Tag Bhagavad gita

Brain’s Electrical Signature After Death, Pancha Kosas

Human body has five sheaths or layers.

Annamaya Kosa, Of Food,

Pranamaya Kosa,of Vital Breath,

Vijnanamaya Kosa, of Knowledge,

Manomaya Kosa , of Mind and

Ananadamaya Kosa.

These five layers surround the Atman,the individual self.

Annamaya Kosa is made up of the essence of Food, not food itself.

The food we eat gets digested and its essence. called the Rasa and it sustains the body.

Food determines our thoughts and dispositions-read my post on this under Hinduism.

We become what we eat for we think because of what we eat and we become what we think.( Bhagavad Gita)

Prana is the subtle breath, not actual air.

It is the subtle quality of air.

Breath regulation is taught is Yoga;people mistake control of air.

Breath has three aspects,

It is puraka when inhaled(through the left nostril)

It is also called the Ida Nadi.

Rechaka is drawn through the right nostril, Pingala Nadi.

When retained in the lungs it is Kumbhaka.

The ratio of Pranayama, of breath control is 1:4:3-Puraka:Kumbhaka:Rechakam.

Mind is the other layer.

Thought ways determine what we think and what we think decide what we are and what we become.

Through right food and right breath control, right mental disposition can be attained.

Vijnana or Knowledge is another layer, made of two types of knowledge.

They are,

Para Vidya, Knowledge of the Reality, which is eternal, correct .

Caste Untouchability Myths

There is a wide-spread belief that Brahmins set Untouchability Practice through the Vedas.

Untouchability is not Indian concept.
There is no term as untouchability in the Vedas of th Bhagavad Gita.

There are references to Varna denoting Disposition, Tendencies.

'Chatur Varnam Maya Srushtam' Bhagavad Gita- Dispositions are created by Me.

Here what Krishna says is that the effects/fruits of actions, though independent of Divine interventions, they need the Primary Principle, Brahman to operate; he Being the Saguna Manifestation of Brahman The Reality is responsible to the extent that it is applied universally and justly

Even in the Puranas, there is no word to match 'Untouchable"

Normally people associate the term 'Chandala' to denote Untouchables.

But, Chandala is a Sanskrit word for someone who deals with disposal of corpses.

The attribute of Untouchable label was provided by the British.

This is sweeping generalization that has no backing of any Religious text in the organisation of caste( another term of Portuguese origin imposed on India by the British.

The Attribute of being kept untouchable was avidly promoted by the British in their effort of dividing the people of India to facilitate their hold on India with their pronounced Policy of Divide and Rule.

"Untouchability is the social-religious practice of ostracizing a minority group by segregating them from the mainstream by social custom or legal mandate. The excluded group could be one that did not accept the norms of the excluding group and historically included foreigners, house workers, nomadic tribes, law-breakers and criminals and those suffering from a contagious disease. This exclusion was a method of punishing law-breakers and also protected traditional societies against contagion from strangers and the infected. A member of the excluded group is known as anUntouchable."

"Chandala is a Sanskrit word for someone who deals with disposal of corpses, and is a Hindu lower caste, formerly considered untouchables. Currently it is a term used specifically in Indo-Aryan speaking regions of India. Sandala has become a swear word in the colloquial usage of the Tamil language. Chandal is a general derogatory slur used to refer to a filthy, mean or low person[1] in North India.(wiki)

Note that this is not a definition, but a description being used currently after the acquisition of India by the British.

Till the Mogul period the usage was Sudra, denoting a group of people engaged in Physical work, with certain Dispositions.tendencies.

It was a tag used to denote this group and was often used colloquially to indicate one of uncouth practices, nothing more as is when we say' he works like a Donkey'

The meaning varies ' depending on the context.