Man has been constantly striving to achieve mental peace and happiness. For fulfilling this need of his, man needs to find a practical way of life that takes care of both spiritual and material needs. A common man tends to ignore the knowledge of real self or divinity and spends his entire life concentrating on the outer self or physical body, or the inner self (mind and intellect). One needs to understand all the three aspects of life to live in peace and harmony with the environment; these are knowledge of the outer self, the inner self and real self so as to be able to meet the challenges of the world.
Most of us believe in the theory of birth, karma and rebirth, i.e. continuity of the journey by the soul. According to the theory of karma, man reaps what he sows, i.e. he experiences happiness and miseries according to his past deeds. While leading his life, man can wipe off the previous score and perform good acts in the present life so that it would not result in his taking another birth. Having taken birth on this earth, man has to live life as assigned to him. Selfish attitude, negative thoughts, emotions and actions take us away from the divinity that exists within us. Man experiences the pleasures and sorrows of the karma of previous births on attaining the human form. However, a redeeming aspect of this is that man has the freedom to lead life according to his choice and create new karmas for his next life.
The author, a mechanical engineer by profession, says that the prime objective of any human being should be to remain healthy. Though man'slifespan has increased by several years due to higher health consciousness, improved sanitation, advanced diagnostic procedures, medications, improved lifestyles, calorie consciousness, yoga mediation for stress control, many people today die at a young age due to hypertension, heart disease, cancer, kidney problems and diabetes. These diseases are directly related to his lifestyle.
More than what foods to eat and what to ignore, the author lays stress on a person'sgeneral demeanour. He says, ?Keep smiling; with a smiling face, you can achieve better results?.
The author advises one to practice pranayama (deep breathing exercises) to help in de-stressing the body. Meditation through full concentration or a focused mind provides ?food for man'squest for knowing his inner self?. He also says that adoption of the ayurveda system of medicine, the Unani system, the siddha system and homoeopathy help man to keep a healthy body.
Finally it is necessary to be religious – not by praying to God in temples or church but by performing all your duties religiously because ?religion is the right path of guidance that helps man to avoid pitfalls and enjoy happy living.? Religion makes one remember that there is a superior divine power that controls the universe which is functioning according to well-defined laws and that no matter how much we try, we cannot defy Nature.
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