Book Review of the week - Know Thyself

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Book Review of the weekWednesday, December 10, 2003

 

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Know Thyself. The Gateway to Physical, Mental and Spiritual HealthBy Gerard T.

SatvicBangalore, Sai Towers, 2002 [1st ed. 1995]401 pagesISBN: 81-86822-05-4

 

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Three parts:- Self Knowledge;- Health, Food and Spirituality;- Yoga.A large

appendix has resources on Ayurveda, Western Naturopathy and Ayurveda.

 

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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.

 

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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 ThyselfGerard T SatvicBangalore: 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

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The book is available at:

 

Sai Towers Publishinghttp://puttaparthi.info/shopping/

 

Sri Sathya Sai Book and Information Center, Toronto Canadahttp://www.saibooks.org

 

Sathya Sai Book Center of America, Tustin, California

http://www.sathyasai.org/inform/tustin.htm

 

Sai Househttp://www.sathyasai.org.nz/booksforsale.htm

 

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