When you love your Motherland, you don’t cheat your brethren (fellow citizens), you don’t indulge in corrupt practices !
If you do not remain in communion with God by chanting His Name, how will He help you overcome the adversities ?
The Russia-Ukraine War has begun. We have been reading news of how the Ukrainians have suffered the brunt of the War. This War may soon lead to World War 3 once other countries get involved. The ongoing conflict with Russia has compelled the Ukrainians to start basic preparations essential to face and survive a World War. The Ukrainian Army has been organising military training for civilians for quite some time which has boosted the morale of ordinary citizens who are bravely resisting the Russian invasion. Hence, it is becoming even more difficult for Russia to defeat Ukraine. The resilience shown by the Ukrainians is praiseworthy, but their preparations are limited to just the physical and psychological levels; however, the preparations at the spiritual level are most crucial to surviving a World War. We have listed here some points on the spiritual aspect. |
The Indian citizens should learn the art and science of survival techniques from news on the Russia-Ukraine War. If World War 3 breaks out, it will go on for months. Hence, this article covers the critical aspects to consider while preparing at the physical, psychological and spiritual levels. We request you to understand these aspects and start practising all these at the earliest.
1. Preparations at the physical level
A. Maintain a good physique as it will help overcome any physical challenge. Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes to maintain good physical health. Practise ‘Suryanamaskar’ daily as it’s the best exercise for the entire body. Practise ‘Suryanamaskar’ 12 times daily. You should also run for at least 5-10 minutes daily. When you set a daily exercise routine, start slowly and then build on it gradually.
B. Practise Pranayam regularly. If you do not know how to do it, learn it from others or the internet. Practising Pranayam will help you hold your breath (also called kumbhak) for a little longer than usual. Practising Pranayam will help you rescue people from drowning or those who get trapped inside a smoke-filled building. It will also help you survive a gas (leakage) emergency.
C. Swimming is an essential skill to acquire and hone; this will enable you to save yourself and others from drowning.
D. During War times, you will find it difficult to procure food. You may have to survive a couple of days without food. Hence, as part of your preparations, you should skip one meal at least once a week to increase your stamina to survive without food. Later, you can skip food for one entire day and just drink water.
E. If you have any health issues, please consult a doctor or a Vaidya (Ayurvedic doctor). Do not ignore even a seemingly minor ailment. If you have crossed the age of 40, go for a routine medical check-up and get your teeth and eyes tested. During War times, you will not get the necessary medical care.
F. If you get diagnosed with some disease during a follow-up test recommended in the routine check-up, get the required medical treatment to cure the disease. The objective here is to ensure that you are as fit as possible before you face any adversity. For example, if you have been diagnosed with deficiency of some Vitamins, take necessary tablets and medicines and modify your diet accordingly.
G. Note the diseases you were diagnosed with, their respective dates, root causes, recommended diet in a separate notebook. Note the dates on which you are supposed to have a re-test for the disease or deficiency you have. Additionally, note all things, i.e. medicines, food items, dust particles, etc., to which you are allergic.
H. Make a separate file for your medical reports and documents related to the diseases and deficiencies. Sort them on the basis of the disease or deficiency and then sort them by date so that they are easily accessible when required. You can also prepare 2 files – one with the latest reports covering the last 3 years and another for all older reports and documents.
If possible, click pictures of the most important reports and documents and save them on your mobile or a pen drive.
I. Procure medication in sufficient quantity for chronic diseases such as high/low blood pressure and diabetes. Keep spectacles, hearing aids and other items of daily use separately. Get additional battery sets and other peripherals required to operate these aids. Prepare an emergency kit to store the medicines for at least two weeks and the essential equipment or aids. These preparations will help you leave your place immediately during a crisis.
2. Preparations at the psychological level
A. Evaluate your mental state when you face a difficult situation. When you observe others how they respond to a difficult situation, ask yourself – If it were to be you instead of that person, how you would have handled it. Practice mentally to deal with such situations so that when you face an adverse situation, you can tackle it effectively.
B. Observe if you can bear pain and take remedial steps if you or someone else gets injured (from burns, cuts, bites). Observe if you get scared and moan because of pain. Observe if you help others when they get injured in an accident and need immediate help. In such situations, you should proactively help the wounded.
C. Observe your response when a fire breaks out at home or elsewhere. Do you get scared and run away ? Do you try to bring it under control ? Your theoretical knowledge will be practically useless when you cannot put it into practice because you are too scared to face adverse situations. Hence, you should be mentally strong to deal with such situations.
D. Ask yourself – When a goon tries to intimidate you, do you pit your wits against him ? If required, are you mentally prepared to fight and take him down ? Take the initiative to resolve any dispute that concerns your relatives or friends, since this will help you deal with the goon during a crisis.
E. You should have a helping nature; if not, inculcate the habit of helping others. If you are helpful, God will send others to help you overcome any difficult situation.
F. Stop being a loner if you are one. It is very difficult for a loner to get help since he hardly speaks with anyone, and hence, very few people know him. Hence, if you are a loner, make an effort to mingle with others. For this, you should consciously speak with others and spend time with them so that eventually you get comfortable with them. A loner thinks only of himself. Hence, if you have such traits, make a conscious effort to be compassionate with others.
G. Love your Motherland immensely. A mother raises her children and moulds them to the best of her ability. Similarly, the Motherland provides nourishment to all of her children (citizens), and hence, you should be grateful to her. If you have this sense of gratitude, you will not hesitate to offer your life to protect her from any danger.
Our freedom fighters lived by this principle and laid down their lives for the Independence movement. We gained freedom from British rule as a result of their supreme sacrifice. When you love your Motherland, you love your Nation. When you love your Nation, you fight against its enemies. The Ukrainians are doing this as they resist the Russian invasion. When you love your Motherland, you don’t cheat your brethren (fellow citizens), you don’t indulge in corrupt practices and don’t trade classified documents nor vital information with the enemies of the Nation. You should love your fellow citizens since they are your brethren. Be mentally prepared to fulfil your duty towards your Nation.
3. Preparations at the intellectual level
A. During War times, you must be well-versed in providing first-aid to the injured. Hence, you should learn how to use a bandage, how to provide immediate first-aid for a fracture, how to carry a badly injured person with the help of a blanket when a stretcher is not available. During War times, these skills will come in handy to help others. Sanatan’s Texts are available to learn the following about first-aid.
1. First-aid on saving a victim’s life and in conditions such as shock
2. First-aid on bleeding, injury, fracture, etc.
3. First-aid on suffocation, burns, animal & insect bites, poisoning, etc.
B. Learn how to check blood sugar level, blood pressure and how to use the pulse oximeter.
C. You should have basic information on how to put out a fire. Fire can break out due to various reasons such as oil ignition, faulty electrical appliances, etc. Hence, techniques to put out a fire also differ depending upon specific root causes.
To know more about these techniques, please read Sanatan’s Text – ‘Practical Training in Fire fighting’.
D. During War times, you will not get all the required medical support. You will be able to cure most ailments through Acupressure therapy to the patient, chanting a specific Name or by performing spiritual remedies on the patient to clear the obstructions in the Pranashakti flow system. For the other cases, these techniques help alleviate pain. To know more about these techniques, keep the following Texts handy.
1. Acupressure Therapy for overcoming physical, psychological and spiritual distress (Introduction)
2. Acupressure Therapy for common ailments (Along with spiritual experiences)
3. Chants for curing ailments (Importance and science underlying various types of chants)
4. Chants that can cure ailments (Includes mudra and nyas, besides guidance on chanting)
5. Chant remedies as per the ailments (Includes chanting the Names of Deities, Bijamantra, Ankajapa, etc.)
6. How to identify obstructions in the Pranashakti flow system for curing ailments
7. Spiritual remedies on ailments caused by obstructions in the Pranashakti flow system
E. During War times, hide in underground shelters, as these will be relatively safer. You should find out where these shelters are in your city. A metro railway is typically an under-ground system. You can take shelter at metro stations for some time. Sometimes there are subways (an underpass) under major 4-lane roads. You can hide even in a subway. Such bunkers and subways can protect you from bomb blasts and atomic blast radiation.
F. Make a list of all charitable organisations in your village or city. Get basic information about them and note their contact details. Later, speak with the responsible people in these and become familiar with them. You should share your details with them. Once you build a good rapport, you can readily seek their help during any adverse situation.
4. Preparations at the spiritual level
A. Abide by Achardharma (code of Righteous conduct) as prescribed in Hindu Dharma. It will not only make your conduct sattvik but also direct the flow of Chaitanya towards you and help you take a step closer to Moksha. When you abide by Achardharma, your attitude becomes sattvik, and you progress faster towards the ultimate goal of life. Not only this, but it will also help you in your daily life. Being truthful saves you from the sins associated with lying, and helps imbibe virtues such as morality and being cultured. God only saves such sattvik people during the adverse times. Read the following Texts to understand how to make Achars an inseparable part of your daily routine.
1. Introduction to Achardharma
2. Science underlying conducts before bathing
3. Science underlying conducts from bathing till sunset
B. Perform Agnihotra daily at sunrise and sunset. Do it at least once if twice-a-day is difficult since it is physically and spiritually beneficial. Agnihotra cleanses germs and viruses from the environment, makes it pure and Holy and enhances the Pranashakti (Vital energy) in the environment. Agnihotra keeps you and your family members healthy and reduces the probability of you falling sick.
Additionally, the Chaitanya emanating from the Agnihotra helps at the spiritual level. During Covid19, it was noticed that those who performed Agnihotra did not contract the virus. In today’s times, biological weapons have become part of arsenal. If these get deployed during World War 3, Agnihotra can protect you from widespread diseases caused by such weapons. Agnihotra will protect you from the lethal radiation emanating from the detonation of nuclear bombs. To know more about it, read Sanatan’s Text – ‘Agnihotra’.
C. Chant the Name of your Deity of worship for at least 2 hours daily to obtain Her blessings. If you do not know your Deity of worship, chant the name of Shrikrushna – ‘Om Namo Bhagawate Vasudevaya’. Try to be in communion with God when you are joyous as well as when you are sad and dejected. You must realise that God will be your saviour during the adverse times.
If you do not remain in communion with God by chanting His Name, how will He help you overcome the adversities ? When you become God’s devotee, you automatically develop faith in Him. You feel confident that He will protect you from all harm. Ultimately, you will learn to remain calm and poised during any difficult situation.
Shrikrushna has already assured His devotees in Shrimadbhagawadgeeta, Chapter 9, Shloka 31 – ‘My devotee never perishes’.
D. Strive to protect Dharma. Holy texts of Hindu Dharma say that one who sees the destruction of Dharma becomes a great sinner, while the one who strives to protect Dharma becomes eligible for Moksha. Our Holy texts also tell us that one who protects Dharma, is protected by Dharma (God).
In today’s times, to abide by Dharma, you must protect Dharma. You should remember that Guru Shrikrushna loved disciple Arjun as he fought with Kauravas to protect Dharma.
To summarise, God bestows His grace if you strive to protect Dharma. Today, those who oppose Dharma and Hinduphobic groups constantly and shamelessly attack Hindu Dharma. You should educate them and put some sense into them remaining within the laws. Despite this, if they continue to defame Hindu Dharma, protest against such behaviour and oppose them by all legitimate means.
– Sadguru (Dr) Mukul Gadgil (Ph.D., Maharshi Adhyatma Vishwavidyalay, Goa, 6.3.2022)