Prerana Feb 2013

1. P R E R A N AA n I n s p i r a t i o n T o H i n d u W o m e n
Issue : 19 Sankranthi 2013 / Vikram Samvat 2068
god
and
science
Are
Science
and
Religion
compatible?

2. Sankranthi 2013 Vikram Samvat 2068
Prerana e-zine
Featured
On the Cover
Write to Prerana
Prerana Team
Lifestyle
Digests
I want to share
Swami Vivekananda: The Meaning and relevance of religion in our Lives
Our Prerana: Devi Ashtabhuja - Symbol of Multifaceted Womanhood
Yoga: Yoga for Insomnia
Ayurveda: Swasthavritta
Food : Indian Food Science
Food : Zesty Salad Tips
Art and craft project : Mehndi Candles
Diwali lights
Panch Kosha
3
10
5
8
13
15
6
16
7
9
11
Crossword puzzle
Story : Paid With a Glass of Milk
The meaning and relevance of religion in
today’s times, where it is considered a sign
of backwardness to talk about practic-
ing religion, is answered in the words of
Swami Vivekananda.
Read more on page 3.
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Manisha Kand
Editor: Kadambini Dharap
Design : Anila Mula
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In This Issue

3. S w a m i V i v e k a n a n d a
B y D h a n a s h r e e P a r a n j a p e
The meaning and relevance of religion in our lives
A
few days ago I heard two highly educated
people debate the necessity of religion or
God in our lives. They were questioning
how relevant religion or God is in modern times. Isn’t it
now an obsolete concept? Isn’t it a sign of backwardness
to talk about practicing religion when we should talk and
think about “scientific truths”? What is the relevance of
God in a “secular democratic” country? The debate really
got me thinking whether asking such questions has really
become a sign of “progressive thinking”. Has Dharma re-
ally become an outdated concept?
Do we need religion?
All around us we hear lot of negative reactions when
someone talks about following/ practicing religion. From
most learned people to the prattling baby, we are told that
to do good to the world is ALL of religion, and that it is
useless to trouble ourselves about questions of the be-
yond. Again and again we hear the objection advanced:
“What good can religion do? Can it take away the poverty
of the poor, the pain and misery of the down-trodden?”
These doubts and negative thoughts about religion have
been raised before and will be raised in the future. Isn’t it
amazing that Swami Vivekananda heard these more than
a century ago and silenced those critics with his insightful
answers.
Let’s see what he had to say about the place of reli-
gion in our lives-
If someone asks, why shall we not be content with
eating, drinking and doing a little good to society? Why
should we look beyond in search of infinite, unknowable
things? Yes- eating, drinking, helping others gives us
Prerana Sankranthi 2013 3
God and science
Where did we come from?
Where are we going?
Are Science and Religion compatible?

4. satisfaction, but that is temporary. Swamiji says, “Fortu-
nately we must inquire into the beyond. This present, this
expressed is only one part of that unexpressed. How can
this little bit of projection of universe on our conscious-
ness, which we think to be “reality”, be explained, be un-
derstood, without knowing that which is beyond? It is reli-
gion, the inquiry into beyond, which makes the difference
between man and an animal.”
Can religion take away the poverty of poor? He says,
“Supposing it cannot, would it prove that the religion is
false? Suppose a baby stands up among you when you are
trying to demonstrate an astronomical theorem and says,
“does it bring gingerbread?” “No. it does not”, you an-
swer. “Then it is useless”, says the baby. Babies judge the
whole universe from their own standpoint. We must not
judge of higher things from a low standpoint. Infinite must
be judged by the standard of infinite”.
Then there is the clash between science and religion.
Is it a real contradiction or a perceived one? In India, at-
tempts have been made from the earliest times to teach a
“science” of religion and philosophy. Hindus regard reli-
gion and philosophy as two aspects of one thing, which
must equally be grounded in reason and scientific truth.
Even the modern day science like chemistry, physics with
all its advances, is limited by how much it can explain the
universe around us, complimenting that “scientific truth”
is the religion. According to Swami Vivekananda religion
is the highest plane of human thought and life.
Then why do such confusions about Dharma and
God get into our minds? Are all religions bad? It is true
that some of the goriest practices, the most diabolical ha-
tred and blood shed that humanity has known has been
done in the name of religion, however, the most intense
love, noble thoughts and actions for humanity have also
been the “products” of religion! It depends on us what we
choose to look at and what we choose to practice.
How to Practice Religion?
In society, we see so many types of people, thousands
of varieties of mind and inclinations. It is difficult to find a
religion that will satisfy all those minds and inclinations.
Swami Vivekananda describes four types of inclinations
for practical purposes-First is the active human who wants
to work, build, plan and organize. Then the emotional type
who loves sublime and beautiful, enjoys the aesthetic side
of nature. The third type is the mystic whose mind wants
analyze itself, to understand the workings of human mind,
and how to manipulate or control the mind. Last, there is
the philosopher who wants to use his intellect to weigh
each thought and action, uses proof and reasoning even
beyond the possibility of human philosophy. According
to Swami Vivekananda, a religion must be able to supply
food for all these types of minds to satisfy largest propor-
tion of humankind. He envisioned Hindu dharma as a uni-
versal ideal religion, which is equally philosophical, emo-
tional, mystic and conducive to actions. He then explicitly
acknowledged that such religion can be attained by Yoga.
Humans with the four types of mind inclinations can un-
derstand and practice the religion by Karma-yoga, Bhakti-
yoga, Raja-yoga and Jnana-yoga, respectively. The beauty
of our religion is that we can choose the path or way of
practice according to our inclination and reach the Truth.
Swami Vivekananda not only understood the
“truths” of Dharma he was preaching, but made them
accessible to masses with clarity and coherence. In Sis-
ter Nivedita’s words, “Had he not lived, texts that today
carry the bread of life to thousands, might have remained
the obscure disputes of scholars”. We are fortunate that
Swami Vivekananda put forth the meaning and relevance
of religion in such simple words-
“Religion is realization; not talk, not doctrine, nor
theories, however beautiful they may be. It is being and
becoming, not hearing or acknowledging; it is the whole
soul becoming changed into what it believes. That is re-
ligion.”
Religion is not making our lives miserable. On the
contrary, by refusing or ignoring Dharma we are making
our lives miserable. Therefore, it is in our best interest to
acknowledge that understanding and practicing Dharma is
the need of today’s time.
Dhanashree Paranjape is a sevika from San Jose
shakha, California. Her interests include reading, hiking,
poetry and music.
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4 Sankranthi 2013 Prerana

5. Yoga for Insomnia
L i f e s t y l e
B y S m i t h a G M a l l a i a h
S
leep is the most pleasur-
able state of body and
mind without any exter-
nal stimuli or sensory perception. By
Definition Sleep is a naturally recur-
ring state characterized by reduced
or absent consciousness, relatively
suspended sensory activity, and inac-
tivity of nearly all voluntary muscles.
We spend about one-third of our lives
asleep. But far from being wasted
time, from the moment we slide into
unconsciousness, a whole raft of
functions takes place to make sure
that we get optimal benefit from our
nightly rest.
Sleep is the time the body can
undergo repair, detoxification & heal
itself. Poor sleep patterns are linked to
poor health - and those who sleep less
than six hours a night have a shorter
life expectancy than those who sleep
for longer. So sleep has a profound
effect on our mental, emotional and
physical wellbeing.
Insomnia statistics
Insomnia, or sleeplessness, is a
sleep disorder in which there is an in-
ability to fall asleep or to stay asleep
as long as desired/required. More than
70 million Americans including chil-
dren suffer from various sleeping dis-
orders; insomnia being one of them.
The Institute of Medicine stated that
every year hundreds of millions of
dollars are spent on costs that involve
only sleeping disorders. The US in-
dustry loses approximately $150 bil-
lion dollars due to workers that have
insomnia, that miss work or that do
not work their maximum productivity.
Recent research indicates that
pervasive sleep deprivation can lead
to more serious health problems than
just a dull clouded feeling the next
morning—including obesity, high
blood pressure and diminished resis-
tance to infections. While there is sub-
stantial awareness growing about the
need for proper nutrition and exercise,
many people tend to shrug off lack
of sleep as not being of much conse-
quence, and, as a result, go through
life with both mind and body always
performing at less than optimal levels.
Role of Yoga
Yoga is one of the unique heal-
ing systems which addresses the
underlying cause of disease and ad-
dresses the person as a whole. Yoga
brings balance in your Mind-body
and breath. A complete yoga Routine
should include Asanas, Pranayama,
Kriyas, Meditation, Yoga Nidra/relax-
ation, right diet and sleeping habits.
Yoga should be part of your routine
to make your life healthy and disease
free.
Asanas
As far as poses are concerned
for insomnia; any of the inversion
as well as forward bending poses
are very helpful. Also remember to
stretch your back and emphasise cir-
culation to your spine and your head
region. The most accessible and relax-
ing is Viparita Karani which is legs up
the wall pose. Extend both legs up the
wall and relax the spine into the earth.
This will massively increase blood
flow back towards your heart and
drain your legs of pooling blood from
the day. This pose will relax your legs
and feet and create wonderful energy
flow through your body. Other rec-
ommended yoga poses are:
• Supported Forward Bend – Pada-
hastasana
• Seated forward bend – Paschimo-
tanasana
• Head to Knee pose – Janusirsa-
sana
• Child’s pose – Shashankasana
• Cobra – Bhujangasana
• Downward facing dog – Adho
mukha Shvanasana
Prerana Sankranthi 2013 5

6. Pranayama - Pranayama is the
technique of conserving/storing more
prana (life) from the air (oxygen) we
breathe, in simple words pranayama
controls life force. Pranayama balanc-
es the energy flow in our body allow-
ing our mind to rest deeply supporting
a sound sleep. Some of the recom-
mended Pranayamas are
• Deep abdominal breathing/Ad-
hama Pranayama
• Alternate nostril breathing/Nadi-
shuddi Pranayama
• Chandra Anuloma Viloma
Pranayama
• Humming honey bee/Bhramari
Pranayama
• Nadhanusandhana/Sound reso-
nance
• Omkar Chanting
Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is a yogic way of
relaxation. Yoga-Nidra means con-
scious sleep. It is a state of mind in-
between wakefulness and dream. It
is a kind of deep sleep in which you
don’t lose consciousness. It is a more
efficient and effective form of psychic
and physiological rest and rejuvena-
tion. Yoga-Nidra is a practice which
brings the deeper layers of the psyche
into conscious experience of deep re-
laxation. In Yoga-Nidra, you do not
have to concentrate; rather you move
your consciousness from one part of
the body to another. Just hear the in-
structions carefully and a deep reloca-
tion will occur at physiological, psy-
chological and emotional levels. Yoga
Nidra can be practiced just before you
go to bed also.
(Disclaimer – each individual is
different and no Yoga or exercise pro-
gram is free from the side effects of
over doing or doing without an expert
guide. Please consult your doctor be-
fore you start any Yoga regime.)
Healthy sleep habits
• Sleeping after a full meal di-
verts the body’s energy from recharg-
ing the system and also causes bad
dreams. Give 2 hours gap from dinner
to sleep.
• Eliminate or restrict the intake
of stimulants such as caffeine or alco-
hol. Avoid hot, spicy foods at dinner
• It is best to go to bed only to
sleep and not to read, write or think. It
is best to rise immediately after awak-
ening.
• Before going to sleep it is best
to wash the hands, feet and face. Med-
itate for a while to allow the negative
impacts of the day to dissipate. Then
do some Pranayama before sleeping.
• Best time to go to sleep is from
three-four hours after sunset.Also one
has to rise in Bhrami-muhurtha before
sunrise. Early to bed and early to rise
makes a man healthy, wealthy and
wise.
Smitha G Mallaiah is a Yoga
Therapist & Counselor at the Vive-
kananda Yoga Anusandhana Samst-
hana – VYASA Houston
Image attribution: thejbird’s
(www.flickr.com)
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6 Sankranthi 2013 Prerana
I W a n t t o S h a r e
Arts and crafts : Mehndi Candles
B y P u r v i M a k w a n a
M
ehndi can be done on any wax candles with smooth finish. It looks the
best on white and Cream candles. You can either use traditional mehndi
or Acrylic colors mixed with glue that has tooth paste like consistency
(Fevicol works best). To add more variations you can use plastic gemstones, Glitter glue
or beads.
To secure Traditional mehndi there are 2 methods

7. A n s w e r s o n p a g e 1 2
D i g e s t s
Crossword Puzzle
Across
1. Krishna is called this – a cow herder (5)
2. This beautiful place that he grew up with Radha (5)
3. She raised Krishna (6)
4. Krishna’s sister (8)
5. Krishna’s birth father (7)
6. Krishna’s birth mother (6)
7. This female demon tried to kill Krishna by nursing
him but got killed instead (6)
8. Krishna’s brother (6)
9. This poisonous cobra was tamed by Krishna (5)
Down
1. Krishna lifted this on his little finger (9)
2. Krishna built this city and made it his kingdom. (7)
3. Krishna was carried across this river on whose
banks today stands a wonder of the world. (6)
4. Krishna’s evil uncle. (4)
5. Krishna was born in this Yug (6)
6. He raised Krishna as his own son (4)
7. She requested Krishna to elope with her and marry
her (7)
8. One of Krishna’s ashta-bharyas (eight wives) (8)
9. Krishna’s birth is celebrated today as…..(11)
Prerana Sankranthi 2013 7
• Using simple syrup (sugar water): Once the mehndi dries on the candles apply thick syrup on the candle and
allow it to dry again. You will have to repeat this step at least 3 times to get the best result.
• Use any kind of sealant : There are a lot of sealants available in the craft stores
and they come in many varieties (spray or application). Transparent sealants work
well.
Purvi Makwana is a sevika from Kapila Shakha, Cupertino. She loves to bake and
cook. She is also interested in arts and crafts.
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8. L i f e s t y l e
Ayurveda: Swasthavritta
B y S u j a t a G a d r e
A
yurveda - the word Ayu means all aspects
of life from birth to death and Veda means
learning or knowledge. Ayurveda is not
only a system of medicine in the conventional sense of
curing disease. It is also a way of life that teaches us how
to maintain and protect mental and physical health and
achieve longevity. Hence Ayurveda is a science by which
life in its totality is understood. It is a way of life which
describes the diet, behavior and rules and regulations that
are beneficial or harmful for life.
Prevention is better than cure, this is the basic con-
cept of Ayurveda. So Ayurveda includes preventing a
healthy person from getting diseased and to treat a sick
person. Curing a diseased person and obtaining his health
status is the goal of Ayurvedic physician.
Definition of Health:
Health of a person means balance, harmony and
equilibrium of all the physiological activities of body and
mind.
Our body is composed of ‘Tridosha’s– (‘Vata’, ‘Pit-
ta’, and ‘Kapha’), ‘Dhatu’s (tissues), and ‘Mala’s(waste).
For activities of all these is needed the digestive power that
is ‘Agni’.
So balance in Tridoshas, Dhatu, and mala, good di-
gestive power, positive and happy attitude (‘Prasannatma’)
in senses, mind and soul indicates the healthy condition of
any person.
Characteristics of a Healthy Person:
• 1. Balanced state of Doshas
• 2. Balanced State of Body Tissues
• 3. Balanced State of waste products
• 4. Balanced State of Agni
• 5. Prasanna Atma, Indriya and manas-Active sens-
es, alert and calm mind and happy soul
Swasthvritta
Swasth means healthy. The disciplined behavior of
a person which leads to long and healthy life is called as
Swasthavritta. To maintain normal health of a person, his
food habits and lifestyle should be according to his doshaja
prakruti and environment around him. It is necessary to
make changes in our life style according to these things.
Importance of Swasthvritta
According to Ayurveda harmony is our natural state.
To maintain this condition we must know our nature and
learn to live according to its real needs. This is the key to
health. This is the science of self-care that teaches us to
live healthy and happy life. Our life style should be dis-
ciplined. Swasthvritta tells us about these things. Swasth-
vritta is a preventive medicine. Swasthvritta includes,
• Dinacharya (Daily regimen)
• Ritucharya (Seasonal regimen)
• Sadvritta (General rules of conduct for the well-
being of society )
• Precautionary measures against ultimately old
age.
• Conduct and practices to achieve self-realization.
• Occasional occupational duties.
Sujata Gadre is an Ayurvedic doctor with a B.A.M.S.
degree, who graduated from University of Pune.
Image attribution: Sandra Cohen-Rose and Colin
Rose (colros - flickr.com)
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8 Sankranthi 2013 Prerana

9. O
ne day a poor boy who was selling goods from
door to door to pay his way through school,
found he had only one thin dime left, and he was
hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house.
However, he lost his nerve when a young woman opened the
door. Though he did not ask for her for food, she saw how hun-
gry he was in his eyes, and brought him a large glass of milk.
He drank it slowly and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”
“You don’t owe me anything, “she replied. “Mother has taught
us never to accept payment for kindness.” He said,” Then I
thank you from my heart.”
As the boy left that house, he not only felt stronger physi-
cally, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had
been ready to give up and quit, but the girl gave him faith in
humanity. He worked hard and eventually grew up to become
a doctor - Dr. Anand.
Years later that young woman became critically ill. The local Doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to big
city, where they called in a specialist to study her rare disease. Dr. Anand was called in for the consultation. When he
heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall
of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back
to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life from that day he gave special attention to this case.
After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Anand requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for
approval. He looked at it, and then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it,
for she was sure it would take rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on
the side of the bill. She began to read the following words “Paid in full with one glass of milk”.
Image attribution: AhmadHammoud (www.flickr.com)
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Prerana Sankranthi 2013 9
D i g e s t s
Paid with a glass of milk
“The earth is enjoyed by heroes”—this is the unfailing truth.
Be a hero. Always say, “I have no fear.”
A few heart-whole, sincere, and energetic men and women can do
more in a year than a mob in a century.
-- Swami Vivekananda

10. 10 Sankranthi 2013 Prerana
O u r P r e r a n a
Devi Ashtabhuja : Symbol of multifaceted womanhood
B y A l k a t a i I n a m d a r
I
n Hindu Sanskriti, woman
is considered as a personi-
fication of the divine pow-
er. The three important powers of
a society are looked in the form of
female deities. They are Lakshmi,
Durga and Saraswati. But it is true
that the women should be aware of
it. In Rashtra Sevika Samiti, we say
that every woman is instrumental
in imparting the sanskaras to next
generation. So she should know
her spiritual and divine powers and
awaken these powers within her.
In Shreemad Bhagawad Gee-
ta, Bhagawan Shreekrishna says
that women have seven qualities
within her. They are - Keerti, Shree,
Vaak, Smriti, Medha, Dhriti and Kshamaa. These are
called ‘Saptshakti’. But again she has to awaken them and
develop them..
We, in Rashtra Sevika Samiti try to build the char-
acter of women, so that they can become the inspiration
to their family, and to the society. We think that a woman
has to develop herself in such a way that she can command
respect. Thus, we have Devi Ashtabhuja as a symbol of di-
vinity; those divine qualities we want to develop. We look
upon Devi Ashtabhuja as the united incarnation of Lak-
shmi, Saraswati and Durga. All the objects in her hands
have some special message to give.
In one hand we can see the Yadnakund- the pot of sa-
cred fire. It gives the message that our character should be
as pure as the fire. All the evils should get burnt. The Yad-
nakund is also a symbol of Vanaprasthashram- the third
phase of human life. After fulfilling the duties towards his/
her family one has to offer his/her time and energy for the
society.
In the second hand of Devi, we see the Japamaala. It
gives the message that we should always be aware of the
goal of our life. We have to con-
centrate on our aim, not only the
personal goal but also the goal of
our organization- to rebuild the
vibrant, assertive Hindu society.
The third hand has ‘Ghan-
ta’- the bell. It is the symbol of
alertness. We ring the bell when
we enter the temple. It makes
us aware that there resides “At-
man”, which is the image of
“Paramatman”. The sound of the
bell awakens the Godliness with-
in us. It is proved that the vibra-
tions of Ghanta (the bell) makes
the environment pure by remov-
ing the negative vibrations and
also repels the insects.
We can see Kamalapushpa-the lotus in one of the
hands of Devi Ashtabhuja. It depicts the power of puri-
ty. It is said that the beetle, which pierces even the wood
does not harm the Lotus when it gets locked inside the
Lotus. We know that the lotus blossoms from the mud, but
it remains clean and fresh. It is the most favorite flower of
God. It tells us that our character should not get maligned
by the environment around us.
The Bhagavad Geeta is the symbol of knowledge.
Shree Krishna had extracted the essence of all the Vedas
and Upanishads and had given it to the world in the form
of Bhagawad Geeta. For us, the Karyakartas, the Nishkam
Karmyog of Bhagawadgeeta gives the message that we
should not be overwhelmed by the success nor should we
get depressed by the failure.
There is Khadg(Sword) and Treeshul(Trident) in the
hands of Devi. These depict that it is our duty to protect
the society from the evils. The mind of every person is
the battle field for the war between good and bad. But it
is necessary that we should make the ‘virtue’ to win over
the ‘vice’.

11. D i g e s t s
Panch Kosha - Five layered existence
B y V a n d a n a P a t h a k
Prerana Sankranthi 2013 11
We can see the Bhagava Dhwaj over the Treeshul.
Bhagawa Dhwaj is the symbol of Hindu Dharm. It is our
Guru. But it seems that Devi Ashtabhuja tells us that to
protect our Dharm we should have the Valour- the Khsatra
Shakti.
The eighth hand of Devi is giving the Ashirwad- the blessings to Sevikas. When the human efforts get the divine
blessings then the success is assured. We need the divine blessings as our ‘KARYA’is ‘Kantakakeerna’- full of obstacles.
Devi is riding the Lion. It is the habit of a lion to look back while walking ahead. For a Karyakarta it is very much
necessary to reflect, to look back to see the progress of our ‘Karya’. It is true that a woman is able to handle many
things at a time. She is capable of multi- tasking. She is the mother, the daughter, the sister, the wife and she is the teacher
also. She looks after her family with dutifulness and affection. She works at her workplace very efficiently. She fulfills
her social duties with a kind heart. Thus she has ‘the multi faceted personality’. Devi Ashtabhuja is the symbol of such
multi- faceted womanhood..
Thus, Devi Ashtabhuja gives us the message to become an able woman and a good Karyakarta. She is the symbol
of womanhood with all the special qualities. We, the Sevikas should not only worship the Devi Ashtabhuja as a Godess,
but we should try hard to inculcate all the qualities depicted by the symbolic objects in her hand, in our personality.
Lovingly known as Alka Tai, Alka Inamdar is the Sah Karyavahika (joint secretary) of Rashtra Sevika Samiti.
She is from Bharat. She has done her B.SC withPhysics and Maths as major and was a Kho Kho player in her
University team. She is a multitalented person with amazing energy.

T
he concept of Panchkosha is explained beautifully in Taittirya Upanishad in the form of conversation
between guru Varun and his son Bhrigu. The word Pancha stands for “five” and Kosha means “sheath”.
The five sheaths of human existence are:
Annamaya Kosha, Pranamaya kosha, Manomaya kosha, Vijnanamaya kosha, and Anandmaya kosha.

12. A n s w e r s t o C r o s s w o r d P u z z l e ( F r o m p a g e 7 )
12 Sankranthi 2013 Prerana
Annamaya Kosha: Annamaya kosha or the physical personality that we have is the grossest of all the koshas.
Everything in this universe is made out of Anna (food), comes out of Anna and dissolves into Anna. The physical exis-
tence that we have is made up of five elements, namely Prithvi (earth), Jal (water), Agni (fire), Vayu (wind), and Akaash
(space).
Pranamaya Kosha: It is a more subtle layer than the Annamaya kosha. It consist of the Prana, the life force. It is a
subtler layer than the Annamaya kosha. Without the prana the physical body is useless. It can increase and decrease by
itself. Prana has the capacity to move itself to different parts of the body, to each and every cell of the body through spe-
cial channels called Nadis. The five dimensions of Prana also known as the Mukhya prana are Udana (controls upward
activities like vomiting), Prana (responsible for breathing), Samana (responsible for proper digestion), Apana (defeca-
tion, urination and other downward forces), and Vyana (periphery activities like nerve impulses, blood circulation etc.).
Manomaya Kosha: This is the aspect of one’s personality where the mind carries different functions such as Manah
(perception), Chitta (memory) and Ahankar (ego). Emotions like loving or hating work on this layer. It is the emotions
that are the root cause of love, joy, distress, anger or jealousy. Imbalances caused in the Manomaya kosha are calledAdhi
(stress) which when long standing percolates into Pranayama and Annamaya kosha causing vyadhis (disease).
Vijnanamaya Kosha: It is the fourth layer of existence that is subtler than the previous three layers. It is the intellect
and the conscience, which tells us right from wrong and continuously guides us. It is the component which differentiates
humans from animals. A person who does not have this buddhi (intellect) is equal to an animal. Vignyanamaya kosha
guides the Manomaya kosha to understand good from bad, right from wrong.
Anandmaya Kosha: It is the blissful nature of a being. It is the most subtle aspect of our existence, devoid of any
emotions, a state of total silence achieved through Tapa, crossing each kosha one by one. It is the journey towards the
Ultimate.
Vandana Pathak is a sevika from evergreen shakha, Evergreen. She likes..... ??
Image attribution: orfmumbai.wordpress.com
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13. Prerana Sankranthi 2013 13
L i f e s t y l e
Indian Food Science
B y S e v i k a P r a k a s h a n
L
ast issue’s article about ‘Bharateeya Ahar
Sastra’ (Indian Food science) discussed what
this science is about, what the areas that it
looks into are and the need for such a science in today’s
world. It also discussed how a kitchen should be, the place
for having food, who should make it, how and where it
should be made. In this issue, let us move a step forward
and delve deeper into the concepts and aspects of Indian
food science.
‘Sanskars’ of Bhojan:
All food that we consume carries certain qualities
with it.These qualities might be either beneficial or harmful
to the body. However, for some foods, prepping or cooking
them in a certain way changes the harmful qualities into
beneficial ones. This process of bringing about change in
the qualities of food is called ‘sanskar’. Roasting, roasting
on coal fire or wood fire, frying, boiling, churning etc., are
all different sanskars. Food with sanskars is beneficial to
our health. Eating yogurt by itself leads to certain gastric
problems. But, the same yogurt when churned is beneficial
in regards to the same problem. In the same way, cook-
ing rice after washing it in water and discarding that water
is easily digestible. There are also the sanskars of serv-
ing food in a plate. Salads, pickles, curries and dal - all
have their place in the plate,
arranged aesthetically.
Ghee is also very impor-
tant. It is considered to purify
both rice and dal. Ghee has
several benefits of which, car-
rying all the nutritional ele-
ments into the blood stream
and to the brain (ghee helps
cross the blood-brain barrier)
is probably the most important. Eating Ghee with every
meal is highly recommended.
Beneficial and Harmful Foods:
Every meal prepared has a combination of several
individual food items, each with its own qualities. Such a
combination could either do good to our body or cause us
more harm. Indian food science extensively tells us about
several such combinations. For example, Honey and Ghee
are both foods with several good qualities when consumed
independently. Their combination as a mixture is very
harmful. In the same way, the following combinations are
all harmful to the body.
• Eating mooli or garlic followed by milk
• Consuming ber (jujube, Chinese dates), tama-
rind, (sour foods) followed by milk
• Milk and salt mixture (such as cooked rice with
salt and milk, sauces made with this combina-
tion, having milk with salt biscuits)
• Milk and fruit mixture (such as milkshakes, ice
creams, fruit custard). Frequently eating such
foods might lead to skin related problems and
weakness
• Urad dal and mooli
• Using and reusing the same oil or ghee for cook-
ing food.
Red or wild rice among the grains, moong dal among
pulses, pink or rock salt among all salts, ginger among all
roots, cow milk and cow ghee are the most beneficial.

14. 14 Sankranthi 2013 Prerana
People belonging to different areas have several
foods that are beneficial to them, but do not suit those from
a different region. For example, it is common to use co-
conut oil in kerala, mustard oil in northern parts of India,
peanut oil in Maharashtra and sesame oil in southern parts
of India. People living in these areas are acclimatized to
perfectly assimilating these foods. Also, the properties of
the same food change with a change in place, season, time
of the day consumed, quantity of the food consumed, body
type and even doshas of the food.
The two types of Food:
Food can be divided into two types – light and heavy.
Light food is easy to digest and does not weigh you down.
It is composed of fire and air elements. It also helps build
up the digestive juices and hence the power to digest foods
and being active. The other type of food is the heavy food.
This kind of food takes a very long time to digest, has earth
and water elements and reduces the digestive power expo-
nentially. Eating heavy food makes a person lethargic and
when consumed excessively leads to a severe imbalance in
the doshas. It is always to be consumed lesser in quantity
than the lighter food.
It is good not to eat full stomach when eating any
kind of food. A general guide would be to imagine our
stomach as having four parts and reserving one part for
liquids, two parts for food and the last part for air (leaving
empty).
The best time to have lunch or dinner (food) is when
you are extremely hungry. There is no fixed time for it, but
this does not mean irregular food habits. Consuming food
in a regular manner is essential, so is adjusting it to changes
in seasons. Having food late causes the fire- air tendencies
to die down, making food very hard to digest. It also kills
the desire to eat the next meal. Disinterest in eating, tired-
ness, weakness, heaviness and lethargy, headaches, several
digestive problems – acidity, flatulence, heart burn are all
the immediate symptoms of untimely food habits. Imbal-
ance in doshas, in longer run lead to several diseases such
as obesity, diabetics, hypertension, eye related problems,
memory related problems etc. Proper food habits keep us
not only healthy but happy and contended.
Soft (with high water content such as bottle gourd)
and hot foods increase the digestive fire or strength of the
body. It is important to not eat anything for three hours
after bhojan. It is also important, to have the next meal
typically after about 6 hours. Age also plays a role in de-
termining the time between two meals. For kids and youth
it is good to have their next meal after 3-4 hours. But as
you get old the time between meals should also increase.
This does not hold true for babies, pregnant women and
old people.
Time of ‘Bhojan’ according to changing seasons
Summer and Monsoon seasons have longer days and
shorter nights and it is best to have food between 7 p.m. -9
p.m. Fall and winter seasons have longer nights and short-
er days and it is best to have the heavier meal in the morn-
ing. Spring and autumn seasons have equal lengths of day
and night and it is best to have the heavier meal at noon.
To be continued…
This article is translated from a book titled “ Bha-
rateeya Ahar Shastra” by Sevika Prakashan, Nagpur (om-
swasti_ngp@sancharnet.in)
Image attribution: Rainer Zenz (commons.wikime-
dia.org/) , Sweetgoddess (www.stockfreeimages.com),
Fountain_head (www.flickr.com) and Kirti Poddar (www.
flickr.com)
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15. L i f e s t y l e
Food: Zesty Salad Tips
B y S e e m a P a t h a k
Prerana Sankranthi 2013 15
I
f we can take care of vi-
tamins, minerals and pro-
tein in every meal, its like
driving our car with our seatbelt on
for the protection of our body. If we
don’t take care of this we would be
driving our car without buckling our seatbelts on, which will most prob-
ably lead us into health problems in our lives later. And we will always
keep wondering “why did that happen??”
Wholesome meals are an integral part of a healthy life-style.
Always add a kachumber or salad or koshimbeer to make your meal
wholesome. Here are some simple ways to give your home-made sal-
ads a zesty taste to satisfy your taste buds.
Never miss an oportunity to add turmeric powder fried in oil to
any salad or koshimbeer or kachumber. To make it easily available at
hand for your convenience, try this - Heat oil, splatter rai, add hing and
haladi and store this in a bottle. You can use this as salad dressing for
almost all salads. Relish this bottled haladi powder to fight free radicals
in the body.
Try these variations for salads -
• Cabbage instead of iceberg lettuce for the salad base. Cabbage
is very versatile. It stays fresh longer than insipid lettuce .
• Add soaked moong and chana dal with fresh coconut instead
of sprouts.
• Add crunchy cauliflower along with colored peppers cooked
slowly in oil. It adds color to the salad and gives it a delicious
taste.
• Add fresh baby leaves of beet root in salads for color and
taste. The beet root subji tastes delicious with moongdal and
coconut, and is a great liver detoxifier.
Seema Pathak did her Masters in Nutrition and worked as consult-
ing nutritionist at Nagpur for more than ten years. She later worked as
professor of clinical nutrition at Sullivan Collage of Pharmacy. She is a
sevika from Tampa, Florida. Image attribution: SummerTomato (www.
flickr.com)
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Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh’s
Balagokulam
presents
‘Dharma Bee’
Contest
Join us for the first
‘Dharma Bee’ on life of
Swami Vivekananda
and Sri Krishna.
Dharma Bee was launched
on Jan 12th –
Swami Vivekananda’s
150th birthday.
Register and participate!
www.dharmabee.org
t t t t t t t t
For Kindergartners to
8th graders
3 levels of contest-
Local, Regional, & National
February – April 2013
Upto $50,000 in prizes!!!
All the resources will be
provided on the website upon
registration
Only $11 per participant
to register

16. 16 Sankranthi 2013 Prerana
I W a n t t o S h a r e
Diwali Lights
B y A n i l a M u l a
F
estive spirit, oil bath, new clothes, pooja, house full of elders and relatives, their blessings, ‘mithai’s, the
myriad varieties of delicacies, ‘pataka’s, ‘rangoli’s , ‘diya’s, the joy and happiness on everyone’s face –
that is “Diwali” as we all remember, in Bharat. Living in U.S., we see life moving in a fast track – office,
kids, their classes, pick-ups and drop-offs and birthdays and festivals move into the weekends. With an idea of bringing
all these memories back to life and to also get our kids to experience what we did and make memories of their own, we
started the “Diwali Lights” project. Celebrating Diwali with family and friends on the “same day” is part of the project.
The other part is making a “light show”.
The ‘holiday season’brings with it an extravaganza of lights and plenty of light shows. Doing a similar light show
with light effects and music for Deepavali, ‘the festival of lights’ only seemed apt. The ‘Diwali lights’ project started
last year with a theme of ‘Ganesh ji’. This year’s theme was “Bala Krishna” and swami Vivekananda to celebrate the
upcoming Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birth anniversary.
The ‘making of’ the light show was a lot of fun. Meeting with many people, getting to know them better, snacks
and ‘chai’ over ‘brainstorming’ sessions, coming up with many new ideas, looking up for things that could be used for
the project, the jokes and laughter that sprang up and most importantly, the bond of friendship with so many people –
there were. In short, these were the stages of the ‘Diwali Lights’ project.
The project itself is very simple to make. It involves ‘ an idea’, some cardboard planks from Home Depot, handy
home tools, lots and lots of lights, light’s show controller (whose programing software for light effects is equally easy to
learn)and some planning. It is a very good project to take-up at ‘shakha’level, where all the families can participate. We
had kids help us too this year. They passionately painted and cut cardboard diyas for us. Something similar can be made
with old carton boxes and a handy blade. These ‘carton box’ light shows are ideal for putting up as a window display.
Having kids paint simple shapes and symbols such as Om, Swastik, Kalash, Diyas etc., can be a very fun family project.
The best part of all this, was to see the project all lighted up. And even better than that- seeing people’s face glow
with excitement when they came to see the lights. The Diwali potluck was a hit too (We had about 15 families join us).
We started with bhajans and progressed to bhojan (the spread sure beat my Bharat memories) and played some games.
The kids were very excited too as they got to celebrate Diwali with so many people, and that too on the day of Diwali.
The whole experience was just fantabulous, and I am eagerly waiting for coming Diwali. For more details/ pic-
tures/ videos of ‘Diwali Lights’ project, visit www.diwalilights.org
Hoping that for this Diwali, all of you will let your creativity flow and we will get to see many such ‘Diwali Lights’.
Anila Mula is a sevika from Kapila Shakha, Cupertino. She is interested in reading and photography.
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