--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <vajradhatu@...> wrote: > > This is the guy Mahesh stole his formulas from, according to one of > Balraj's students. His medicines were supposed to be used and made > available to everyone, inexpensively. Mahesh tried to patent them and > then sold them for very high prices (unusual for Ayurvedic medicines). > > Yet another story, as when given the opportunity do good in the > world, Mahesh would instead look after his own best interests, even > if it meant others would suffer greatly. > > Dr. Raju tells many stories about the lechery and destruction caused > by the Maharishi.
I believe that there is a group of TM'ers (possibly TB's) with money in Fairfield who see Dr. Raju regularly - getting lengthy PK in India at his clinic, taking the meds. etc. I have heard he is very skilled and effective. And a good person. Sadly, due to the contamination possibility with all things from India, Ayurvedic preparations are pretty much a non-issue, unless Dr. Ladd uses plants grown here and under supervision. > > On May 25, 2011, at 8:21 AM, sparaig wrote: > > > http://www.jaim.in/article.asp? > > issn=0975-9476;year=2010;volume=1;issue=3;spage=222;epage=224;aulast=B > > rennan > > > > Brennan D. Balaraj Maharishi and the first clinical trial of > > Ayurvedic medicines in the West. J Ayurveda Integr Med 2010;1:222-4 > > > > How to cite this URL: > > Brennan D. Balaraj Maharishi and the first clinical trial of > > Ayurvedic medicines in the West. J Ayurveda Integr Med [serial > > online] 2010 [cited 2011 May 25];1:222-4. Available from: http:// > > www.jaim.in/text.asp?2010/1/3/222/72615 > > > > In June 1984, I was part of a group of western-trained medical > > doctors from six countries who began a 15-month course in Ayurveda. > > In February 1985 as part of our course, we were invited to join a > > group of Vaidyas in Brasilia, Brazil, for a two-week conference on > > the indigenous health traditions of South America. It was here that > > I first came into contact with Balaraj Maharishi, one of the great > > Vaidyas of his era, and at that time adviser on Ayurveda to the > > Government of Andhra Pradesh. > > > > In Brasilia, he soon came to the notice of our group, but in an > > unusual way. Conference sessions would last many hours with the > > Chairman, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and others speaking. As we sat > > watching the proceedings, we could not help in noticing that one > > person on the stage sat for hours hardly moving, or without moving > > at all. The stillness surrounding his presence was palpable. Even > > after the first session, our group all wanted to know who he might be. > > > > We were told that this was Balaraj Maharishi, a senior and highly > > respected Vaidya, a great living authority on Ayurvedic medicinal > > plants and their uses - the science of Dravyaguna. At the meeting > > that was arranged, Balaraj Maharishi told us something of his life > > story. As a 17-year-old, he had been travelling by train in North > > India when he witnessed a train guard demanding payment for his > > fare from a Sannyasi, something that never usually happened. He > > remonstrated with the guard, but ended by paying the man's fare for > > him. This had much amused the Sannyasi, who asked the young man > > what he intended to do with his life. Balaraj said he just wished > > to make people happy and so was considering music. He had run away > > from home and was on his way to Madras to learn a traditional > > instrument from a group who had recently visited his village. > > > > On hearing this, the Sannyasi offered to teach him something more > > precious, and invited Balaraj to follow him. It turned out that he > > was an experienced Ayurvedic doctor with life-time knowledge of > > medicinal plants and their uses. In this way, as a teenager, > > Balaraj began to learn Ayurveda from a Vaidya Sannyasi, who had > > invited him to become his shishya (student) at their very first > > meeting. > > > > From then on, wherever they walked through forests, fields, or > > deserts of India, but particularly in the Himalayas, every time > > they met a plant his master would tell him all about it - names, > > family, genus, properties, uses, in what combinations it could be > > used, and for what conditions, etc. For many years, they walked the > > length and breadth of India, particularly the Himalayas, with his > > instruction continuing. He had thus acquired detailed working > > knowledge of some 4000 plants, or so it was reputed. > > > > One day in Brasilia, it was decided that the visiting Vaidyas would > > join a group of traditional practitioners from South America on a > > field trip into the jungle to study local plants. By the end of the > > day, Balaraj Maharishi had earned the respect of all. Whenever they > > had come to a plant whose identity or health benefits were unknown > > to all others, Balaraj would explain everything about it, Sanskrit > > name, Latin name, common name, and uses of its different parts. His > > knowledge seemed encyclopedic. He was subsequently described as > > "sarvagyan oushadhi" - having universal knowledge of plants. > > > > Thirty years after their first meeting, his teacher told him to go > > and give his knowledge to the world. His own professional career > > had thus started after many years training with his Sannyasi guru. > > Balaraj ran camps in rural India, and his reputation began to grow. > > His modus operandi was to hold a camp for a week, during which many > > thousands of sick people would come. He and his growing number of > > Vaidya apprentices would work day and night treating them the > > entire week. He would treat the more difficult patients himself. > > After the week's camp, the following three weeks would be spent > > collecting plants and processing them for the next camp. > > > > Balaraj's closest student in his healing work was Dr. Raju from > > Hyderabad, whom we also met in Brasilia. Raju explained how the > > tribal peoples of the forests revered Balaraj - they would collect > > plants each month for him, and he, in return, would then visit them > > to treat and heal their ailments. He told us many stories of times > > when they were in the forest. For example, one rare plant called > > bhutumbi[1] is of great medicinal value, but cobras like to build > > their nests around its roots to such an extent that cobras are > > usually found wherever it grows. Those trying to harvest bhutumbi > > are in danger of snakebite from the disturbed snakes who naturally > > do not wish to see their home destroyed. So how to pick it? The > > answer was stunningly simple, literally! Balaraj would throw a > > powder into the nest, which would stun all the snakes for half an > > hour. Then they would dig out the plant and Balaraj would throw > > another powder on the snakes. I asked why the second powder? Raju > > said, in case any snake was cut in the process of digging, the > > second powder would help to heal its wounds! > > > > Balaraj ended his life's story by saying that no year went by > > without his returning to visit his guru in the Himalayas. When > > asked if he meant the old Sannyasi he had met him at the age of 17, > > he consistently said, "yes, of course." In 1985, Balaraj was said > > to be in his seventies, so it must have been about 60 years later. > > Raju also confirmed that Balaraj used to visit his guru annually up > > to a few years before he passed away in 2001. The age of his > > revered guru must have been beyond all normal life-expectations. > > > > On other occasions, Balaraj Maharishi revealed further aspects of > > his skills and his life. On one occasion in India, he was shown a > > sprig of oleander which had been growing in the courtyard of the > > place where he was staying. Far from being just a beautiful > > ornamental, oleander is exceedingly toxic. In addition to the well- > > known oleandrin, atropine, and strychnine, it contains dozens of > > other cardioglycosides, all of which have been found to be fatal. > > So much so that western medicine recognizes no beneficial dosage > > level for its extracts. When asked whether he knew any use for it, > > Balaraj held the sprig in his hand and considered it carefully. > > "Yes," he replied, "if you soak the leaves in lemon juice > > overnight, and then boil the solution until it forms a jelly on > > cooling, a pin head of that jelly will be a cure for malaria." > > > > Balaraj had had a very high reputation for many years. He once > > related how, after independence in 1947, when the British were > > finally leaving India, Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy, had > > requested him to accompany their group back to England, saying that > > they needed people of his quality. He had declined on the grounds > > that his duty lay with his own people in his homeland. On another > > occasion, he opined to one of my colleagues that people in the west > > "should now receive the full wisdom of Ayurveda." This project was > > one to which he later gave considerable support, conducting a > > successful clinical trial of Ayurvedic medicines in the west. [2] > > > > To help spread the knowledge of Ayurveda internationally, Balaraj > > travelled widely to Europe and the Americas, instructing qualified > > doctors in the use of Ayurvedic herbs. One day, somebody asked him > > a question, "Do you know a single formula which is good for every > > disease?" Balaraj replied that just such a question had once been > > posed in ancient times by a great King to his entire team of > > Rajavaidyas. Their answer, which had never been written down, had > > been known to the Sadhu Vaidya, who had passed it to him many years > > earlier, with instructions that it should be used to benefit all > > humanity. Balaraj Maharishi first named the product "Amrit Kalash," > > since he first presented it in a silver kalash container, > > describing it as pure Amrit (nectar). Thus came about the Maharishi > > Amrit Kalash Ambrosia Tablets. > > > > From the perspective of modern science and integrative medicine, > > Balaraj's greatest contribution may well have been his supervision > > of one of the first published formal scientific trials of Ayurvedic > > treatments conducted in a foreign country. [2] To validate the > > efficacy of Balaraj's herbal formulae, a trial of chronic diseases > > was set up by a Dutch scientist, the late George Janssen, in > > Holland. The trial was conducted under the supervision of a Dutch > > health insurance company, Zilveren Kruis (Silver Cross). It > > monitored the effects of the herbal formulae on chronically ill > > patients with no hope of recovery. Since the patients were regarded > > as incurable in western medicine, and were long-term users of > > palliative drugs, any improvements in their underlying condition > > could only be due to the Ayurvedic treatment. For this reason, no > > controls were deemed necessary. Despite such negative > > circumstances, the results of Balaraj Maharishi's individualized > > Ayurvedic treatments were very successful. [2] Zilveren Kruis > > stated that they would be willing to pay for any of their insurees > > suffering from the pathologies investigated to be treated with > > Balaraj's Ayurvedic prescriptions. > > > > Naturally, the patients had been given full Ayurvedic treatments, > > including ahara/vihara (diet/lifestyle) recommendations as well as > > aushadi (herbal medicines). This trial, therefore, does not in any > > way constitute a test of herbal formulae versus chemical drugs. It > > is a comparison of the full treatments of two potentially > > complementary medical systems in cases where one, modern medicine, > > is not able to improve the underlying condition. The conclusion > > that follows is that these constitute conditions where the > > integrative practice of the two systems of medicine together will > > greatly benefit overall treatment outcomes, and future quality of > > patient life. Balaraj's research thus points to the advantages of > > adopting integrative practice so that more than one system is > > available to fit patient's individual needs. > > > > Balaraj had excellent rapport with his patients. One of those > > helping with the Zilveren Kruis study, Wim van den Berg, recalls > > his father, who did not speak any other language than Dutch, and > > was then about 80 years old, coming to consult as part of the > > study. Balraj, he recalls, sat in his office like a King, receiving > > patient after patient with the aura of an elderly and wise saint, > > helped by a translator. > > > > Wim van den Berg recalls an amazing intuitive contact and > > understanding between the two men, almost without any verbal > > interaction. Although he translated a few things here and there, it > > was as if the two of them spoke from heart to heart at an almost > > silent level, as well as actively with gestures and sounds of all > > kinds. Balraj seemed to immediately understand the other man's > > problems, and as if his father had just come to meet an old friend. > > His father had never previously expressed interest in Ayurveda, and > > Wim had been surprised at his willingness to participate in the > > study. Then, on meeting Balraj, his father had melted and become > > enthusiastic to take Ayurvedic medicine. > > > > > > References > > > > 1. Bhutumbi , also known as 'Nagatumbi' (Naga = snake + tumbi = > > tuber). Available from: http://envis.frlht.org.in/plant_details.php? > > disp_id=513 [last accessed on 2010 Aug 14]. > > > > 2. Janssen GW. The Maharishi Ayur-Veda treatment of ten chronic > > diseases: A pilot study. Ned Tijdschr voor Integrale Geneeskunde > > 1989;5:586-94. > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > > > To subscribe, send a message to: > > fairfieldlife-subscr...@yahoogroups.com > > > > Or go to: > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ > > and click 'Join This Group!'Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > >
