You may find good books on subjects like yoga, dis eases and their cure, food and diet, Ayurveda and life saving herbs, Kundalini, Karma, Self realization, meditation and ways of worship. But to find the wisdom of all these encapsulated in one volume is the achievement of Dr Manohar Lal Sharma in his new book, ‘Towards a Holistic Life’. Many of the practices recommended here come out of his own experience. Each yoga asan has been illustrated with demonstration poses by the author himself.
Dr Sharma has been an Indian government servant and at the same time took pains to acquire mastery in various disciplines and immersed himself in occult sciences research – all this in the teeth of opposition from his family.
He qualified as a teacher in Yoga with natural hygiene and yogic Diet, Registered Medical Practioner in Yoga and Acupressure and gained Ayurveda certification from Baidyananth. He studied Reiki to the level of Grand Mastership and cured people with the help of Reiki and Pranic healing.
His spiritual journey has been equally remarkable and he has related his experiences of mediation under various gurus, among them Baba Muktananda of Ganeshpuri, Maharashtra and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Dr Sharma doesn’t merely describe various modes of living a holistic life but he himself practices healing people through these. He quotes ancient sage Charak to describe reasons for poor health and then recommends ways to gaining good health and wisdom.
Charak says all diseases originate from offences against wisdom or foibles of human thinking. According to Dr Sharma, “not all physical diseases are communicable or caused by infection. Many are due to the imbalance in the metabolism (the continuous process of destruction and regeneration of live cells in the body).
Digestion and elimination are both vital aspects of the metabolic process. The loss of digestive fire is the prime cause for development of most diseases. Just as excess of fuel snuffs out a fire, it is temptation and greed that makes a man a glutton. As a golden rule, remain a little hungry at all times. Do not overload the stomach. Overeating is akin to digging one’s own grave.”
In the chapter on Diet, he says, “Follow these diet and sleep tips which will keep you young and fit.” And what are the tips? In short, he says, “Nature teaches us to live in accordance with its laws just as other creatures do. But humans today, unmindful of such laws, are indulging in wrong eating and living habits, thus creating problems not only for themselves but also for the entire world.
Over-indulgence in any mode of life is the main cause for suffering and disease. To mitigate this problem, we have to live a life of moderation and take preventive measures.”
There are exhaustive chapters on worship of the Mother and conducting rituals of Navratris. The Prayers to Mother Goddess are listed both in English and Hindi.
Dr Sharma’s beneficial work has been praised by many leading personalities among them the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir N.N. Vohra and (Hony) Brigadier Arvind Lal of Dr Lal Pathlabs.
Vinod Dhawan
India Post News Service
