Our mind is our guiding star in all we do and that mind that mind is itself the product of an evaluation, of forces-both inner and outer, of our innermost glowing point as it spreads its light in the world around.

We can see the nebulae of the heavens in a telescope. Similarly, if our mind gazes over the countries, the glories of our ancient civilization are revealed to us. Even now we are benefiting from those past achievements. In every walk of life we are obligated to our ancestors. Our heads bow low to them. They ae with us yet. Their blood runs in us yet. It may have got sluggish. But it can’t be wiped out. It can run clear and strong again at any time.

What we call Charak’s Treatise on Ayurved was not written by him. It was composed by Agnibesh from conversations with Punarbashu, son of Autry. Charak only re-edited it. There were others besides Charak, living at his time, dedicating themselves to the welfare of mankind, meditating in icy Himalayan Cavas, devising medicine. They were seer -saints, dear to memory, and the blood tingles in our veins to think of them. In the wide blue sea floating islands vanish and reappear. Can not the glorious culture of our ancient days reappear in the sea of human density ? Will we not someday bow before our re-emerged ancestors, praying, “Kindly give us knowledge”?

Punarbashu had six students to whom he gave knowledge of Ayurved (longevity). Their names were Agnibesh, Vel, Jatukarna, Parasor, Harit, Kharpani. Their master said to them concerning longevity, “There are four kinds of long life: good, bad, happy and unhappy. The whole science of Ayurved deals with this subject of longevity.”

What is longevity? Ayurved says longevity is continuity of body, mind and spirit. The Self is composed of body, mind and spirit. So longevity is continuity of Self, and Ayurved is a study of Self.

Self is supposed to be ever conscious and it is capable of being happy and unhappy. Can you say how the Self becomes diseased? One of the Self’s qualities is consciousness or alertness. When that alertness is disturbed due to ignorance and then unbalance, the Self becomes diseased. The procedure we adopt to restore and maintain the Self’s balance is called treatment according to Ayurved.

When the Self is happy, exuberant, nourishing, and on the forward move, it is in its right gear. When on the other hand it gets depressed, it goes against itself. So what is pleasant and beneficial to body, mind and soul is true; what is not so is untrue. Through the influence of senses, action and time the Self experiences both truth and untruth. The five sense organs-eye, ear, nose, tongue and skin-give us our five sensations-sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. What is done by the mind, speech and complex is what we call action. And time? When the Self moves on in tune with time, it feels pleasure. When on the other hand it gets out of step-doing excessively, not enough or badly-it feels miserable. So the roots of disease are discomfort, untruth, unbalance, error, untimeliness.

With a humble and devotional attitude Agnibesh one day approached Punarbashu. “Master,” said he, “Will you kindly tell me the different kinds of temperament that

the Self has? Why do we call the Self the cause? Does it know everything or not? Is it eternal or not? Seers say the Self is inactive, static; how then is it full of action? We speak of it as omnipresent. Why then can’t we see behind the wall or mountain? How does it migrate from one body to another? How does it get diseased? I am very interested to know all these things. Please tell us the answers.”

Punarbashu answered, “The body is mortal. I am glad that you want to know the facts behind it. Knowledge doesn’t come till we have a real hunger for it. I shall gladly tell you if you will listen with patience. Self has three temperaments. There is the single temperament whose force is manifested through creation and which, even it takes a destructive turn, leaves its possessor calm, unaffected, detached. There is also supposed to be a six-fold and twenty-four-fold temperament. W can call the single-tempered Self the Supreme Self or God. He is without beginning and Self-existent. By His strong will the world is made and unmade. We cannot live without Him. Our temperament resembles His. He has manifested Himself in many ways. And thus He enjoys. Everything is an exponent of His will. When He forgets to express His creative will, His destructive will appears. And when He absolutely forgets, absolute destruction comes.

“The fine tends to the gross. When this world had not yet taken shape, it existed in the bosom of the Supreme Self. Wise men describe that shapeless world there existing as made up of five realities or elements: ether, air, fire, water, earth. These correspond respectively to the five sensations: sound, touch, sight, taste and smell. When our consciousness, moving outward from within, tends to merge with the five elements, we acquire the six-fold temperament. Such a temperament tends to be drawn more and more into the world.

“The twenty-four-fold temperament bears great resemblance to the six-fold one.

“The Self comes from the great beyond, and becomes creative as it manifests itself in the outside world through attachment. It becomes wasteful when it turns indifferent and void of all attachment. Thus the Self has a restless, active state, and a listless inactive one. Until it gets beyond these two states by contact with a balanced Self, it remains in the clutches of death and rebirth. This is a matter of realization, and only the realized man is real. You must have urge for unification with a beloved. Only then can you realize something. The vulture climbs higher and higher in the sky and there he is able to see the wide world below. If you can go to the highest, you will be able to see all. The knowledge of everything is latent within us because we are all sons of the Supreme; that knowledge can unfold through urge for union with superior or supreme.

“You ask how the Self is the cause of everything, whether it is ignorant or knowing, mortal or immortal. Know that the Self manifests itself in innumerable ways. Sometimes it is listless; sometimes it is restless. Through a relationship with a balanced person it can get some control over these two states and get beyond its own craving. Know that the Self contains all things: knowledge, action, lust, judgments about good and evil etc. The Self is responsible for them all; that is why men say Self is the cause of everything,

“The Self knows everything, but so long as it is not connected with supreme consciousness, it cannot sense its own knowledge. The Supreme Self is the Eternal. All other selves are descendant and temporary, but merged with the Supreme they also experience knowledge and eternity.

“Your next questions were: how does the motionless and barren Self become so active? Why does the Self (which is God) not see beyond the wall or mountain?  How does it transfer itself from one body to another? How does it get diseased?

“Agnibesh, and you others too, know that Self and Nature are both manifestations of the Supreme. Without impulse from Nature the Self remains barren and motionless, but with that impulse it becomes active.

“God is all-knowing and supreme. When the Self remains confined to the body, it cannot see beyond the wall or mountain. When, however, it is spiritually enlightened, it can; and this happens through trance and super-consciousness. You all are realizing more and more through meditation. Daily your perceptions are increasing. They will go on increasing until they reach the Supreme. Along the way, as they become finer and finer, you will be able to see what is on the other side of the mountain or wall, what is before and what is beyond your sight.

“How does it transfer itself from one body to another? Through mental impressions or complexes the Self goes from one body to another. The impressions live on in the new body. Impressions may be of three kinds: pre- natal, post-natal, and present active. If the Self does not accumulate more impressions, i. e., if it engages in activities that leave it free, it may not have to undergo transfer to another body. It is only through

complexes that a self is reborn. When it feels a like complex in a uniting male and female, it slips into the new body, taking birth and getting shape according to the constitutions of the new mother and father.

“From the mother’s side we get skin, blood, flesh, fat, navel, lungs, spleen, liver, rectum, upper and lower intestines, etc. From the father’s side we get hair, beard, nails, teeth, bone, nerves, veins, sperm. From previous actions we get circumstances of our new birth, longevity, self-knowledge, mind, senses, life, ideas, appearance, voice, complexion, happiness and unhappiness, malice, consciousness, power to exist, intellect, ego, memory, saving tendency, and freedom. From the union of mother and father we get resuscitating power, zeal, ungreediness, sense sublimation, pleasing voice, tone, heightened color, purified semen, and pleasure of intercourse. From secretions in the mother’s womb we get first flesh, growth, life, pleasure, nourishment, and energy. Much too depends on the mind. The Self is reborn in one of the three mental states described before according as the mind was in one of them at death.

“How does the Self get diseased? It is through ignorance. In a gross condition we think we know everything. But it is not so. Knowledge and alertness come gradually as our perceptions become finer through engagement in what is fine. Various bad habits can bring disease; e. g., suppression of bowel movements, going to the latrine untimely, forsaking of higher personalities and mixing with lower ones, engaging in crime and destruction, an unaspiring move and mind, excessive sensual enjoyment and indiscipline.

“Disease can be brought to an end by meditation and emancipation. Emancipation means standing above the complexes. This can be done by love for a superior person, detachment from worldly life, seclusion, steadfast pursuit of some higher objective, reading religious books, humility, etc. When you can’t find anything in this life to have caused disease, you can assume that something in your previous life is responsible.

“Dearest ones, there is a great deal to know, but our days are numbered, and we can’t know anything without the blessing of God. God is in our memory, and we have to knock that memory by sincere love. So be adhered, be devoted, and think yourselves and your beloved as one.”

On hearing this Agnibesh cheered and cried aloud, “We only need the blessings of our teacher!”

Still he said, “Master, is our longevity limited?”

Punarbashu answered, “It depends on God and Self. Some actions of the Self were done in a previous life; some in this. But the best thing is to lead your life according to your superior. His leading may save you from the consequences of your previous life’s action. Our ancient teachers meditated a lot and lived a long time.”

Then Agnibesh said, “Tomorrow I am going home. Your love leads our lives to good. Still I would like to ask, how should I deal with the outside environment?”

Punarbashu replied, “Try to deal with your master as a servant does with his-with an inquisitive serviceable eye. Try to follow him with humble eagerness. If you want reputation, try to give service whole-heartedly. See woman as mother and don’t covet others’ property. Don’t indulge the faults of anyone. Be truthful, measured and sweet. Try to purge the atmosphere where you are. Go to

a patient in a clean, neat outfit. Don’t make him depressed or nervous. Dont’ hit at anybody’s sentiment. Ayurved has no limit. Take advice from the wise. Consult with other physicians about the science of medicine and long life. What is not clear to you now may become clear. Be confident. Dear pupils, Ayurved is the only science. If you know about longevity, you know everything. But without the help of a teacher you cannot have this knowledge. This I have told you many times. Practice adherence in your every movement, in your study, in your care of the sick. Everything else will follow.”