SCIENCE BEHIND TRADITIONS

VARIOUSI CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS FOLLOWED IN OUR COUNTRY ARE ACTUALLY SCIENTIFIC AND NOT BASED ON SUPERSTITIONS SAYS NASSER LALLJEE

M ost of the religious and the social customs in practice followed by millions across the world have their base in science. Though we have in all probability forgotten the reason for the particular custom, let us have a look at some of them in this country.

Hindu custom of offering water to the Sun
This custom is linked with physics, yoga and health. Those who offer water to the sun early in the morning are actually treating themselves to colour therapy as the sun filters the rainbow of colours. The offering of water should be done when the sun is rising. When you pour water in front of you, your hands should be above the head level. The water stream running in front of you splits the light into its seven constituents with violet at the top and red at the bottom, which is exactly the sequence of colours of seven charkas. This practice bathes the body with all the seven colours. Yoga assigns different colours. (See box)

Though the offering of water has a religious background, it is a daily experiment in physics to retain good health.

Sleeping on your left after afternoon meals (Vamkukshi):
Resting on your left side after meals (only for half an hour) aids digestion. Have you ever wondered why the nature has given two nostrils, which open into single air passage? Nature always optimises, as it neither gives more nor less.

The reason that pranayam has excellent results is because pranayam is thermodynamics of body. Those who are familiar with yoga and pranayam will remember it is said Chandra pranayam (the breathing with left nostril) gives cooling whereas the Surya pranayam, (breathing with right nostril) increases the heat intake, establishing the fact that the nostrils control the amount of heat and cold allowed into the body. Resting on your left side after meals (only for half an hour) forces you to breath from right nostril, which in turn increases heat, which required for good digestion.

The Common Bindi
Today's design spot on the forehead, where bindis are carefully placed on the forehead as a fashion statement, replace the original spiritual exercise of the activity of opening the third eye.

Originally the third eye chakra in the forehead was massaged with sindoor for a up to a minute paying great attention to detail and this exercise was helpful in the opening of the Ajan chakra. The activation of this chakra is reported to increase creativity.

Prayers are chanted while this application goes on and while wives pray with their husbands name, the husbands in turn pray with God's name.

Rangoli
This beauty enhancement decorations out side doors of homes and temples, is powdered Gargoti crystals, mixed with powder for colour. This is used almost all over the country except the south where rice paste is used. The power of this crystal is to remove negatives and enhance positives, and is generally created in attractive designs to look beautiful and is placed at the entrance.

In some cases there are rangoli designs on the dining table around where the plate will be kept. There is no design structure as such but tire patterns just grew as the artists imaginations grew.

Root charka (Muladhar) – at the base of spine Red Naval charka (Swadhishthan) at the naval Orange Solar Plexus (Manipur) – just below Diaphragm Yellow Heart (Anahat) at the center of the chest Green Throat (Vishuddhi) Throat Blue Third eye (Ajan) Forehead Indigo Crown (Sahasrar) Top of the head Violet