The birds’ sweet songs make the happy morning. Who does not love to hear them? Who will lie drowsing in his bed till after the sun has risen? Light is life, dispeling dark and gloom. When sky is tinged with light and the red hue of life runs through the heavens, who will lie in bed? We should be up and about two hours before the sun rises. Our life-force is as great or greater than the sun’s light. Why shall we lie in bed? Adults need no more than five hours sleep, and children six. Those who have the habit to go to bed about ten and rise about four are seldom diseased. “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” So says the proverb.
A morning walk is a good thing. If the mind is happy, the inhaling of the morning air is exhilarating. A change will be seen in a few walk in the morning. The health will bloom. We will become exuberant. Our days will pass smoothly, and whoever comes in our contact will get pleasure. The life will be alive, we will know no worry or mental disturbance, and lying late in bed will seem oppressive.
We should go to the latrine immediately upon rising. Many men suffer from constipation. It is a city disease. The bowels move easily if we have milk at supper and enough vegetables during the day. Dates are good movers of the bowels. So is myrobalan which can be taken after eating. Half a seer ( 1 lb.) of cold water and a dram of hydrocotile extract before the sunrise is also excellent practice. There should be no straining in the latrine. One should sit comfortably.
Neem twigs and neem tooth paste are good for the teeth. Brushing the teeth and washing the mouth after eating are essential. See that no foul odor comes out of your mouth. If a man turns his head to save himself when you chat with him, how shameful it is! Look at your teeth. Will they make a good laugh? Bad teeth spoil the smile.
Mark daily the beauty of your face, nose, eyes, etc. in the looking glass. A skeleton does not look good in the mirror. It is not a good qualification for parents if their children are skeletons. A breakfast of grams, molasses, pulses, butter, curd, salt, lemon juice, and other fruit would soon build them up. Adults do not need breakfast at all.
After breakfast the children should sit for study, and the mother and father go about their daily business. How long does it take to study? It doesn’t matter. But see that child is attentive and well-behaved with his teacher or tutor. Is there a picture of a living Ideal in the room where he studies? Does the tutor speak over of that living Ideal?
Rub oil well before you bathe. A mustard oil massage is a great aid to health. Put a little oil in the nostrils and on the big toes. Bathe where it is convenient. But the flowing stream or river is best. A ten- minute swim at bath time tones up the body wonderfully.
Men are more or less active. What for? Why do they toil? Is it for food? Yes, of course. But food not only for ourselves. We work to feed others too, and that is the main drive behind our toil. Almost all we do is for our environment, and we hope and believe we will grow in this way. If we are not successful in our practical life and fail to earn much money so that we can provide for our environment, we feel very bad. On the other hand, to be able to support others, even to feed someone now and then, is a source of great joy. Many things can arise from the responsibility of feeding our families and neighbors. Big business, industries, inventions, etc. are often the outcome of feeding many mouths.
In eating, the filling of the stomach is not the main thing. We must eat sufficiently and timely and appetizingly. We eat to gain strength and vigor, and we feed others for their good. Stuffing oneself or others will not always bring health. We should eat our big meal after a bath. And we should eat our day meal before noon. Health tends to break down if we wait till after twelve. Many village people do not observe this rule and suffer as a result. They should eat before twelve.
Who is the best one to prepare our meals? Self- cooking is the very best. Mother’s cooking is always nourishing to her children. A wife’s cooking is good for her husband. After that, sisters, aunts, sisters-in-law, daughters-in law, etc. may feed us. But whoever it may be, the person should be satisfied with his work. The attitude of the cook determines the health of the eater. The diet should vary according to necessity. Generally the progression of dishes from bitter to sweet should be observed. Ghee should be taken with some hot rice at first to start rice meal. Ghee is a good promoter of internal secretions. At the same time it is delicious. Occasionally we may have curd, puffed rice, sandesh, or cream in place of rice. We should eat enough vegetable to keep our bowels clear. We do not give sufficient importance to peanuts. They are wonderfully nutritious. We should chew our food well and not overload our stomachs. We ought to have a balanced meal. After eating, we may chew betelnut, cloves, or myrobalan. The last-mentioned is good for all. After eating, students should rest awhile. Businessmen also may like to lie down for a few minutes after their heavy meal.
Students and workers should keep their minds free to satisfy their masters. From this habit character will grow. Cinema and theatre can be good recreation. Also newspaper reading. Attending the library is very good, and the more thoughtfully one can read books and newspapers the better. Literature, science, periodicals, commercial news, etc. make good reading. The editorial columns of the newspapers are to be seen for their style and essence. By culturing these matters, the brain grows fertile and productive of a good career.
Dusk falls, and men return to their homes. They like to mix with the other members of their family after sunset. Sometimes there is singing or playing or just plain chatting and chattering. It is all healthy. Of course, all this is true only for the villagers. City life goes on till past midnight. Those who like an evening out should wash well before and after. Say someone returns from picture show at nine. He should wash immediately. It is best to rub the whole body with a wet towel. This immediately soothes the body and chases weariness. The mind becomes happy. Water can wash the mind as well as the skin. If you think a bad thing, drink a glass of pure cold water. At once your mind will be steadied.
Guardians should see to their charges’ study habits. Reading aloud should not be allowed. Concentration is the thing required in study. If a boy cannot concentrate, the guardian should not be angry with him. That will make matters worse. He should try to help the boy by stimulating interest.
Supper should be moderate or light. Heavy eating is not always healthy eating. Night meals should be nutritious and easily digested. Suppression of hunger is bad. The health will break. When hungry, eat a moderate amount so that you can go on with your work comfortably. Milk is good at night. After supper clean your teeth.
At night men’s minds go inward. The saint thinks of God. The husband thinks of the wife, and the wife of husband. Weak people try to satisfy their complexes under the cloak of night. The night is dark, and darkness is the friend of thieves and other wicked people. In the day no one will know what they are doing at night. It is not just visiting the brothel that is bad. Even without mixing with each other, men and women can become loose in mind and character. Night is a time for both the saint and the sinner. It is beautiful and it is dangerous. It gives us much pleasure, but we sometimes use wrongly. Generally we allow maturing boys to sleep alone in a separate bed. But this is perhaps not the best practice. They may easily get into bad practices as thoughts and urges arise in the mind. It is best for unmarried boys and girls to sleep with their parents.
Women have a flux once monthly, and it continues for only three or four days. The so-called menstrual period covers 16 days in all. After the four-day flux period is over, the husband may lie with his wife in the remainder of the menstrual period. After these twelve days sexual intercourse is forbidden, even by sexologists. During the mense time the wife should meet her husband between twelve and three at night. He who has once loved God will not like sex. But modern people generally like sex better than God. This makes marriage like a legal prostitution in which no one is able to control himself. From the biological standpoint men and women need each other, and the urge need not ruin health or disturb the mind. But it often does so, especially in the case of bachelors and spinsters who suffer from suppression. The husband and wife are in a better position to control and adjust the sex life. Strong people, whether married or not, can do it, but very few are strong.
Men sometimes do not get sleepy until an hour or so after bedtime. This means there are disturbances in their minds. They should get up and go outside for a few minutes of fresh air and sky. Teen-agers often experience nocturnal emissions. Girls do not often have such discharges. But when they happen, baths should be taken first thing in the morning. Do not worry about seminal emissions in sleep if they number only three or four per month. If they are more frequent, they harm you and you should consult a physician.
The writer and artist often work best after midnight. Their minds flow more freely then, and they should be allowed to go on with their work undisturbed.
And so the dawn come once more with the sweet songs of birds. How have you spent your day and night?
We need clothing to protect our bodies and cover nakedness. In summer more than one cloth is not absolutely necessary, though it may not look very good. We should pay some attention to appearance, smartness, fit, and taste. And in winter more clothing is needed. Still the huge wardrobes of some government staffs seem to us unnecessary.
We should always keep ourselves and our houses neat and clean. We may live only in a thatched hut; no matter, let it be clean, well-ventilated, and tastefully decorated. When men come to see us, we should receive them with all honor and cordiality. Our contact should spell health and charm. We like to go to the cinema houses and theatres because of their gay and clean atmosphere. Even if we see there a woman crying in sorrow or a villain making ready for a kill, we do not mind. Such scenes produce a momentary sensation; nothing more. Our homes are also theatres; our lives dramas; and we the actors in them. From morning to night we go on acting and taking our different parts, showing our skill, intellect, leanings, etc. Our homes should be the artistic settings of our play.
We need also to improve our economic position. None can move a step without money. With the help of other members in the family we can start home industries. They may have other employments as well. Still the home industry can augment the family income, and in time of stress, it can be a life-saver. Wives of officers and rich businessmen can make balls of twine in their leisure hours. The money may be little, but the urge and intention are everything. If they start other activities that require machinery, such machinery should be supplied to them. In any way they are to profitably utilize their time.
We soap our bodies; how will we soap our minds? We know that we are all more or less afflicted with complexes. We will not discuss this subject now. Perhaps the common people have never been given any practical solution. And perhaps none is possible until they start looking for it in earnest.