The Many Path(ie)s of Life
I do not know how I compare with Sita or Savitri, but there have been a few pathies in my life, the latest being “Naturopathy”.
Homeopathy kind of runs in the family (on my father’s side), there having been many practitioners and devoted followers of this healing system. Almost all of us in our rather large family were able to easily prescribe medicines for common ailments – and in those days they were few and far between – an occasional fever, cold, cough, mostly indigestion, cuts, bruises, scrapes and random insect bites. I remember getting a very bad ear infection when I was very young. I was in my grandfather’s house in the then Madras City for my summer holidays. The doctor there prescribed an innocuous looking, nasty syrup concocted by his grim faced Compounder. It would take a lot of cajoling from the others and I had to summon up all my will power to down the evil liquid. That was probably when I decided to seek divorce from Allopathy; that, and the fact that I never could swallow pills, tablets and those huge, albeit attractively coloured capsules.
After I shifted base to Bangalore, I spend many years trying to find the right homeopath and finally succeeded after about 15 years. And after about seven years of treatment for poor digestion, acidity and other related problems, on one of my regular visits, a new patient wanted to know about the doctor and casually asked me for how long I had been consulting this homeopath. Without giving it further thought I told her that it was about seven years. And then it sunk home that I wasn’t yet cured. That was my last visit!
We have an Ayurveda facility where we are staying. Wherever and whenever possible I have tried to follow the Ayurveda principles in life, or at least to the extent of my scanty knowledge of this system of healing. I got to know more about it from the doctors practicing there whenever I got a chance. But I didn’t relish those kashayas and decoctions. So while I was learning what Ayurveda had to tell about food, eating practices etc., I slowly got initiated into naturopathy without any conscious effort from me. A close relative graduated to become a naturopathy doctor and willy-nilly I started following their prescribed diets with good results. Since I had nothing to lose, having tried many other cures, I decided to go the full way.
In the years in between, I was totally into energy healing systems like Reiki, Pranic healing etc. and even Bach Remedies. You name it and I would have tried it! I even went on to become a Reiki Master! All that’s in the past though.
And now it seems to me that I have no time for anything other than food. I am either preparing food for myself or working towards ridding my body of accumulated toxins. I have taken voluntary retirement from my career in the banking industry to do work of charitable nature and it appears that charity begins at home and for myself! I am spending more and more time for myself and for what? Wouldn’t it be easier to pop an allopathic antacid and take digestive enzymes and spend my time more productively? Coming round the full circle eh?!
Can anything be complete without a prayer to the Lord? Many were the suggestions and advice to offer prayers, circumambulate, take vows at the altar of the Lord of Tirupathi…but so mesmerized I would be by the glorious form and so overwhelmed by the crowd, that I would have forgotten my bodily ailments! Perhaps I should find permanent employment there! As my father says, surrender to Sripathi (Lord of Lakshmi – Sriman Narayana), He will take care of everything!
What is the prognosis for me? I beseech you, even if you have no empathy, please save at least some sympathy for me!
