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Know Thyself
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More
reviews of books on Sri Sathya Sai Baba
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Know Thyself. The Gateway to
Physical, Mental and Spiritual Health
By Gerard T. Satvic
Bangalore, Sai Towers, 2002 [1st ed. 1995]
401 pages
ISBN: 81-86822-05-4 |
Three parts:
- Self Knowledge;
- Health, Food and Spirituality;
- Yoga.
A large appendix has resources on Ayurveda, Western
Naturopathy and Ayurveda.
http://puttaparthi.info/shopping/shp/bookdetail.asp?itemid=B2204
Gerard Satvic, a chemical engineer,
was driven to India to seek answers to the bigger
questions about life, by a stubborn excruciating headache.
A near fatal car smash and a slow recovery after his
second visit to Sai Baba made him aware of the role of
food in healing, and how faulty food affected the recovery
and the mind. Gerard divides the book into three parts,
each a collection of discourses by Sai Baba, Part 1 is
self knowledge; Part 2 is Health, Food and Spirituality
and Part 3 is Yoga. The author has made no additions to
Sai Baba`s statements. There is a large appendix which has
resources on Ayurveda, Western Naturopathy and a collation
of Ayurveda and the Western Naturopathy. This appendix
contains excellent resources which can be read as one with
Sai Baba`s statements on the Mind, Food and Health. A
must-read for those who want to follow the spiritual path.
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/feb16/book3.asp
Food for thought
The author shows how satvic food is key to healthy living
and higher thinking
Know Thyself
Gerard T Satvic
Bangalore: Sai Towers, 2002, pp 401, Rs 250
“When you eat at the table of the earthy mother, eat all
things even as they are found on her table. Cook not,
neither mix all things one with another, lest your bowels
become as steaming bogs. For I truly tell you, this is
abominable in the eyes of the lord and desire not to devour
all things you see round about you. Be content with two or
three sorts of food, and when you eat, never eat unto
fullness.”
"He who eats more than twice in the day does in him the work
of the Evil One and if you wish that the angels of God enjoy
themselves in your body and that the Evil One ignores you,
then eat only once a day from the table of God.”
"On the seventh day eat not any earthy food, but live only
upon the wards of God." These injunctions sound similar to
the sermon on satvic food in our own scriptures. Yet they
are excerpted from "The essence Gospel of peace" and the
preacher is Jesus himself.
When Swami Vivekananda was returning from the United States,
he had the vision of a bearded man when the ship was passing
near Rock of Gibraltar. He identified himself as an essence
and revealed that the doctrine preached by Jesus was a
modified form of theirs. In any case, the case for satvic
food presented by Gerard T Satvic is nothing new. He is
humble enough to acknowledge all the sources and the
fountain head of his inspiration Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The
principles were known but the whys and wherefores have been
spelt clearly in Know Thyself, authored by Gerard T Satvic,
a Chemical Engineer and Sai follower.
He draws a parallel between these ancient injunctions and
the teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The medicines
prescribed by him for physical, mental and spiritual health
is Sai-lence of divine silence, satvic nourishment by way of
all the senses, Sadhana, bhajan singing and vibhuti, the
holy ash. "Both ahamkara (ego) and mamakara (sense of mine)
are results of consuming improper food".
In Ramakatha Rasavahini, Sai has said "The Ramayana happens
in everyone's heart. It does take place systematically and
in the same sequence". Reverting to matters spiritual, he
describes Turiya Vastha, the highest state of consciousness.
It is a pure, tranquil and steady state of super
consciousness in which all discriminating and
differentiating gunas (attributes) are transcended and
dissolved in the eternal and absolute reality of Brahman.
Who was Ravana? Ravana is described as a demon with ten
heads. These ten heads are the six vices (arishadvargas),
mind, intellect, will and ego. Since these ten are present
in every human being, all men are Ravanas indeed! When a man
surrenders himself to God, all these ten heads will go and
he will merge in Rama.
“In the Ramayana of actual life, atma is Rama, manas (mind)
is Laksmana, brahmagnana (knowledge of self) is Sita. And
when that Sita is lost, Rama falls into the forest of
existence,...if we associate ourselves with Hanuman (courage)
we can go across the sea of delusion. We can destroy the
rajasic quality (Ravana) and the tamasic quality (Kumbhakarna).
The Satvic quality, Vibhushana, can be crowned Anubhavagnana.
Efforts are made to bring out the commonality of science and
spirituality. Sai Baba puts it succinctly: "The spirit of
love is spirituality, splitting of love is science". "It is
the food that determines the condition and form of the mind.
And it is the mind that has to seek refuge in God. What
exactly do we mean by Satvic food? Flour, milk, fruit and
beans are satvic food. We should eat moderately. You will
not be able to make progress in your spiritual discipline if
you do not control your food habits".
Food earned by foul means will plunge a man into ignorance
and suppress pure thoughts from arising in him. An epic
example will illustrate the point better. Bhishma, on his
death bed, expounded all aspects of dharma to the Pandava
brothers. Draupadi who was present burst into laughter. The
advice came too late in the day, she explained. Bhishma's
explanation was telling. "As a result of eating the food of
ignoble and vicious persons (Kauravas) my blood became
pointed and all pure thoughts in me were thereby suppressed.
Now that Arjuna's arrows have drained away that impure blood
in me, the Dharma that was lying buried deep in me is
gushing forth".
The author has relied on ayurveda and naturopathy to drive
home the point: satvic food is the key to health, happiness
and pursuit of higher knowledge. Know Thyself serves the
mundane as well as spiritual cause. And is a practical guide
for healthy living as well as higher thinking.
Sathyacalm
The book is
available at:
Sai Towers Publishing
http://puttaparthi.info/shopping/
Sathya Sai Book Center of
America, Tustin, California
http://www.sathyasai.org/inform/tustin.htm
Sri Sathya Sai Book and Information Center, Toronto Canada
http://www.saibooks.org
Sai House
http://www.sathyasai.org.nz/booksforsale.htm
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