Ayushmaan Bhavah used to be our original blessing for long life. A full life where you go through all life stages––student, bachelorhood, family/household man, societal & community do-gooder and then sagely detachment––was the basic and most ubiquitous desire and blessing. Embedded in this core definition of long life/healthy life was the concept of immortality. Youthfulness was a subtext.
If you think of Hindu mythology, two broad health archetypes come to mind. The first is around wellness that comes from discipline, not giving in to cravings and excessive desires. Intrinsic to this is not only disciplined food habits but also right behaviour. In fact, according to Hindu psychology, diet influences character and behaviour. Lifestyle, exercise, diet and faith blended together. If this was the sage archetype, then a different health archetype would be the mythological warrior, who would need to eat more heartily for the purpose of war.
For the real heroes, body building and physical strength was accompanied by focus and concentration in war methods as well as ultra powers acquired through prayer and penance. Perhaps Arjuna could be held up as this combination of great looks, great physical strength and a great focused mind as well as a symbol of spiritual inquiry. For women, of course, health was best demonstrated in the ability to bear many children with ease, and little else. Perhaps that’s why it has taken so many centuries for Indian women to start putting their own health on their priority list (but that’s another article for another day).
Getting back to food and behaviour, Hinduism recognises three broad categories called the gunas. Some foods leave us feeling tired and sluggish––the tamasic effect. Other foods leave us feeling agitated or over-stimulated––the rajasic effect. The third category belongs to foods that leave us feeling calm, alert and refreshed––the sattvic diet.
People with sattvic essence are said to be learned, pure, courageous, skillful, resolute, free from anxiety, endowed with sharp memory, having a serious intellect and engaging in virtuous acts. Sattvic foods are light (as opposed to heavy) in nature, easy to digest, mildly cooling, refreshing and not disturbing to the mind.
Whole, fresh, in-season and local foods, organic foods, fresh dairy and vegetables fall under this category. Also, the food should be fresh and freshly prepared. Leftovers are decidedly tamasic, as is meat. Salty, spicy food, onion, garlic and the like have a rajasic effect, which fuels desire. Rajasic people are active, passionate, excitable––selfishness, greed and restlessness included.
Coming to today. Through the ’90s health in India was about tackling illness. Science and allopathy rose. Today, ironically after the west discovered Yoga and alternative healing, health started getting redefined in India too –– ‘wellness’ is a new word and today tagged along with the word ‘health’ all the time.
Four trends emerge. One, spirituality as Prozac: religion got adapted as a relevant coping mechanism for today rather than the ‘before life-after life’ focus it had earlier. Two, physical and mental well-being as a composite is today becoming the order of the day. And modern medicine is trying to incorporate alternative treatments to offer a holistic way. We are beginning to hear of surgeons who are also into reiki or pranic healing; and physicians in leading hospitals incorporating aromatherapy into their recommended treatment.
Three, healthy habits are practiced alongside unhealthy habits! So, on the on hand, we don’t mind food stored overnight in the refrigerator (tamasic), but on the other hand it’s nice to say; “Oh, I just have a fruit for breakfast” or “I’ve started buying only organic (sattvic) vegetables.” Strangely, the magazines are full of advise on sattvic foods, but in our work sphere we are celebrating the rajasic spirit required for aggressive action and success.
Lastly, health & wellness today is not so much for long life but to realise and unleash your full potential––physical, mental and spiritual well-being; to help you cope with, or better still prevent, stress and illnesses and for youthfulness, beauty and vitality. So, today’s ultimate health icon would be a combination of a beautiful fit body, high potential mind power for large scale achievements, as well as spiritual strength to face the good and the bad with equanimity. This icon then combines the sage and the warrior... we could say, the return of Arjuna, as a corporate sage-cum-warrior who fights in the Kurukshetra of global business, runs branded marathons and attends Art of Living classes! “Global takeover bhavah”!
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