Importance of Lifestyle for Healthy Living


Importance of Lifestyle for Healthy Living


Recent study shows that changing lifestyles induce stress which is responsible for the genesis of many illnesses. I discuss the importance of lifestyle for healthy living: 

A book of verses underneath the bough
A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and though
Beside me singing in the wilderness
And the wilderness is paradise enow

My father translated this Rubaiyat of Omarkhayyam in Marathi:     

KAAWYAGRANTHACHI EKA, EKA SURAEE MADYARKA LAABHO MALAA/
KHANYA BHAKAR EKA, AN TARULALEE TOOHEE TITHE PREMALA/
MATPAARSHWEE TAWA DIWAGAAYANASUDHAA RAANAAT WAAHE JADHEE/
SAARE JANGAL MANGALPRADA NAWYAA SWARGAAPAREE TE TADHEE/    

Such was tension free, stress free life of Omarkhayyam. He enjoyed his “Neo-paradise” He reveled in heavenly rapture


As religion started evolving, the religious rules and regulations became stricter and oppressive.

Omarkhayyam was scientist, geologist, astronomer, astrologer, mathematician, philosopher, atheist and hardcore poet

He defied religious doctrines saying…..

Oh threats of hell and hopes of paradise
One thing is certain, this life flies
This life flies and the rest is lies
The flower that once has blown for ever dies

Further, Omarkhayyam preferred to live inhibition-free life. He defied taboos saying…..   

Ah fill the cup! What boots it to repeat?
How time is slipping underneath our feet
Unborn tomorrow and dead yesterday                             
Why fret about them if today be sweet?

True! It makes no sense asking old vexing question repeatedly!!
PAL PAL JEENA  HAI AAJ KAA DIN APNAA HAI

Since time ancient to medieval era living in India was a joy journey. You must have read about or heard of Sindhu Sanskriti, Mohenjodaro-Harappan civilizations. They were and are admirable, venerable civilizations. Even this date the Vaidic culture is venerable worldwide. Get the word Vaidic correctly, what is derived from Vedas is Vaidic, hence the word Vaidic culture, and not Vedic culture. 

Vaidic sciences reached at an acme.

The Sanskrit language was lingua franca or bridge language, meaning in short a language of common use and trade language. The Sanskrit grammar developed by Panini is accepted even today as the perfect science of language. The computer wizards say that Sanskrit is the best suited language and Devanaagaree is the best suited script for computers.

Vaidic mathematics has come back a big way. My school mate travels to Middle East countries to teach Vaidic mathematics.

The Western astronomers are astonished to read information about astronomy mentioned in Vedas.

The Indian philosophy is the best philosophy of life. My pen-friends on allpoetry.com often come from Europe, America, to Varanasi to learn Indian philosophy.

The science of Yoga combining mind and body is an unique gift from India to the world. Yoga has now received worldwide applause. The book “Paatanjala Yogasootra” has a place in modern psychiatry also.

Books like “Nagar-Rachana” and many others describe about town-planning.

Books like “Sangeet Ratnakar” describe the art and science of music and physics of musical instruments.  

Nagarjuna’s “Rasashastra” can be regarded as science of metallurgy and use of metals in pharmacology

Dinacharya, Rutucharya in the section of Swasth-Wrutteeyam of Ayurveda describe the discipline of lifestyle for attaining tension-free, stress-free, healthy living. Those days folks lived in joint families and united society, not in isolated or nuclear families as is seen these days.

In summary lifestyle in India was in tune with Nature’s rhythm
So the incidence of stress related illnesses, lifestyle related diseases was minimum or negligible.   


Bhartruhari describes an ideal or model life style in a poem….                      

SAA RAMYAA NAGAREE MAHAN SA NRUPATI: SAAMANTCHAKAM CHA TAT
PAARSHWE SAA CHA VIDAGDHRAAJAPARISHAT TAASHCHANDRABIMBAANANAA:

I explain,

Imagine before your mind’s eye a beautiful city. It is ruled by a good king. expert ministers help him in administration, the abutters i. e. owners of small or big properties around the kingdom respect him, minstrels (Bhaat or Shahir in Marathi) sing peans of his valor and glory, in august gatherings musicians sing mellifluous-melodies, wise men hold symposia on various subjects, belladonnas (beautiful women) amuse …….

Isn’t this living “A Heavenly Bliss”? This living indeed is a Heavenly bliss!! No wonder then, the incidence of stress-induced illnesses was negligible.      

Bhartruhari was a good king. He was a philosopher and poet. He was a multifaceted person. In one of his poems he describes impacts of contrasting life styles.

Dhanyaanaam girikandareshu wasataam jyoti: param dhyaayataam
Aanandaashrukanan pibanti shakuna: ni:shankamankeshayaa:
Asmaakm tu manorathoprachit praasaadwaapeetata
Kreedaakaananakelikoutukjushaam aayu: param ksheeyate  

I explain…..

Hail to those sages! Hail to those blithe spirits! They dwell in secluded caves; meditate on stars, in the state of trance tears of ecstasy trickle down their eyes, fearless birds perch on their lap; the birds quench their thirst by drinking tears of ecstasy…..

Hmmmm…… he sighs and says our aspirations are many, our demands in life are high and unrealistic, we crave for huge palaces with beautiful wells for water supply, well maintained lawns and gardens for recreation, all imaginary and many times unattainable, we run after such mirages….

Hmmmm….. We are dissatisfied, disappointed, frustrated, develop distress, depression…. 

Hell with this life….
All these contribute to lifestyle related diseases such as mental depression, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndromes, degenerative diseases, early aging etc. 

This reminds me the story “Sukhee Maanasaachaa sadaraa”, “The shirt of a blissful man” I learnt in a school text book. 

There was a king. Like Bhartruhari he was dissatisfied. He consulted his ministers, pundits, astrologers etc. The astrologers advised the king to wear the shirt of a blissful man. The king sent his ministers in search of such a man. One of the ministers found such a man. The man was relaxing on the bank of a lake. The minister approached him, narrated the agony of the king and requested for his shirt.

The man replied “I don’t wear shirt. I live with Nature and as near Nature’s rhythm as possible”     






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