Tag: Water

Understand the water

Special heartfelt gratitude to Divya and parents from translation team, who translated various tamil documents for research that we share in our community. This document was created 2 years back. I think now it is time to share it to public.

Bowen Falls Milford Sound NZ.

There is a famous saying in ancient tamil siddha’s _”Andathilullathe Pindam Pindathilullathe Andam Andamum Pindamum Ondre Atharinthuthan Parkkumpothe”_ it means what is in universe is same in our body. That is, our body is made of 5 elements, so does the universe.

Our earth has ⅔ water, so does our body, particularly brain. Water plays an important role in our body, there are countless benefits. At the same time, everyone is unique, so their needs are different. So drinking water with reference to certain benchmark is wrong. You drink water when you feel the need and as per your environment.

We can not say water is just H2O. Water has various nutritional elements that can be validated with scientific tools, but those scientific tools can not find the life force or spiritual energy. Our ancestors were well aware of this, in fact they were able to document various sources of water and their benefits. Though all source has water, but their function and benefits are different. We have to use as per our needs.

Pearson_Falls2

Let’s see what are the sources our ancestors have documented. As you think water comes from cloud, and it is collected and cleaned and sent to us in tap. But the story goes deeper. It will open your eyes, and also you can educate children about water in depth.   

  1. Agazhi (Moat) – A moat is a deep, broad trench, filled with water, that surrounds a castle for defence purposes. It has poisonous plants and deadly animals such as crocodile.
  2. Aruvi (WaterFalls) – a steep fall or flow of water in a watercourse from the highest part of a hill or a mountain. Each waterfalls has therapeutic benefits as per season.
  3. Aazhikinaru (Well in Sea Shore) – well dug near a sea shore. Good for stabilizing excess salt in air.
  4. Aaru (River) – Natural stream of water of fairly large size
  5. Elanji (Reservoir for drinking and other purposes) – a natural or artificial place where water is collected and stored for drinking and other purposes
  6. Urai kinaru (Ring well) – an excavation or structure in the form of descending rings created in the ground by digging to access groundwater. It is usually lined with fired clay.
  7. Ooruni (Drinking water tank) – Drinking water tank
  8. Ootru (spring) – water flow from an underground layer of water to the earth surface
  9. Aeri (Irrigation Tank) – water stored from rainfall, springs and rivers, used for agriculture
  10. Odai (Brook) – a small body of moving water from an underlying water body.  It always flows through a channel
  11. Kattunginaru ( Built-in -well) – an excavation or structure created in the red soil ground by digging to access groundwater. It is usually lined with stones and bricks.
  12. Kadal (Sea) – Sea
  13. Kanmai/Kammai (Irrigation Tank) – alternative name for irrigation tank used in the pandya dynasty
  14. Kalingu (Sluice with many Venturis) – Water sources like irrigation tank, built with a strong stone wall(as a precaution to prevent it from overflowing), with a gate at its end for water flow.
  15. Kaal(Channel) –  path of a narrow body of water
  16. Kaalvaai (Supply channel to a tank) – supply channel to the water resources like irrigation tank, bathing tank and drinking water tank
  17. Kuttam (Large Pond) – large pond (see the description of pond below)
  18. Kuttai( Small Pond) –  a small and shallow body of standing water, either natural or artificial,  that is usually smaller than a lake, used for bathing farm animals.
  19. Kundam (Small Pool) – a small water source for bathing.
  20. Kundu (Pool) – bathing water source, small in size
  21. Kumizhi (Rock cut Well/Artesian well) – An aquifer is a geologic layer of porous and permeable material such as sand and gravel, limestone, or sandstone, through which water flows and is stored. A well drilled into such an aquifer is called an artesian well.
  22. Kumizhi ootru (Artesian fountain) – If water reaches the ground surface under the natural pressure of the aquifer,it is called the artesian fountain.
  23. Kulam (Bathing Tank) – bathing water source near a village.
  24. Koovam (Abnormal well) – an abnormal well.
  25. Kooval (Hollow) – a shallow well like pit.
  26. Vaali (Stream) – a small drainage basin built from an overflowing natural water source like river
  27. Keni (Large Well) – a broad and deep well
  28. Sirai (Reservoir) – is an enlarged natural or artificial lake, storage pond or  impoundment created using a dam or lock to store water.
  29. Sunai (Mountain Pool) – natural water source in the mountains.
  30. Sengai (Tank with DuckWeed) – Bathing tank with abundant duckweed.
  31. Thadam (Beautifully Constructed Bathing Tank) – Beautifully Constructed Bathing Tank
  32. Thalikulam (Tank Surrounding a Temple) – water source surrounding the temple similar to a moat
  33. Thaangal ( Irrigation Tank) – In Thondai Dynasty, (dynasty which got separated from chola dynasty), irrigation tank is called so.
  34. Thirukulam (Temple Tank) – a sacred bathing tank near a temple
  35. Theppakulam (Temple tank with inside pathway along parapet wall) – a big sized temple tank with a inside pathway along the parapet wall, where theppam (a kind of boat car for the deities of the temple) is run during a temple festival.
  36. Thodu Kinaru (Dig Well) – water obtained from time to time by digging sand in the river
  37. Nadai Keni (Large well with steps on one side) – A large well which has steps on one side
  38. Neeraavi (Bigger tank with center Mantapam) – a large tank with a center stage. It is also called as aavi.
  39. Pillaikinaru (Well in the middle of a tank) – well in the middle of a bathing/ irrigation tank
  40. Pongu Kinaru ( Well with Bubbling Spring) – Well which has a never drying bubbling spring.
  41. Poigai (Lake) – a natural water source where there are abundant lotus flowers.
  42. Madu (Deep place in a river) – a deep, dangerous pit in a river.
  43. Madai (Small sluice with single venturi) – a small water source controlled by a sluice gate with single opening which controls the water flow.
  44. Madhagu (Sluice with many venturis) – a large irrigation tank controlled at its head by sluice gate with many openings. Sluice gate is traditionally a wood or metal barrier sliding in grooves that are set in the sides of the waterway. Sluice gates commonly control water levels and flow rates
  45. Marukaal (Surplus water channel) – channel where the excess water is diverted.
  46. Valayam (Round tank) – Bathing tank which is round in shape.
  47. Vaaikaal (Small Water Course) – small water sources like irrigation tank/ channel

Each water was treated by the human, or by nature for specific purposes. It is astonished by our ancestors’ depth of knowledge and practice they integrated into our lives, which we forgot by globalization. It is high time we switch back to our roots to save our loved one.

HOT or COLD

Wooden Spoon in Hot Water

Now let’s decode about the drinking water that is hot, warm or room temperature or cold. The answer is this, we just need to use common sense, here, like all living creatures, we should take water in room temperature. Since humans are enabled with 6th sense, we can enhance our body function by changing the water temperature as per our needs. In case of cold weather, we can consume warm water. Our stomach needs fire energy to digest the food. So warm water does enhance its function. But never take HOT water, it will kill the sense in tongue, and affect our lining of walls from mouth to stomach. So does the cold water also affect us. Cold water does the most damage in our body. It numbs the sense, affects our thought process, and extinguishes the fire in gut. So anything cold (milk shake, ice cream) is not good. Unless it is for a specific purpose and for a season as per body and environment.

If you are not convinced, take a pot with hot (hot and cooled later), cold, warm, room temp water. Put a seed or fish. You clearly see which water has a life. So do you want to drink water that has life or what looks good?

In case if you have a skin related problem or obesity or toxin in body regular warm water can help to flush the toxins. Regular water takes 6 hours to enter various channels in the body whereas herbal water does this job in 1.5 hours.

So boiled and cooled water does kill all the things in water including the life force, so it is of no use, rather it makes our body less immune. Check with people around who drink boiled water and normal water. You will find out the answers.

Research on Holy Water

Holy waters

During post world war times. Some German and Japanese scientist were sent all over the world to do research on various holy water bodies, such as ganga, natural springs, etc. in the end of their study they found, ionized alkaline water that has high PH value, and it is the reason for providing positive health, anticancer, and refrain from psychological problem. They could not find the spiritual value, probably they know and have hidden it for public eyes.

Now, those companies make special water treatment machines, that cost us few lakhs.

Human body is at 7.4 PH value. Anything less than 7 is acidic and more than 7 is alkaline, So don’t jump into conclusion that we only take alkaline food, in fact most of the food we eat is not alkaline, our body needs acidic value too. In small number. So the intake should be balanced with higher alkaline intake.

Few months back, I did a test with various waters (who sells those Japanese technologies) I found, something shocking. Few more friend did this with other source shared the result with me for our community.

  • Normal tap water – 7 To 7.5
  • Rain water – 7 to 8
  • Mineral water – 4 to 5.5
  • Soda and packed juice – 2.5 to 3.5
  • Water from ganga and rameshwaram – 9.5 to 11.5
  • Coconut milk – 7 to 8!!
  • Milk – 4 To 5

No wonder, why temples give coconut water during visits, they were trying to increase PH value of the body. As said before, temples where holistic spiritual places never a religious ritual business centers like today. So drinking coconut milk daily does wonder in health. I have seen many parents including myself, observed sea level changes in health. Now, we know which water is safe.

Purifying the water

Somehow we have been brainwashed from birth that water is not safe, germs, bacteria, etc. I do agree that some germs and bacteria does deadly harm to us, but MNCs has exaggerated too high that they created a permanent fear in our mind to drink the water from normal source. What is the solution to get a good water without spending Rs.100000s of money. The answer lies in our traditional lifestyle practices.

Use herbs, Earth Pot, or Copper

Water stored in earthern pot for more than 12 hours in dark does wonders, it in fact increase PH value by 1 or 2 value more. Copper does the same in 4 hours. Pot reduce the body temperature, copper increases the body temperature. So use it as per season and your environment.

If you use, more physical work use pot, if you use more mental work then use pure copper.

To remove dust particles, harmful bacteria, use simple white organic cotton layers of clothes. This is a most simple cost-effective and efficient filter, the water that passes the cotton layers, it will capture the bacteria, I have not done research, could not find anyone doing test. But most of the naturopathy, ayurvedic and siddha dr agree to this.

Enhancing the water

We can add a small piece of wood from guava or amla or drumstick seeds or vettiveru. Once those woods or seed smells bad, change it.  No harm. Good for health.  

Read this blog by Vaijayanthi about various detox waters.

Conclusion
  • Drink room temperature water or warm water as per your need
  • Use copper and mud pot or go for an expensive machine. (nothing in between like RO, etc, it does weak our body in long run)
  • Prefer tap water or save rain water an store in in dark place and use it.

Looking forward, we should work on areas to save rain water.

Author: Velu Jayaprakash

Velu Jayaprakash is a social entrepreneur, product manager, techy, photographer, meditator, father of two angels, ancient wisdom seeker, holistic adviser and Soul coach. You can reach him at velu.jayaprakash AT gmail DOT com

Learn the ancient ways to cure Diarrhoea

By No machine-readable author provided. Pamri assumed (based on copyright claims). - No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=425971
By No machine-readable author provided. Pamri assumed (based on copyright claims). – No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=425971

There are various way to cure Diarrhoea. At our whatsapp group, we have plenty of parents sharing their age old home remedies to each other. We have made an attempt to collect all those and share it for anyone. Apart from the information we share from our group, We have gone little deeper into ancient siddha, ayurveda and unani script and shared few remedies.

When you try these do share your feedback and or if you have any more tips so share it at comments

  1. Drinking this water frequently helps to avoid dehydration during Diarrhea. Slight sugar and salt can be added.
  2. Drinking lemon juice 4-5 times a day helps to cure Diarrhoea.
  3. Pomegranate (Anar) leaves boiled in water with sugar and filtered. Drinking this decoction 3 times a day helps to cure Diarrhoea.
  4. Drinking half cup of Mint (pudina) juice in every two hours helps to cure Diarrhoea.
  5. Wall nut (Akhrot) grinded with water and this paste applied in the naval helps to cure Diarrhoea.
  6. Drinking Basil (Tulsi) juice mixed with Betel (Pan) juice helps to cure Diarrhoea.
  7. Eating a spoon of Dhania (Coriander) powder with black salt after meals in helpful in curing Diarrhoea.
  8. 1 tsp fresh grated ginger + 1 gms nutmeg powder to half a cup of water. Blend them together for few minutes into a mixture. Drinking this twice or thrice a day helps to stop diarrhoea.

Reviving the food we eat.

Understand your body well, and take the food accordingly. A deep insight of “Food” we intake is actually, not just eating though mouth, but to balance between air, water and wholesome food.  

Food is medicine – An old siddha saying.

Learn right food, we intake, quantity and quality to lead a healthy life! In our house, kitchen is our lab. We prepare medicine for hunger. In the ancient days, we lived a life what was in balance with nature.

As Nammalvar says, “Food should be local, seasonal, cost effective, chemical free and should posses micro and macro nutritious.” Today We have a huge list of food products that is chemically processed, it is now known fact that, these food only harms, but kills the person over time. If we switch to organic, it is costly. But if we dig deeper, we do not need expensive food ingredients to to lead a healthy lifestyle. With simple easy to find local food, we can lead a far better healthy life. Let us find out.

Before we explore the need to find a better intake. We need to under how much our body actually needs? The Food we eat, is *NOT* the only source for sustaining our life, rather it is one of the smallest contributor. Our ancients text have give a huge wisdom of what to eat, when to eat, what not to eat and so on.

 

For healthy life, We need the following

  1. 50% Air
  2. 30% Water
  3. 20% Food

Compared this with our present life style, which is, 40% food alone. Thus leads to imbalance in other two elements, Air and Water. So technically, we eat though, Nose (air), Skin (water) and Mouth (food).

Air – 50%

The we breath contributes a lot, Spiritual Scientist, thirumoolar says, we breath 21000 times. We need to breath in a rhyming pattern, easy,slow, longer and deeper!  We need to do at least, pranayama exercise (alternative nostril breathing) at least 21 times, morning and evening, More the better. There are tons technique to practice here. We can cover this in a later blog.

Water – 30%

The water mentioned here does not refer the water we consume, but rather, it is the moisture we absorb from atmosphere. Our body, absorb moisture from the root of hairs all over the body. That is why many ancient yogis do not cut hair. Waxing or removal of body hair, will block the pores at the skin and will stop us from taking water from atmosphere.

Food – 20%

It is the 20% that we eat, that includes water we drink! To know how much to eat, we need a benchmark to assess that quantity. So stomach is our tank to store this 20%. In 20% intake, that we consume thought mouth, 

  1. ¼ is the food – This is what we actually eat!
  2. ¼ is water we drink
  3. ½ is air (or empty)

To balance the 20% intake, our ancestors always said to fast, so when we do not intake, 20% of food, then the 50% air and 30% water will increase in body. Fasting itself is a big topic by itself, again there is a lot confusing in the name of fasting, Many over kill their body with fasting, We will do a detailed blog about this in coming days.

There is another confusing about food and water intake, on whether should take water immediately after food or give 30 mins to drink water.

If you chow the food nicely and mix it saliva, then we do not need to take water. There is saying Tamil to chow every bit of the food up to 16 times. Today, with busy lifestyle, many gulp the food without grinding the food properly, in that case, you need to drink water immediately. Any Naturopathy or Traditional healers would say, drink the food, eat the water. The food we swallow, should be drinkable, until then keep on chewing, because, the digestion start right at the mouth to all way till end of anus, that is a 30m journey.

When we actually drink the food, that is processed at our mouth, you will realize a fact that, we should have eaten less, but you get a sense of filling with smaller quantity. Thus, this will lead to weight reduction easily. Try this for one week, Just 7 day, and see for it for yourself!

In coming blogs, we will share the what to eat, not to eat, should we buy expensive imported food? And so.

Author: Velu Jayaprakash

Velu Jayaprakash is a social entrepreneur, product manager, techy, photographer, meditator, father of two angels, ancient wisdom seeker, holistic adviser and Soul coach. You can reach him at velu.jayaprakash AT gmail DOT com

Ancient way of storing water in Copper Vessel

(28/365) Glass of water

We all know water is the elixir of life. It comprises two-thirds of our body, and we utilize this bodily resource during our various daily activities – eating, breathing, walking and more. We all know that it is commonly recommended to drink 8 glasses of water per day. Do we know that drinking water during winters is as important as drinking water during summers, to keep our body hydrated. As the weather gets colder and colder outside, we tend to wear or cover ourselves with heavy clothes to keep us warm. We dont feel thirsty anymore and without even realising, we take less amount of water, which eventually leads to dehydration. Dehydration has a major effect on the brain and energy levels and various other functions of the body parts.

Having said that, are we drinking enough water? Is our drinking water safe? Chances of water borne diseases caused by virus and bacteria are high during rainy and winter seasons. So, how do we make sure our drinking water is really safe for drinking? Here is a very simple, cost effective and easy solution which our ancestors having been using for ages.

Today we talk about various scientific methods of filtering the water and yet, we know it all comes at a cost to get a good healthy tasty water. It is amazing to know how our ancesters were able to use simple methods to filter water to free from various harmful particles and micro organisms.

Copper Vessels

Copper Vessel

Storing water in copper pots for purification of water finds mention in ancient texts of Ayurveda. According to Ayurveda, water stored in a copper vessel has the ability to balance all the three doshas in our body, (vata, kapha and pitta) and it does so by positively charging the water. The storage process is known to kill all the micro-organisms that includes virus and bacteria. Thus making it perfectly fit for the drinking purpose.

Curious to know how it works? When water is stored in a copper vessel for about 16 hours, copper, in very small quantities gets dissolved in water. This process, known in scientific parlance as the  “oligodynamic effect”  has the power to destroy a wide range of molds, fungi, algae and harmful microbes due to its toxic effects on living cells.

Storing water in copper vessels not only kills the harmful microbes but also provides various health benefits. Copper is an essential micro-nutrient required by our body at a level of about 1mg/day. Drinking water stored in copper vessel meets this requirement. In-addition, it stimulates the brain, promotes bone strength, aids in digestion , regulates body fat, acts as anti-carcinogenic, regulates functioning of thyroid gland, prevents joint pain, aids in hemoglobin synthesis, maintains acid-alkaline balance in body, helps in improving fertility and conception, prevents white patches on skin, helps in healing of internal wounds and slows down ageing due to its antioxidant property.

Wondering how to start? buy a good quality copper jug. Fill water and keep it overnight and drink the positively charged water early morning or 2-3 times in a day – that is more than enough to reap its benefits. Don’t refrigerate that water.

Here is how to clean the jug. Copper oxidizes naturally and needs to be cleaned at regular intervals. Wash the copper vessel regularly with fresh lemon or a paste made out of salt and tamarind. Do not scrub or use normal dish wash chemicals as they could react with copper.

No wonder our ancestors had copper vessels for drinking water. And don’t you think they had lived longer and healthier. In this modern age, we often choose convenience over a healthier living – drinking bottled water for example is not only harmful for the environment but also pose health risks. Isn’t it better to follow this old practice instead?

Have you decided to buy a copper jug? I have already bought mine 😊