The Pristine Glory of the Sun God - Part 2
The Pristine Glory of the Sun God - Part 2
- Dr.Shirish Bhate
As you might expect, hospital patients find it easier to cope with depression if they are exposed to 30 minutes of sunlight before sunset. Although Australian hospitals looking after elderly patients have recently adopted this practice, acharyas have always recommend religious rituals that require sun worship three times a day, at sunrise, at midday and at sunset. This ritual is called Tri-sandhya, which means three ritual worships each day. Sungazing is automatically included as part of this ritual.
This science is termed Yagyopathy. Within the sun's atmosphere, a
yagya or eternal fire (fusion of hydrogen and oxygen) occurs which
produces enormous amounts of solar energy. Yagyopathy (the
application of Yagna for healing) has been found very effective in
the cure of both physical ailments and psychosomatic disorders (such
as anxiety, depression, guilt,
insomnia, etc.). Yagna (agnihotra) renews the
brain cells,
revitalizes the
skin, purifies the
blood
and prevents the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Mental peace,
emotional stability and creative development of the mind are added
psychological benefits.
Yagna is basically a healing process, as is apparent from this
example of
diabetic treatment: The urine sugar levels of some acute
diabetic
patients were found to be totally absent with the level of blood
sugar reduced to normal just after two to three weeks of daily
agnihotra ("The Integrated Science of Yagna" Dr. RR. Joshi.
Publisher: Yug Nirman Yojana, Mathura. 1999).
In addition to the
skin,
the eyes are also important entry points for
the sun's energy. J. N. Ott
demonstrated with his research how important it is for us to get the
full spectrum of sunlight into the eyes, which does not happen if we
wear glasses or sit behind windows. These artificial screens filter
out the essential frequencies of the ultra-violet range of the
spectrum. He demonstrated that the primary effect of light entering
the eyes is on the endocrine glands in the
brain.
Another contemporary Indian sun worshipper is Hira Ratan Manek, who
demonstrates that energy need not be taken in through food alone,
but can also be absorbed through the eyes. (sungazing.com) He shows
that one can live on sunlight alone! Many of our mental tensions
such as irritability, anger, fear, grief, and general personal
frustrations, may then disappear altogether. This is just the
beginning, but what a beautiful beginning it is. Life could become
easier, more comfortable and more enjoyable as we get closer and
closer to finding out who we really are. A blissful, euphoric
sensation may envelope us. Our energy levels may increase and the
benefits of having a routine in conjunction with the earth's rhythms
will begin to have a peaceful
affect on our perception of the world. If one removes the need for
food, one would certainly save oneself from any diseases which might
enter the body through that food. Here indeed is a simple way for
anyone to liberate themselves from materialism once and for all!
Those who may not be after spiritual progress or interested in
absorbing energy through sun gazing, can at least take advantage of
some degree of sun exposure because it is the most important
available source of vitamin D. It is this exposure to sunlight which
provides humans with almost all their total daily vitamin D
requirement. UV rays from the sun trigger vitamin D synthesis in the
skin. However sometimes due to other variables such as season,
geographic latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog or any type of
sunscreen which affects this, additional vitamin intake may be
necessary. An initial 10 -15 minutes exposure to sunlight is
adequate time for Vitamin D synthesis to occur.
Ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least twice a week to the
face, arms, hands or back, without sunscreen, is usually sufficient
to provide an adequate amount of Vitamin D. Light to moderate sun
exposure is beneficial. Except in winter do not sunbathe during the
hours around midday. Preferably expose your whole body as often as
possible for a few minutes to early morning or late afternoon sun.
This may be in the garden, on the veranda or even inside a room with
an open window. In addition, it is beneficial to sit lightly clothed
in the half-shade such as under a tree for instance. We absorb the
energies from sunlight through our clothing too. If you visit Konkan
region in the western coastline of India (which includes Goa), most
elderly people will be found wearing just a dhoti, exposing most of
the upper torso. Remarkably, the leanest of the population is
concentrated on the coastline, with
obesity being a rare occurrence.
Should we not be investigating this connection between sun exposure
and lack of
obesity?
While short exposures to the sun are invigorating, long sunbathing
can be enervating. In addition to this, sunbathing for long periods
ages the skin and may cause
skin cancer, especially at the beach and
in parts of the globe where the radiation from sun appears to have
more strength for whatever reason.
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