麻豆约拍

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya

Good morning.

Today marks the beginning of the festival of Diwali. The focus of today鈥檚 celebration is Dhanvantari, the deity of 膧yurveda. The word 鈥樐亂urveda鈥� means knowledge of life in Sanskrit and it is the classical Indian science of health and medicine.

In most Indian schools of philosophy which accept the ancient Hindu texts, the Vedas, as an authority, our physical body is considered to be the least of who we are. It is that part of us which is most external to our true identity. It is an instrument that we use to perform any action and therefore we are encouraged to look after it as we would any other instrument. A car that is cleaned often, refuelled, and maintained well will serve its purpose; any less attention given to it will cause trouble, and any more attention will waste time.

We live in a society where bodies are constantly being talked about, thought about, and sometimes inappropriately commented upon. Especially in times of illness, maintaining our physical health seems like a fulltime occupation. Sometimes we feel that we have been let down by our body when we are suffering or in pain.

It鈥檚 often said that the greatest wealth we possess is that of good health. It seems clearer than ever now that it is one we cannot take for granted.

God, may I remember to be grateful for my body and all that it does for me. May I remember that just as I know myself to be much more than this body, others are also not defined by their bodies. May I see all bodies, including my own, with gratitude and acceptance.

Hari Om