MUDRA MISC MUDRA010.TXT *********************************************************************** The five fingers of the hands represent the five elements-the thumb is Agni (fire), the forefinger vayu (air), the middle Akash (ether), the ring Prithvi (earth) and the little Jal (water)-that make up the human body and each of these elements can be controlled through our fingers, through which we can activate certain vibrations and restore the elemental balance. Among the main yoga mudras are the Apan Vayu Mudra which regulates complications of the hearts. Fold the forefinger down and touch the mound of the thumb, join the tips of the third and fourth fingers with that of the thumb. The little finger should be held erect. In the case of a severe heart attack, as a first aid measure if administered within the first two seconds, it provides instant relief. Try reducing the Vayu tatva (pressure of wind). Gyan Mudra : A familiar pose adopted by all great thinkers-Buddha, Mahavira, Christ, Guru Nanak and Dayanand Saraswati in more recent times. In general its practice ensures mental peace, concentration, sharp memory spiritual feelings, etc. In particular it cures, insomnia, mental disorder and dissipates tension depression and drowsiness. The thumb and the index finger are brought together in gentle contract not pressing hard, while al other fingers are kept upright. Pran Mudra : Touch the tops of the little finger and the ring finger to the tip of the thumb lightly. A life giving device energises the body improving its vitality. It also helps to improve eyesight. A must for those who feel nervous, tired and weak. Apan Mudra : Join the middle finger and the ring finger with the tip of the thumb, the forefinger and the little finger should be held upright. This provides relief in urinary problems and difficulty in labour and delivery. It facilitates the discharge of waste matter from the body and purifies the system. Shunya Mudra is a guaranteed cure for deafness. Pain in the ear can be checked within three minutes by this mudra. Bend the middle finger to touch the root of the thumb then press it slightly with the thumb. Surabhi Mudra or the cow posture helps control rheumatic inflammation and sharpens intellect. Join the little finger with the ring finger and the middle finger with the index finger in a transverse position. The Linga Mudra makes the body resistant to colds and coughs and chest infection, by generating heat in the body, and destroying accumulated phlegm in chest. It helps in weight reduction too but has to be practised with restraint and intake of at least eight glasses of water and butter and ghee as cooling agents in sufficient quantities is a must. Because of the heat it generates, it should not be practised with such flexibility as the other mudras. It might prove taxing and result in a feeling of lethargy. Join both the palms and lock the facing fingers together keeping one thumb upright. The upright thumb must be encircled by the other must be encircled by the other thumb and the index finger. Besides this is the Saptchakrasana, a very simple seven-minute exercise for total fitness developed by the Acharya. Especially helpful in curing spondylitis and other spinal disorders, the effect becomes noticeable within two to three days, he claims. These exercises should be done preferably in the morning before meals, although they are not harmful even thereafter. The Matsyendrasana, he says, if performed for five minutes regularly for 40 days will regulate the functioning of the pancreas and is an effective cure for diabetes. Sit on the floor, fold the left leg at the knee without lifting it up even slightly under the buttocks and place the right leg in front of the folder knee on the floor, Put your right arm at the back and then bring the left arm to hold the ankle of the right leg. See that your backbone, Neck and heaf are upright. Exhale slowly and turn the head, chest and waist towards the right side. Twist the body as much as you can. Stay in the position for 6 to 8 seconds start inhaling slowly again returning to the original position. Unlock the arm and the knee and repeat the exercise in the opposite direction i.e. to the left-now the left knee will be standing up and the right arm will be locked. Rest in between for a while, inhaling and exhaling twice deeply. Do not practice more than six rounds. The Acharya has cured many people so far of various ailments. He leads a saintly yet research-oriented life, imparting his knowledge to a chosen set of students and to all worthy without hesitation. For the ailing commoners he provides complete counselling about the practice of these mudras, as its incorrect and prolonged practice may sometimes be harmful. In addition, he also suggests the proper diet and massages, etc. for curing the ailments. He is working to make his ashram a mixed therapeutic hospital. For it the aim has to be prevention of a disease and also its cure, a healthy combination of all prevailing systems of medicines becomes imperative. Not only immediate relief but lasting cure should be the aim of all medical practitioners. MUDRAS ACHARYA KESHAV EXPLAINS TWO MORE MUDRAS. The Times of India, Sunday, August 10, 1980 Vayu Mudra-Air Posture : Bend the first finger to touch the root of the thumb, then press it down slightly by placing the thumb over it. The continued practice of this mudra stops muscular ailments, rheumatism and sciatica quickly. Surbhi Mudra-Cow Posture : Join the little fingers with the third ring fingers and the middle finger with the first finger in a transverse position. It is very useful for students with failing memories and in helping to control rheumatic inflammation. THE LIFE-GIVING DEVICE The Times of India, Sunday, July 27, 1980 Mudra postures are useful in dealing with psychological, nervous, mental and physical problems. By: Acharya Keshav Dev It is not generally appreciated that in ancient India our forefathers had developed an integrated approach to life. Indeed, this fact has more or less been lost sight of. Thus today hardly anyone sees a connection between yogic exercises, classical dance, music and art forms, the Ayurvedic system of medicine, food habits, meditation, modes of dress, various form of worship and so on. This is largely the result of the neglect and misinterpretation of the texts. It is about time we undertook corrective measures. There is a wealth of knowledge which is waiting to be tapped for our elevation-spiritual, intellectual and physical. Quite early in life I came to believe that the mudra postures that we see in our old sculptures and which we adopt at the time of meditation, puja and other religious ceremonies are not unrelated to the problems of psychological, nervous investigations and experiments. The results have been gratifying. To reject the modern view that the human body consists of several elements, I stick to the ancient view that it comprises of five tatwas (elements)-fire, wind, space, earth and water-and that the five fingers represent them. The thumb represents fire (the agni), the forefinger (Tarjani) vayu (air), the middle finger (Madhyama) akash (space), the third finger (Anamika) prithvi (earth) and the fourth finger (Kanishika) jal (water). It is notable that our thumb and fingers resemble in size and strength the planetary aspects they represent. The sun is the largest planet in our universe and it has the strongest influence on our life. Indeed, there can be no life without it. The density of the magnetic phase of the earth is only 25 OE, while that of the sun is 30 to 500 OE. So is the position of our thumb. Physical ailments are the result of the disturbance in the equilibrium of the elemental forces of the body. I am convinced that the practice of the appropriate mudras can help us to overcome these disturbances and restore the proper balance. With this article I begin the presentation of some of the important mudras. I present two, today, with illustrations. SURYA MUDRA (SUN POSTURE) : Bend the Anamika (the third finger) till it touches the root of the thumb. Then press is slightly on the thumb. The third finger representing water is stimulated by the electric heat of the thumb-representing the sun. This posture (illustration No. 10 is useful for persons who feel heaviness in the body. Its practice produces nimbleness and it should be carried out in both hands while sitting in Padam Asan for three to five minutes twice or thrice every day. PRAN MUDRA (LIFE POSTURE) : Bend the kanistika and the Anamika (the little and the ring fingers) and the thumb so that the front edges of the fingers touch that of the thumb. Keep the other finger straight, as shown in illustration No. 2. This mudra, as its name suggests, is considered to be a life-giving device. Those who feel nervous, tired and weak can regain energy by practising this posture as much as possible. In the very early stage, one will begin to feel a kind of electric current flowing through the nerves. It is useful for the eyes as well. YOUR WELL-BEING IS YOUR HANDS -ACHARYA DEV* Nagpur Times, Tuesday, May 8, 1978 NAGPUR, Monday, Acharya Keshav Dev of Vivekananda Yoga Ashram, New Delhi believes that India has the resources to solve her food problem, to replace the deserts with fields of grain and keep her people well fed and happy, if only the Government would give its financial and organisational assistance to those who have the ability to put these theories into practice. The government has however, refused to aid the many who have knowledge of these powers, himself included, on the ground that they are not educationally qualified enough, and so the knowledge and the power have remained unexploited. Yet, undaunted, the Acharya has been propounding his theories by delivering discourses about the ability of man to do the impossible, and has been gathering around himself all who wish to discard old misconceptions and believe in his findings. It is on one such a lecture-giving tour that he has come to Nagpur, for the first time, under the auspices of the Poddareshwar Ram Mandir. SLOW PROGRESS : The Acharya is, however, not very dismayed by his slow progress. According to him, to practising his theories give his more confidence that the day will surely come. Acharya keshav Dev speaks with peculiar grace his voice has many tones which cast a spell on the listener. According to the Acharya, hands have a power all their own, they can curse according to the will of their owner, and one who knows how to use this power can control his life and health, both mental and physical. The five fingers of the hand present the five elements: the thumb is Agni, the forefinger Vayu, the remaining three are Akash, Prithvi and jal. These correspond to the five elements that make up the human body and thus control of these elements through the fingers is possible. Thus it is, that a patient with heart trouble can check the trouble and get instant relief by folding the forefinger down on the mound of the thumb, and joining the thumb with the tips of the third and fourth finger. And so on. The Acharya claims he has also learnt the treatment of other ailments merely through the power of his hands, and cured many. However, as these cures always left him affected with a mild form of the particular illness he had treated, he has stopped these cures now. Mudra Vigyan is not the only aspect of yogic power he knows. He also claims knowledge of face reading, astronomy, astrology, water divination, telepathy and spiritual powers. Considering that in the field of astrology he includes everything from architecture to mental health, his scope is indeed vast. Among other feats he includes the discovery of the location of metals with yogic powers, the instant planting and flowering of trees (an improvement of the popular Indian 'mango trick' ) and water divination. If only he could put the mango trick in application with food crops, he could wipe away the food shortage, he said. The sole aim of his research is now social service, he added. In spite of his discouragement at the official level, the Acharya has started applying his theories. In the Vivekanand Yoga Ashram which he runs in Delhi, he teaches students the way to health and control through the use of allopathy, homeopathy, Ayurveda and Mudra Vigyan. And this year he has taken 15 students as boarders and has selected three or four of them for following his way of life, saintly yet research oriented. Giving one example of his achievements he said he could teach this reporter the art of stopping the heartbeat and going into an undisturbed trance. And when the spell was broken be it after 10,000 years, the body would be as perfect as it was when the trance began. Though impressed, the offer had to be left unaccepted. Evidently it would have amounted to and as such would have been disallowed. A MUDRA FOR THE CHEST*The Times of India Sunday March 8, 1981 The linga mudra is said to make the body more resistant to colds and chest infections. Acharya Keshav Dev Demonstrates it for you. Those who suffer from bad colds, incurable infections, congested chests and are prone to being affected adversely by the midlest changes in the weather, they are advised to practise the linga mudra. This mudra generates heat in the body and thus, while it away accumulated phlegm in the chest it also makes the body more resilient to the cold. This mudra is helpful in weight reduction too. However, because of the heat it generates, the mudra must not be practised with such flexibility as the Gyan mudra (dealt in a previous issue). It is taxing and can result in a feeling of lethargy. Weight-watchers who practice it must ensure that they eat fruits and ghee or butter. The advice may seem paradoxical but actually ghee and butter are cooling agents. Those who cannot afford or do not want to eat ghee are advised to drink a lot of water, at least eight glasses a day. Join both the palms and lock the facing fingers together, keeping one thumb upright. The upright thumb must be encirculed by the other thumb and index finger (see photograph). MAN A FORM OF GOD'S POWER-ACHARYA DEV*Nagpur Times, Wednesday, 9 May, 1978 NAGPUR, Tuesday The service of God includes the well-being of man, for God is present in man and man is but a form of the power of God, said Acharya Keshav Dev, at a discourse at the Poddareshwar Ram mandir yesterday. Explaining the first shloka of the Bhagavad Gita, Acharya Dev said it proved that man was but an extension of the godliness of God. Like god, man was invisible, he was hidden in every inch of his own body but was separate through the spirit of man, and was present in every aspect of the world he had created. Before man could really worship God and come to know him and his greatness, it was necessary for him to know about himself, Acharya Dev pointed out. He added that it was possible for man to become what he ever wished to be by exercising the supreme power of his will over his well and lead and a healthy life, and become as Godlike as he wished . Citing an example, he said that the instances of even unlettered men and women becoming suddenly able to predict the future during short spells of time was but a manifestation of the capacity of human will to establish contact introduced Acharya Dev to the with God. Mr. Poddar of the temple, introduced Acharya Dev to the audience and also proposed a vote of thanks. MUDRAS GRACEFUL GESTURES*Life Positive, December 1996 Classical dancers fold their fingers in various mudras. At Khajuraho, or even in the murals of Ajanta, figurines are almost invariably depicted with fingers in a mudra. It is little known, however, that mudra vigyan is Tatva Yoga-an essential aspect of yoga. And, believes Acharya Keshav Dev, these mudras can help cure many diseases. By Dipankar Das In a teeming tans-Yamuna locality of Delhi lies the Vivekanand Yogashram. Its director Acharya Keshav Dev is a lean man in his sixties. His eyes are perpetually half-closed but you can scarcely suspect indolence, rather it seems as if he is seeking something within. He discourses on the mysteries of the universe or hold forth on the virtues of ancient science with evident relish. In awe of nature, he believes man to be its supreme creation. The Acharya has spent years studying the ancient systems of astrology, numerology, music and grammar. He asserts that the sciences of yore got coated with sugar down the year. An excess of wastage can even lead to brain damage: mudras vigyan taps this energy to heal the individual. The science of mudras is one of the finest gifts of yoga to the cause of human welfare,