâna might be understood as a unit of energy, âkâsha as matter, and kalpas as time. According to Vivekananda, on that very night, Tesla assured him that ideas of such a long tradition in Hinduism could find an echo in modern Western science. Inspired by Swami Vivekananda, Tesla wrote, “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” He was confident that he would find the relationship and mathematically explain it. It took more than fifty years, and another genius called Albert Einstein to bring about E=MC2.

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Ministry of AYUSH is actively engaging with World Health Organization for development of Standardized Terminologies of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani systems of Medicine for inclusion of these systems terminologies in ICD (International Classification of Diseases). Ministry of AYUSH is also working closely with Indian Standards as well as International (ISO) Standards in collaboration with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Very recently, Director General of World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr TedrosAdhanomGhebreyesus gave a video message on the occasion of celebration of 5th Ayurveda Day on 13th November 2020 and praised the Prime Minister’s commitment to the universal coverage under Ayushman Bharat and evidence-based promotion of traditional medicines to achieve health related objectives. He announced the setting up of the Global Centre of Traditional Medicine in India. The Prime Minister thanked WHO and the DG. Forum for Indian Traditional Medicine (FITM) at Research & Information System (RIS) is being established under RIS (RIS, an international agency and an autonomous body set under the administrative control of Ministry of External Affairs).

What can be done to integrate Yoga in Modern Medicine Curriculum?

Ayurveda and Yoga are our cultural and historical heritage and they may be nurtured further. We need to educate scholars since childhood, by including AYUSH system in school curriculum. Yoga should be a part of every curriculum at all stages.

New Education Policy 2020 also focusses on skills and capacities that must be learned by everyone, it has

stressed upon inclusion of Yoga and Pranayam in school curriculum besides mental health, preventive health and nutrition. Likewise, in my view a short curriculum may be included in Modern Medicine so to sensitise them toward this as a science, being taught in scientific lines, this will help in improving future cross referrals and developing understanding toward AYUSH systems.

Your thoughts about roadmap of integrative medicine in India?

I believe to attain the ultimate goal of ‘health for all’ and Universal Health Coverage, no healthcare system can achieve it in silos. Modern medical system has certainly evolved and has given us miraculous breakthroughs in managing various diseases, simultaneously we are blessed and bestowed with one of the most comprehensive Health care system in AYUSH.

What is needed is not mixopathy, I am totally against it, but a platform where each system of healthcare professional understands other, there strength areas, have mutual respect, sit together and plan management of patients. Scientist of Basic Sciences understand each system and research be done them in all systems not just modern system of health. Some are working in this aspect and deserves a mention here like Ayur-genomics studies, Ayurveda Biology etc. If we can realize this, certainly we will attain the ultimate goal of Health for All. Further I would like to inform to all readers through your platform that we are always open to new ideas and suggestions to further propagate AYUSH and make the world Healthier.

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This article simply attempts to marry vedantic philosophy with mathematical logic. Disclaimer: I am not formally trained in Philosophy, and what follows should be considered as musings of a dilettante. WHAT IS ‘BRAHMAN’? (Taitereya Upanishad: (Second Chapter - Brahmananda valli))What is Brahman? The definition provided is as follows: “Tadeshabhyukta satyam gyanam anantam brahma / Yogada nihitam guhayam parameteoman / Suashnute sarvankyaman brahmana sahavipashchiteti” Brahman is existence (Satyam), Knowledge (gyanam), infinite (anantam). Brahman literally means that expands without limit and it is impersonal. It simply means vast. There is no “it” qualifying it. Let’s dissect the three parts of the definition and unravel them. Anantam & SatyamAnantam literally means no limit. What do you mean by limit? In Vedanta there are three kinds of limit(i) “Limit in Space”, (ii) “Limit in time”, (iii) “Limit in object”Limit in Space: Spatial boundary. If something has no limit in space it implies, there is no point in space where it is not. So Brahman is omnipresent. Limit in time: Periodic boundary. Not limited by time implies Perennial or eternal. Birth and death are limits in time. Creation and destruction are limits in time. Krishna says “whatever is created is bound to die”.

Limit in Object: This refers to identity. For example if an object is a bowl it cannot be a cup or another bowl. Now not limited in object implies its complement is null or in other words what it is NOT is nothing. That’s confounding. What it actually means is “everything”. But then any “thing” is necessarily limited in object. Thus the only alternative is searching for a commonality in all “things” or “objects”.

“EXISTENCE” is an abstraction and is certainly not limited by time and space. Infact time and space too “EXIST”. Satyam in Sanskrit literally translates to truth. And if true, existence follows from an obvious logical truism (because if it does not exist, non-existent truth would be a self-contradiction). GyanamGyanam quite literally translates into knowledge. Now this “knowledge” too needs to satisfy the first property i.e Anantam. Let’s look at ‘consciousness’ which actually enables the intellect to function. Now every individual has ‘consciousness’. You have and had consciousness right from your first second of existence. So clearly it is not limited in space or time. Infact the Upanishads claim that even if the universe is absent, consciousness is still there, in an unmanifested form. A synonym for “EXISTENCE” in Sanskrit is “SAT”, and that for “KNOWLLEDGE” it is “CHIT”. Thus “BRAHMAN” is often referred to as “SAT CHIT ANANTAM”.A synonym for “EXISTENCE” in Sanskrit is “SAT”, and that for “KNOWLLEDGE” it is “CHIT”. Thus “BRAHMAN” is often referred to as “SAT CHIT ANANTAM”.

ADVAITA VEDANTA versus WESTERN RATIONALITY – An Epistemological DiscussionDr. Dripto Bakshi, B Tech, MA[Economics], MStat, PhD

Watch “Advaita Vedanta in Daily Life” on YouTubehttps://youtu.be/S15mH_Dc60I

Watch “Yoga for Depression” on YouTubehttps://youtu.be/LSNuZ-lHZOc

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF YOGA AND MEDITATIONLive webinar programme schedule January 2021

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF YOGA AND MEDITATION

Live webinar programme schedule JANUARY 2021

Webinar Topic Date Time Speakers ADVAITA VEDANTA IN REAL LIFE

3rd January

8pm to 9.30 pm IST 8.30am-10.00am

CST

Kumari Nivedita Bhide Prof. Siddhartha Sen Dr. Indranill Basu Ray Dr. Rajarshi Ray Nirmalya Bhattacharya

Yoga for Depression

16th January

8pm to 9pm IST 8.30am - 9.30am

CST

Professor B N Gangadhar Dr Hemant Bhargav

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