Sun is the source of life on earth. From the beginning of the human civilisation sun has been worshipped as the giver of life and power. Making obeisance to the sun early in the morning helps to purify and harmonise the functioning of the various organs in the body. Among all other methods for treatment of various diseases, treatment through solar energy always held a special place.
In the Vedas sun has been called the soul of mother nature. It has been mentioned in Rig Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. Even in the Prashnopanisbad sun has been called the life of a human being and it is believed that for a healthy body one has to take the shelter of the sun. It is for this reason that the rishis of the olden times had started a ritual of surya namaskar and surya upasana. The Vedas have made a strong mention of the rising sun. In a mantra of Atharva Veda it has been said that the rays of a rising sun eliminate all the causes of ailments. A rising sun emits rays of red colour. These red rays have life energy and the power to destroy ailments. In the Rig Veda it has been said that the rays of a rising sun can cure all heart problems, jaundice, deficiency of blood, etc.
In this regard the 18th chapter of the 9th section of Atharva Veda is specially important. It has a long list of 22 mantras that tell us about those ailments curable through sunrays. The ailments mainly mentioned are – headache, pain in the ear, blindness, bodyache, stiffness, all types of fever, dropsy, swollen body, different ailments of the stomach, effects of poison, infections, heart problems, urinary problem, lung diseases, intestinal and sexual ailments, joint pain, etc. According to Rig Veda, sun provides human beings health, long life and happiness. In one mantra it has been said that sunrays save a human being from death.
It is an old story. One day Gemni muni was sitting under a tree in his ashram. On one branch of the tree a bird suddenly said “KOORUKOO” which means -“Who is healthy?” Gemni muni understood the language of the birds and said, “HIT BHU KU”, which means, “One who consumes beneficial, best and nourishing food”. The bird again said, “KOORUKOO”. Then the muni again replied, “MITH BHUKOO” i.e. “the person who consumes an appropriate amount of food.” The bird again said, “KOORUKOO”. Then the muni again replied, “HITBHUKOO AND MITH BHUKOO”, which means, “only that person can enjoy his body who takes his meals according to his nature and in appropriate quantity at a fixed time. Only he can have a happy and long life.”
In ancient times various methods were used to cure ailments but chromotherapy held a special place. Different types of ailments were cured by the sunrays. Wells used to be broad so that the rays of the sun and the moon could reach the water.
In the western society this therapy was popularised by General Palinjan Honey. After him American doctors, Dr. S. Pancost and Dr. Robert Bohland and an English doctor Edwin Babbitt further popularised this therapy. Slowly this knowledge spread to France and the rest of Europe. Now enough literature is available on this therapy.
In India this therapy has spread in limits. The responsibility for writing literature on this topic mainly goes to Shri Gobind BapuTongu and Dr. Dwarkanath Narang. Now many books are available in Hindi on this subject.
The Teachings of Acharya Charak
Maharishi Charak is the supreme of Ayurveda. He had great knowledge of all the sbastras and he has explained in detail the benefits of sunrays. In his preachings he has stated that the root cause of all ailments is misfortune and the other name of misfortune is desire. Desire leads to sorrows. So lack of desire leads to the end of sorrow.
According to him Yog and moksh end all sufferings. Moksh ends sufferings and yog leads to moksh. Acharya Charak has also stressed on keeping the body healthy and has said that with health one gets strength, age and great happiness. It also provides infinite fruits.
Maharishi Charak has said that whenever a physician encounters an ailment about which he has no knowledge, he should not accept defeat because of the lack of knowledge about it. Ayurveda claims that though ailments are infinite, their cure is short and well-scheduled. So every ailment can be fought against and won. So no physician should be frightened of an unknown ailment and accept defeat at its hands instead of fighting with it.
The Reasons of Ailments
All ailments take place due to wind, phlegm and bile.
1. Bile : In ailments caused due to bile, the heat in the body increases.
2. Phlegm : Ailments due to phlegm are caused by increase in coldness in the body.
3. Wind: The main reason of wind ailments is the collection of dirt and waste materials in the body.
Both the doctor and patient should understand this clearly that except for accidents and epidemics all ailments are curable but they should be cured with proper understanding. All the ailments are mainly caused due to the accumulation of injurious enzymes and poisonous elements.
These polluted elements get collected in the body because of wrong diet and life style.
The body tries to cure itself with its life energy by removing this dirt from the body with great hard work. All ailments such as cold, loose motions, fever, etc., are the processes of the body to remove all the dirt and poison accumulated inside it. This life energy should be provided the support of chromotherapy. This eliminates the ailment from its root.