CHAPTER I

A GUIDE TO HEALTH

BY

MAHATMA GANDHI

_Translated from the Hindi_

BY

A. RAMA IYER, M.A.

[Illustration]

1921

S. GANESAN., PUBLISHER,

TRIPLICANE ... MADRAS, S.E.

CONTENTS

PAGE

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE vii

INTRODUCTION 1

PART I: GENERAL

Chap. I. The Meaning of Health 9

Chap. II. The Human Body 11

Chap. III. Air 14

Chap. IV. Water 25

Chap. V. Food 29

Chap. VI. How much and how many times should we eat? 55

Chap. VII. Exercise 59

Chap. VIII. Dress 64

Chap. IX. Sexual Relations 69

PART II: SOME SIMPLE TREATMENTS

Chap. I. Air Treatment 83

Chap. II. Water Cure 86

Chap. III. The Use of Earth 95

Chap. IV. Fever and its Cures 98

Chap. V. Constipation, Dysentery, etc. 101

Chap. VI. Contagious Diseases Small-pox 104

Chap. VII. Other Contagious Diseases 112

Chap. VIII. Maternity and Child-Birth 117

Chap. IX. Care of Child 121

Chap. X. Accidents--Drowning 127

Chap. XI. Do --Burns and Scalds 130

Chap. XII. Do --Snake Bite 132

Chap. XIII. Do --Scorpion-sting, etc. 140

Chap. XIV. Conclusion 142

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE

In these days when the name of Mahatma Gandhi is identified with the

momentous question of Non-Co-operation, it may come with a shock of

surprise to most readers to be told that he is something of an authority

on matters of Health and Disease as well. Very few of us perhaps are

aware that he is the author of quite an original little Health-book in

Gujarati. Those who think of him as a dreamy idealist or an unpractical

visionary, with his head always in the clouds, will certainly be

undeceived when they read this book replete from cover to cover with

_practical_ observations on the most _practical_ question of Health. His

views are of course radically different from the ordinary views that

find expression in the pages of such books; in many cases, indeed, his

doctrines must be pronounced revolutionary, and will doubtless be

regarded by a certain class of readers as wholly impracticable. Even the

most revolutionary of his doctrines, however, are based, not on the

shifting quicksands of mere theory, but on the solid foundation of deep

study, backed up by personal experience of nearly thirty years. He

himself recognises that many of his views will hardly be accepted by the

ordinary reader, but he has felt himself impelled by a stern sense of

duty to give publicity to his convictions formed after so much of study

and experience. Some at least however, of those who read his book cannot

help being profoundly influenced by it. Such, at any rate, has been the

case with me; and I have ventured to translate the book into English in

the hope that others may also be benefitted likewise.

I should perhaps explain that I am not a student of Gujarati, the

language of the original. I have used instead one of the two Hindi

versions of the book. I should also point out that I have not attempted

a literal or close translation, but only _a very free rendering_ into

English. In some cases, whole passages have been omitted; and

occasionally only the general sense of a passage has been given. It is

hoped, however, that, in no single instance has there been a

_misinterpretation_ of the original words.

I am aware that many errors might have crept in, as the translation had

to be done in a hurry, and there was hardly anytime for revision. I hope

to make a thorough revision of the book, in case a second edition is

called for.

NATIONAL COLLEGE, }

TRICHINOPOLY, } A. RAMA IYER.

JULY 1921. }

INTRODUCTION

For more than twenty years past I have been paying special attention to

the question of Health. While in England, I had to make my own

arrangements for food and drink, and I can say, therefore, that my

experience is quite reliable. I have arrived at certain definite

conclusions from that experience, and I now set them down for the

benefit of my readers.

As the familiar saying goes, 'Prevention is better than cure.' It is far

easier and safer to prevent illness by the observance of the laws of

health than to set about curing the illness which has been brought on by

our own ignorance and carelessness. Hence it is the duty of all

thoughtful men to understand aright the laws of health, and the object

of the following pages is to give an account of these laws. We shall

also consider the best methods of cure for some of the most common

diseases.

As Milton says, the mind can make a hell of heaven or a heaven of hell.

So heaven is not somewhere above the clouds, and hell somewhere

underneath the earth! We have this same idea expressed in the Sanskrit

saying, _Mana êva Manushayanâm Kâranam Bandha Mokshayoh_--man's captivity

or freedom is dependant on the state of his mind. From this it follows

that whether a man is healthy or unhealthy depends on himself. Illness

is the result not only of our actions but also of our thoughts. As has

been said by a famous doctor, more people die for fear of diseases like

small-pox, cholera and plague than out of those diseases themselves.

Ignorance is one of the root-causes of disease. Very often we get

bewildered at the most ordinary diseases out of sheer ignorance, and in

our anxiety to get better, we simply make matters worse. Our ignorance

of the most elementary laws of health leads us to adopt wrong remedies

or drives us into the hands of the veriest quacks. How strange (and yet

how true) it is that we know much less about things near at hand than

things at a distance. We know hardly anything of our own village, but we

can give by rote the names of the rivers and mountains of England! We

take so much trouble to learn the names of the stars in the sky, while

we hardly think it worth while to know the things that are in our own

homes! We never care a jot for the splendid pageantry of Nature before

our very eyes, while we are so anxious to witness the puerile mummeries

of the theatre! And in the same way, we are not ashamed to be ignorant

of the structure of our body, of the way in which the bones and muscles,

grow, how the blood circulates and is rendered impure, how we are

affected by evil thoughts and passions, how our mind travels over

illimitable spaces and times while the body is at rest, and so on. There

is nothing so closely connected with us as our body, but there is also

nothing perhaps of which our ignorance is so profound, or our

indifference so complete.

It is the duty of every one of us to get over this indifference.

Everyone should regard it as his bounden duty to know something of the

fundamental facts concerning his body. This kind of instruction should

indeed be made compulsory in our schools. At present, we know not how to

deal with the most ordinary scalds and wounds; we are helpless if a

thorn runs into our foot; we are beside ourselves with fright and dismay

if we are bitten by an ordinary snake! Indeed, if we consider the depth

of our ignorance in such matters, we shall have to hang down our heads

in shame. To assert that the average man cannot be expected to know

these things is simply absurd. The following pages are intended for such

as are willing to learn.

I do not pretend that the facts mentioned by me have not been said

before. But my readers will find here in a nutshell the substance of

several books on the subject. I have arrived at my conclusions after

studying these books, and after a series of careful experiments.

Moreover, those who are new to this subject will also be saved the risk

of being confounded by the conflicting views held by writers of such

books. One writer says for instance, that hot water is to be used under

certain circumstances, while another writer says that, exactly under the

same circumstances, cold water is to be used. Conflicting views of this

kind have been carefully considered by me, so that my readers may rest

assured of the reliability of my own views.

We have got into the habit of calling in a doctor for the most trivial

diseases. Where there is no regular doctor available, we take the advice

of mere quacks. We labour under the fatal delusion that no disease can

be cured without medicine. This has been responsible for more mischief

to mankind than any other evil. It is of course, necessary that our

diseases should be cured, but they cannot be cured _by medicines_. Not

only are medicines merely useless, but at times even positively harmful.

For a diseased man to take drugs and medicines would be as foolish as to

try to cover up the filth that has accumulated in the inside of the

house. The more we cover up the filth, the more rapidly does

putrefaction go on. The same is the case with the human body. Illness or

disease is only Nature's warning that filth has accumulated in some

portion or other of the body; and it would surely be the part of wisdom

to allow Nature to remove the filth, instead of covering it up by the

help of medicines. Those who take medicines are really rendering the

task of Nature doubly difficult. It is, on the other hand, quite easy

for us to help Nature in her task by remembering certain elementary

principles,--by fasting, for instance, so that the filth may not

accumulate all the more, and by vigorous exercise in the open air, so

that some of the filth may escape in the form of perspiration. And the

one thing that is supremely necessary is to keep our minds strictly

under control.

We find from experience that, when once a bottle of medicine gets itself

introduced into a home, it never thinks of going out, but only goes on

drawing other bottles in its train. We come across numberless human

beings who are afflicted by some disease or other all through their

lives in spite of their pathetic devotion to medicines. They are to-day

under the treatment of this doctor, to-morrow of that. They spend all

their life in a futile search after a doctor who will cure them for

good. As the late Justice Stephen (who was for some time in India)

said, it is really astonishing that drugs of which so little is known

should be applied by doctors to bodies of which they know still less!

Some of the greatest doctors of the West themselves have now come to

hold this view. Sir Astley Cooper, for instance, admits that the

'science' of medicine is mostly mere guess-work; Dr. Baker and Dr. Frank

hold that more people die of medicines than of diseases; and Dr.

Masongood even goes to the extent of saying that more men have fallen

victims to medicine than to war, famine and pestilence combined!

It is also a matter of experience that diseases increase in proportion

to the increase in the number of doctors in a place. The demand for

drugs has become so widespread that even the meanest papers are sure of

getting advertisements of quack medicines, if of nothing else. In a

recent book on the Patent Medicines we are told that the Fruit-salts

and syrups, for which we pay from Rs. 2 to Rs. 5, cost to their

manufacturers only from a quarter of an anna to one anna! No wonder,

then, that their compositions should be so scrupulously kept a secret.

We will, therefore, assure our readers that there is absolutely no

necessity for them to seek the aid of doctors. To those, however, who

may not be willing to boycott doctors and medicines altogether, we will

say, "As far as possible, possess your souls in patience, and do not

trouble the doctors. In case you are forced at length to call in the aid

of a doctor, be sure to get a good man; then, follow his directions

strictly, and do not call in another doctor, unless by his own advice.

But remember, above all, that the curing of your disease does not rest

ultimately in the hands of any doctor."

M. K. GANDHI.

A GUIDE TO HEALTH

CHAPTER I

THE MEANING OF HEALTH

Ordinarily that man is considered healthy who eats well and moves about,

and does not resort to a doctor. But a little thought will convince us

that this idea is wrong. There are many cases of men being diseased, in

spite of their eating well and freely moving about. They are under the

delusion that they are healthy, simply because they are too indifferent

to _think_ about the matter.

In fact, perfectly healthy men hardly exist anywhere over this wide

world.

As has been well said, only that man can be said to be really healthy,

who has a sound mind in a sound body. The relation between the body and

the mind is so intimate that, if either of them got out of order, the

whole system would suffer. Let us take the analogy of the rose-flower.

Its colour stands to its fragrance in the same way as the body to the

mind or the soul. No one regards an artificial paper-flower as a

sufficient substitute for the natural flower, for the obvious reason

that the fragrance, which forms the essence of the flower, cannot be

reproduced. So too, we instinctively honour the man of a pure mind and a

noble character in preference to the man who is merely physically

strong. Of course, the body and the soul are both essential, but the

latter is far more important than the former. No man whose character is

not pure can be said to be really healthy. The body which contains a

diseased mind can never be anything but diseased. Hence it follows that

a pure character is the foundation of health in the real sense of the

term; and we may say that all evil thoughts and evil passions are but

different forms of disease.

Thus considered, we may conclude that that man alone is perfectly

healthy whose body is well formed, whose teeth as well as eyes and ears

are in good condition, whose nose is free from dirty matter, whose skin

exudes perspiration freely and without any bad smell, whose mouth is

also free from bad smells, whose hands and legs perform their duty

properly, who is neither too fat nor too thin, and whose mind and senses

are constantly under his control. As has already been said, it is very

hard to gain such health, but it is harder still to retain it, when

once it has been acquired. The chief reason why we are not truly healthy

is that our parents were not. An eminent writer has said that, if the

parents are _in perfectly good condition_ their children would certainly

be superior to them in all respects. A _perfectly healthy_ man has no

reason to fear death; our terrible fear of death shows that we are far

from being so healthy. It is, however, the clear duty of all of us to

strive for perfect health. We will, therefore, proceed to consider in

the following pages how such health can be attained, and how, when once

attained, it can also be retained for ever.

CHAPTER II

THE HUMAN BODY

The world is compounded of the five elements,--earth, water, air, fire,

and ether. So too is our body. It is a sort of miniature world. Hence

the body stands in need of all the elements in due proportion,--pure

earth, pure water, pure fire or sunlight, pure air, and open space. When

any one of these falls short of its due proportion, illness is caused in

the body.

The body is made up of skin and bone, as well as flesh and blood. The

bones constitute the frame-work of the body; but for them we could not

stand erect and move about. They protect the softer parts of the body.

Thus the skull gives protection to the brain, while the ribs protect the

heart and the lungs. Doctors have counted 238 bones in the human body.

The outside of the bones is hard, but the inside is soft and hollow.

Where there is a joint between two bones, there is a coating of marrow,

which may be regarded as a soft bone. The teeth, too, are to be counted

among the bones.

When we feel the flesh at some points, we find it to be tough and

elastic. This part of the flesh is known as the muscle. It is the

muscles that enable us to fold and unfold our arms, to move our jaws,

and to close our eyes. It is by means of the muscles, again, that our

organs of perception do their work.

It is beyond the province of this book to give a detailed account of the

structure of the body; nor has the present writer enough knowledge to

give such an account. We will, therefore, content ourselves with just

as much information as is essential for our present purpose.

The most important portion of the body is the stomach. If the stomach

ceases to work even for a single moment, the whole body would collapse.

The work of the stomach is to digest the food, and so to provide

nourishment to the body. Its relation to the body is the same as that

of the steam engine to the Railway train. The gastric juice which is

produced in the stomach helps the assimilation of nutritious elements in

the food, the refuse being sent out by way of the intestines in the form

of urine and fæces. On the left side of the abdominal cavity is the

spleen, while to the right of the stomach is the liver, whose function

is the purification of the blood and the secretion of the bile, which is

so useful for digestion.

In the hollow space enclosed by the ribs are situated the heart and the

lungs. The heart is between the two lungs, but more to the left than the

right. There are on the whole 24 bones in the chest; the action of the

heart can be felt between the fifth and the sixth rib. The lungs are

connected with the windpipe. The air which we inhale is taken into the

lungs through the windpipe, and the blood is purified by it. It is of

the utmost importance to breathe through the nose, instead of through

the mouth.

On the circulation of the blood depend all activities of the body. It is

the blood that provides nourishment to the body. It extracts the

nutritious elements out of the food, and ejects the refuse through the

intestines, and so keeps the body warm. The blood is incessantly

circulating all over the body, along the veins and the arteries. The

beatings of the pulse are due to the circulation of the blood. The pulse

of a normal adult man beats some 75 times a minute. The pulses of

children beat faster, while those of old men are slower.

The chief agency for keeping the blood pure is the air. When the blood

returns to the lungs after one complete round over the body, it is

impure and contains poisonous elements. The oxygen of the air which we

inhale purifies this blood and is assimilated into it, while the

nitrogen absorbs the poisonous matter and is breathed out. This process

goes on incessantly. As the air has a very important function to perform

in the body, we shall devote a separate chapter to a detailed

consideration of the same.

CHAPTER III

AIR

Of the three things that are indispensable for the subsistence of

man,--namely, air, water, and food--the first is the most important. Hence

it is that God has created it in such large quantities as to make it

available to all of us for nothing. Modern civilisation, however, has

rendered even fresh air somewhat costly, for, in order to breathe fresh

air, we have to go out of towns, and this means expense. The residents

of Bombay, for instance, distinctly improve in health in the air of

Matheran or, still better, of the Malabar Hills; but they cannot go to

these places without money. Hence, in these days, it would be hardly

true to say that we get fresh air _gratis_, as we used to in the old

days.

But, whether fresh air is available _gratis_ or not, it is undeniable

that we cannot get on without it. We have already seen that the blood

circulates over the body, returns to the lungs, and after being

purified, starts on its round again. We breathe out the impure air, and

take in oxygen from the outside, which purifies the blood. This process

of inspiration and expiration goes on for ever, and on it depends man's

life. When drowned in water we die, because, then we are unable to let

out the impure air in the body and take in pure air from outside. The

divers go down into the water in what is known as a diving bell, and

they take in fresh air through a tube which leads to the top. Hence it

is that they are able to remain under water for a long time.

It has been ascertained by experiments that no man can live without air

for as long as five minutes. We often hear of the death of little

children, when they are held so close to the bosom by ignorant mothers

as to make it impossible for them to breathe.

We should all be as much against the breathing of impure air as we are

against the drinking of dirty water and the eating of dirty food; but

the air we breathe is, as a rule, far more impure than the water we

drink or the food we eat. We are all worshippers of concrete objects;

those things that can be seen and felt are regarded by us as of far

greater importance than those which are invisible and intangible. Since

air belongs to this latter class of objects, we fail to realise the evil

wrought by the impure air that we breathe. We would think twice before

eating the leavings of another man's food, or drinking out of a cup

polluted by another man's lips. Even those who have not the least sense

of shame or repugnance would never eat another man's vomit, or drink the

water which has been spat out by him; even those who are dying of hunger

and thirst would refuse to do it. But, alas, how few of us realise that

the air we inhale is so often the impure and poisonous air which has

been exhaled by others, and which is surely no less objectionable than a

man's vomit! How strange that men should sit and sleep together for

hours in closed rooms, and go on inhaling the deadly air exhaled by

themselves and their companions! How fortunate for man that air should

be so light and diffusive, and capable of penetrating the smallest

holes! Even when the doors and windows are closed, there is generally

some little space between the walls and the roof, through which some air

from outside manages to get in, so that the inmates of the room have not

to breathe exclusively poisoned air. The air that we exhale mixes with

the air outside, and is rendered pure again by an automatic process that

is always going on in Nature.

Now we are able to understand why so many men and women should be weak

and diseased. _There can be absolutely no doubt that impure air is the

root-cause of disease in ninety-nine cases out of every hundred._ It

follows that the best way of avoiding disease is to live and work in the

open air. No doctor can compete with fresh air in this matter.

Consumption is caused by the decay of the lungs, due to the inhaling of

impure air, just as a steam engine which is filled with bad coal gets

out of order. Hence doctors say that the easiest and the most effective

treatment for a consumptive patient is to keep him in fresh air for all

the 24 hours of the day.

It is, of course, essential to know how we can keep the air pure. In

fact, every child should be taught the value of fresh air, as soon as it

is able to understand anything. If my readers would take the trouble to

learn the simple facts about the air and would put their knowledge into

practice, while teaching their children also to do the same. I shall

feel immensely gratified.

Our latrines are perhaps most responsible for rendering the air impure.

Very few people realise the serious harm done by dirty latrines. Even

dogs and cats make with their claws something like a pit wherein to

deposit their fæces, and then cover it up with some earth. Where there

are no lavatories of the modern approved types, we should also do

likewise. There should be kept ashes or dry earth in a tin can or an

earthen vessel inside the latrine, and whoever goes into the latrine

should, on coming out, cover the fæces well with the ash or the earth,

as the case may be. If this is done there would be no bad smell, and the

flies too will not settle on it and transmit the filth. Anybody whose

sense of smell has not been wholly blunted, or who has not grown

thoroughly accustomed to foul smells will know how noxious is the smell

that emanates from all filthy matter which is allowed to lie open to the

weather. Our gorge rises at the very thought of fæces being mixed with

our food, but we go on inhaling the air which has been polluted by such

foul smell, forgetting the fact that the one is just as bad as the

other, except that, while the former is visible, the latter is not. We

should see that our latrines are kept thoroughly neat and clean. We

abhor the idea of our cleaning the latrines ourselves, but what we

should really abhor is the idea of making use of dirty latrines. What is

the harm in ourselves removing the filth which has been expelled from

inside our own body, and which we are not ashamed to have removed by

others? There is absolutely no reason why we should not ourselves learn

the work of scavenging and teach it to our children as well. The filthy

matter should be removed, and thrown into a pit two feet deep, and then

covered up with a thick layer of earth. If we go to some open place, we

should dig a small pit with our hands or feet, and then cover it up,

after the bowels have been evacuated.

We also make the air impure by making water at all places

indiscriminately. This dirty habit should be given up altogether. If

there is no place specially set apart for the purpose, we should go to

some dry ground away from the house, and should also cover up the urine

with earth.

The filth should not be cast into very deep pits, for, in that case, it

would be beyond the reach of sun's heat, and would also pollute the

water flowing underneath the earth.

The habit of spitting indiscriminately on the verandahs, court yards,

and such like places is also very bad. The spittle, especially of

consumptives, is very dangerous. The poisonous germs in it rise into

the air, and, being inhaled by others, lead to a spread of the disease.

We should keep a spittoon inside the house, and if we have to spit when

out on the road we should spit where there is dry dust, so that the

spittle may be absorbed into the dust and cause no harm. Doctors hold

that the consumptive should spit into a spittoon with some disinfectant

in it: for, even if he spits on dry ground, the germs in his spittle

manage to rise and spread into the air along with the dust. But, in any

case, there can be no doubt that the habit of spitting wherever we

please is dirty as well as dangerous.

Some people throw where they like cooked food and other articles, which

decay and render the air impure. If all such rubbish be put underground,

the air would not be made impure, and good manure, too could be

obtained. In fact, no kind of decaying matter should be allowed to lie

exposed to the air. It is so easy for us to take this necessary

precaution, if only we are in earnest about it.

Now we have seen how our own bad habits render the air impure, and what

we can do to keep it pure. Next we shall consider how to inhale the air.

As already mentioned in the last chapter, the air is to be inhaled

through the nose, and not through the mouth. There are, however, very

few persons who know how to breathe correctly. Many people are in the

pernicious habit of inhaling through the mouth. If very cold air is

inhaled through the mouth, we catch cold and sore throat. Further, if we

inhale through the mouth, the particles of dust in the air go into the

lungs and cause great mischief. In London, for instance, in November,

the smoke which issues from the chimneys of great factories mixes with

the dense fog, producing a kind of yellow mixture. This contains tiny

particles of soot, which can be detected in the spittle of a man who

inhales through the mouth. To escape this, many women (who have not

learnt to breathe through the nose alone) put on a special kind of veil

over their faces, which act as sieves. If these veils are closely

examined, particles of dust can be detected in them. But God has given

to all of us a sieve of this kind inside the nose. The air which is

inhaled through the nostrils is sifted before it reaches the lungs, and

is also warmed in the process. So all men should learn to breathe

through the nose alone. And this is not at all difficult, if we remember

to keep our mouth firmly shut at all times, except when we are talking.

Those who have got into the habit of keeping their mouth open should

sleep with a bandage round the mouth, which would force them to breathe

through the nose. They should also take some twenty long respirations in

the open air, both in the morning and in the evening. In fact, all men

can practise this simple exercise and see for themselves how rapidly

their chest deepens. If the chest be measured at the beginning of the

practice, and again after an interval of two months, it will be seen how

much it has expanded in this short period.

After learning how to inhale the air, we should cultivate the habit of

breathing fresh air, day in and day out. We are generally in the most

pernicious habit of keeping confined to the house or the office

throughout the day, and sleeping in narrow rooms at night, with all

doors and windows shut. As far as possible, we should remain in the open

air at all times. We should at least _sleep_ on the verandah or in the

open air. Those who cannot do this should at least keep the doors and

windows of the room fully open at all times. The air is our food for all

the twenty-four hours of the day. Why, then, should we be afraid of it?

It is a most foolish idea that we catch cold by inhaling the cool breeze

of the morning. Of course, those people who have spoiled their lungs by

the evil habit of sleeping within closed doors are likely to catch cold,

if they change their habit all on a sudden. But even they should not be

afraid of cold, for this cold can be speedily got rid of. Now-a-days, in

Europe, the houses for consumptives are being built in such a way that

they may get fresh air at all times. We know what terrible havoc is

wrought in India by epidemics. We should remember that these epidemics

are due to our habit of defiling the air, and of inhaling this poisonous

air. We should understand that even the most delicate people will be

benefitted by systematically inhaling fresh air. If we cultivate the

habit of keeping the air pure and of breathing only fresh air, we can

save ourselves from many a terrible disease.

Sleeping with the face uncovered is as essential as sleeping in fresh

air. Many of our people are in the habit of sleeping with the face

covered, which means that they have to inhale the poisonous air which

has been exhaled by themselves. Fortunately however, some of the air

from outside does find its way through the interstices of the cloth,

else they should die of suffocation. But the small quantity of air that

gains entrance in this way is altogether inadequate. If we are suffering

from cold, we may cover the head with a piece of cloth, or put on a

night-cap, but the nose should be kept exposed _under all

circumstances_.

Air and light are so intimately connected with each other that it is as

well to speak a few words here on the value of light. Light is as

indispensable to life as air itself. Hence it is that Hell is

represented as completely dark. Where light cannot penetrate, the air

can never be pure. If we enter a dark cellar, we can distinctly perceive

the smell of the foul air. The fact that we cannot see in the dark shows

that God has intended us to live and move in the light. And Nature has

given us just as much darkness as we require in the night. Yet, many

people are in the habit of sitting or sleeping in underground cellars,

devoid of air and light, even in the hottest summer! Those who thus

deprive themselves of air and light are always weak and haggard.

Now-a-days, there are many doctors in Europe who cure their patients by

means of air-bath and sun-bath alone. Thousands of diseased persons have

been cured by mere exposure to the air and to the sunlight. We should

keep all doors and windows in our houses always open, in order to allow

the free entrance of air and light.

Some readers may ask why, if air and light are so indispensable, those

who live and work in cellars are not visibly affected. Those who have

thought well over the matter would never put this question. Our aim

should be to attain the maximum of health by all legitimate means; _we

should not be content merely to live anyhow_. It has been indubitably

established that insufficient air and light give rise to disease.

Dwellers in towns are, as a rule, more delicate than those in the

country, for they get less air and light than the latter. Air and light,

then, are absolutely indispensable to health, and every one should

remember all that we have said on the matter, and act up to it to the

best of his ability.

CHAPTER IV

WATER

As has been already pointed out, air is the most indispensable to our

subsistence, while water comes next in order. Man cannot live for more

than a few minutes without air, but he can live for a few days without

water. And in the absence of other food, he can subsist on water alone

for many days. There is more than 70% of water in the composition of our

food-stuffs, as in that of the human body.

Even though water is so indispensable, we take hardly any pains to keep

it pure. Epidemics are as much the outcome of our indifference to the

quality of the water we drink, as of the air we breathe. The drinking of

dirty water very often produces also the disease of the stone.

Water may be impure in either of two ways,--by issuing from dirty places,

or by being defiled by us. Where the water issues from dirty places, we

should not drink it at all; nor do we generally drink it. But we do not

shrink from drinking the water which has been defiled by ourselves.

River-water, for instance, is regarded as quite good for drinking,

although we throw into it all sorts of rubbish, and also use it for

washing purposes. We should make it a rule never to drink the water in

which people bathe. The upper portion of a river should be set apart for

drinking water, the lower being reserved for bathing and washing

purposes. Where there is no such arrangement, it is a good practice to

dig in the sand, and take drinking water therefrom. This water is very

pure, since it has been filtered by passage through the sand. It is

generally risky to drink well-water, for unless it is well protected,

the dirty water at the top would trickle down into the well, and render

the water impure. Further, birds and insects often fall into the water

and die; sometimes birds build their nests inside the wells; and the

dirt from the feet of those who draw water from the well is also washed

down into the water. For all these reasons, we should be particularly

careful in drinking well-water. Water kept in tubs is also very often

impure. If it should be pure, the tubs should be washed clean at

frequent intervals, and should be kept covered; we should also see that

the tank or well from which the water is taken is kept in good

condition. Very few people, however, take such precautions to keep the

water pure. Hence the best way of removing the impurities of the water

is to boil it well, and, after cooling it, filter it carefully into

another vessel through a thick and clean piece of cloth. Our duty,

however, does not end with this. We should realise that we owe a duty to

our fellowmen in this matter. We should see to it that we do absolutely

nothing to defile the water which is used for drinking by the public. We

should scrupulously refrain from bathing or washing in the water which

is reserved for drinking; we should never answer the calls of nature

near the banks of a river, nor cremate the dead bodies there and throw

the ashes after cremation into the water.

In spite of all the care that we may take, we find it so difficult to

keep water perfectly pure. It may have, for instance, salt dissolved in

it, or bits of grass and other decaying matter. Rain water is, of

course, the purest, but, before it reaches us, it generally becomes

impure by the absorption of the floating matter in the atmosphere.

Perfectly pure water has a most beneficial effect on the system; hence

doctors administer distilled water to their patients. Those who are

suffering from constipation are appreciably benefitted by the use of

distilled water.

Many people do not know that water is of two kinds, _soft_ and _hard_.

Hard water is water in which some kind of salt has been dissolved.

Hence, soap does not readily lather in it, and food cannot be easily

boiled in it. Its taste is brackish, while soft water tastes sweet. It

is much safer to drink soft water, although some people hold that hard

water is better by virtue of the presence of nutritious matter dissolved

therein. Rain water is the best kind of soft water, and is therefore,

the best for drinking purposes. Hard water, if boiled and kept over the

fire for some half an hour, is rendered soft. Then it may be filtered

and drunk.

The question is often asked, "When should one drink water, and how

much?" The only safe answer to this is this: one should drink water only

when one feels thirsty, and even then only just enough to quench the

thirst. There is no harm in drinking water during the meals or

immediately afterwards. Of course, we should not wash the food down with

water. If the food refuses to go down of itself, it means that either it

has not been well prepared or the stomach is not in need of it.

Ordinarily, there is no need to drink water; and indeed, there _should_

be none. As already mentioned, there is a large percentage of water in

our ordinary articles of food, and we also add water in cooking them.

Why then should we feel thirsty? Those people whose diet is free from

such articles as chillies and onions which create an artificial thirst,

have rarely any need to drink water. Those who feel unaccountably

thirsty must be suffering from some disease or other.

We may be tempted to drink any kind of water that we come across, simply

because we see some people doing it with impunity. The reply to this has

already been given in connection with air. Our blood has in itself the

power of destroying many of the poisonous elements that enter into it,

but it has to be renewed and purified, just as the sharp edge of a sword

has to be mended when it has been once employed in action. Hence, if we

go on drinking impure water, we should not be surprised to find our

blood thoroughly poisoned in the end.

CHAPTER V

FOOD

It is impossible to lay down hard and fast rules in the matter of food.

What sort of food should we eat, how much of it should be eaten, and at

what times,--these are questions on which doctors differ a great deal.

The ways of men are so diverse, that the very same food shows different

effects on different individuals.

Although, however, it is impossible to say conclusively what sort of

food we should eat, it is the clear duty of every individual to bestow

serious thought on the matter. Needless to say, the body cannot subsist

without food. We undergo all sorts of sufferings and privations for the

sake of food. But, at the same time, it is indisputable that 99.9% of

men and women in the world eat merely to please the palate. They never

pause to think of the after-effects at the time of eating. Many people

take purgatives and digestive pills or powders in order to be able to

eat thoroughly well. Then there are some people who, after eating to the

utmost of their capacity, vomit out all that they have eaten, and

proceed to eat the same stuffs once more! Some people, indeed, eat so

sumptuously that, for two or three days together, they do not feel

hungry at all. In some cases, men have even been known to have died of

over-eating. I say all this from my own experience. When I think of my

old days, I am tempted to laugh at many things, and cannot help being

ashamed of some things. In those days I used to have tea in the morning,

breakfast two or three hours afterwards, dinner at one o'clock, tea

again at 3 p.m., and supper between 6 and 7! My condition at that time

was most pitiable. There was a great deal of superfluous fat on my body,

and bottles of medicine were always at hand. In order to be able to eat

well, I used to take purgatives very often, as well as some tonic or

other. In those days, I had not a _third_ of my present capacity for

work, in spite of the fact that I was then in the prime of youth. Such a

life is surely pitiable, and if we consider the matter seriously, we

must also admit it to be mean, sinful and thoroughly contemptible.

Man is not born to eat, nor should he live to eat. His true function is

to know and serve his Maker; but, since the body is essential to this

service, we have perforce to eat. Even atheists will admit that we

should eat merely to preserve our health, and not more than is needed

for this purpose.

Turn to the birds and beasts, and what do you find? They never eat

merely to please the palate, they never go on eating till their inside

is full to overflowing. On the other hand, they eat only to appease

their hunger, and even then only just as much as will appease their

hunger. They take the food provided by Nature, and do not cook their

food. Can it be that man alone is created to worship the palate? Can it

be that he alone is destined to be eternally suffering from disease?

Those animals that live a natural life of freedom never once die of

hunger. Among them there are no distinctions of rich and poor,--of those

who eat many times a day, and those who do not get even one meal in the

day. These abnormalities are found only among us human beings,--and yet

we regard ourselves as superior to the animal creation! Surely those who

spend their days in the worship of their stomach are worse than the

birds and beasts.

A calm reflection will show that all sins like lying, cheating and

stealing are ultimately due to our subjection to the palate. He who is

able to control the palate, will easily be able to control the other

senses. If we tell lies, or commit theft or adultery, we are looked down

upon by society, but, strangely enough, no odium attaches to those who

slavishly pander to the palate! It would seem as though this were not a

question of morality at all! The fact is that even the best of us are

slaves to the palate. No one has yet adequately emphasised the

numberless evils that arise from our habit of pandering to the palate.

All civilised people would boycott the company of liars, thieves, and

adulterers; but they go on eating beyond all limits, and never regard it

as a sin at all. Pandering to the palate is not regarded by us as a sin,

since all of us are guilty of it, just as dacoity is not regarded as a

crime in a village of dacoits; but what is worse, we pride ourselves on

it! On occasions of marriage and other festivities, we regard it as a

sacred duty to worship the palate; even in times of funeral, we are not

ashamed of doing it. Has a guest come? We must gorge him with

sweetmeats. If, from time to time, we do not give feasts to our friends

and relations, or do not partake of the feasts given by them, we must

become objects of contempt. If, having invited our friends to eat with

us, we fail to cram them with rich stuffs, we must be regarded as

miserly. On holidays, of course, we must have specially rich food

prepared! Indeed, what is really a great sin has come to be looked upon

as a sign of wisdom! We have sedulously cultivated such false notions in

the matter of eating that we never realise our slavishness and our

beastliness. How can we save ourselves from this terrible state?

Let us view the question from another standpoint. We find it invariably

the case in the world that Nature herself has provided for all

creatures, whether man or beast, or bird or insect, just enough food for

their sustenance. This is an eternal law of Nature. In the kingdom of

Nature, none goes to sleep, none forgets to do his duty, and none shows

a tendency to laziness. All the work is done to perfection, and

punctually to the minute. If we remember to order our lives strictly in

accordance with the immutable and eternal laws of Nature, we shall find

that there are no more deaths by starvation anywhere over the wide

world. Since Nature always provides just enough food to feed all created

beings, it follows that he who takes to himself more than his normal

share of food, is depriving another of his legitimate share. Is it not a

fact, that, in the kitchens of emperors and kings, of all rich men, in

general, much more food is prepared than is required to feed them and

all their dependents? That is to say, they snatch so much food from the

share of the poor. Is it, then, any wonder that the poor should die of

starvation? If this is true (and this fact has been admitted by the most

thoughtful men) it must necessarily follow that all the food that we eat

beyond our immediate need is food filched from the stomachs of the poor.

And to the extent to which we eat merely with a view to pleasing the

palate must our health necessarily suffer. After this preliminary

discussion, we can proceed to consider what kind of food is best for us.

Before, however, we decide the question of the ideal food for us, we

have to consider what kinds of food are injurious to health, and to be

avoided. Under the term "food", we include all the things that are taken

into the body through the mouth,--including _wine_, _bhang_ and _opium_,

_tobacco_, _tea_, _coffee and cocoa_, _spices_ and _condiments_. I am

convinced that all these articles have to be completely eschewed, having

been led to this conviction partly from my own experience, and partly

from the experiences of others.

Wine, bhang and opium have been condemned by all the religions of the

world, although the number of total abstainers is so limited. Drink has

brought about the ruin of whole families. The drunkard forfeits his

sanity; he has even been known to forget the distinction between mother,

wife and daughter. His life becomes a mere burden to him. Even men of

sound sense become helpless automatons when they take to drink; even

when not actually under its influence, their minds are too impotent to

do any work. Some people say that wine is harmless when used as

medicine, but even European doctors have begun to give up this view in

many cases. Some partisans of drink argue that, if wine can be used as

medicine with impunity, it can also be used as drink. But many poisons

are employed as medicines; do we ever dream of employing them as food?

It is quite possible that, in some diseases, wine may do some good, but

even then, no sensible, or thoughtful man should consent to use it _even

as medicine_, under any circumstances. As for opium, it is no less

injurious than wine, and is to be equally eschewed. Have we not seen a

mighty nation like the Chinese falling under the deadly spell of opium,

and rendering itself incapable of maintaining its independence? Have we

not seen the _jagirdars_ of our own land forfeiting their _jagirs_ under

the same fatal influence?

So powerful is the spell that has been woven over the minds of men by

tobacco that it will take an age to break it. Young and old have equally

come under this fatal spell. Even the best men do not shrink from the

use of tobacco. Its use, indeed, has become a matter of course with us,

and is spreading wider and wider every day. Very few people are aware of

the many tricks employed by the cigarette-manufacturers to bring us more

and more under its influence. They sprinkle opium or some perfumed acid

on the tobacco, so that we may find it all the more difficult to

extricate ourselves from its clutches. They spend thousands of pounds in

advertisements. Many European firms dealing in cigars keep their own

presses, have their own cinemas, institute lotteries, and give away

prizes, and, in short, spend money like water to achieve their end. Even

women have now begun to smoke. And poems have been composed on tobacco,

extolling it as the great friend of the poor!

The evils of smoking are too numerous to mention. The habitual smoker

becomes such a bond slave to it that he knows no sense of shame or

compunction; he proceeds to emit the foul fumes even in the houses of

strangers! It is also a matter of common experience that smokers are

often tempted to commit all sorts of crimes. Children steal money from

their parents' purses; and even the prisoners in gaols manage to steal

cigarettes and keep them carefully concealed. The smoker will get on

without food, but he cannot dispense with his smoke! Soldiers on the

field of battle have been known to lose all capacity for fighting for

failure of the indispensable cigarette at the critical moment.

The late Count Leo Tolstoi of Russia tells us the following story. A

certain man once took it into his head, for some reason, to murder his

wife. He actually drew the knife and was about to do the deed, when he

felt some compunction, and gave it up. Then he sat down to smoke and his

wits being turned under the influence of tobacco, he rose once more and

actually committed the murder. Tolstoi held the view that the poison of

tobacco is more subtle and irresistible, and hence far more dangerous,

than that of wine.

Then the money that is spent on cigars and cigarettes by individuals is

frightfully large. I have myself come across instances of cigars

consuming as much as Rs. 75 a month for one man!

Smoking also leads to an appreciable reduction of digestive powers. The

smoker feels no appetite for food, and in order to give it some flavour,

spices and condiments have to be freely used. His breath stinks, and, in

some cases, blisters are formed on his face, and the gums and teeth

turn black in colour. Many also fall a prey to terrible diseases. The

fumes of tobacco befoul the air around, and public health suffers in

consequence. I cannot understand how those who condemn drink can have

the temerity to defend smoking. The man who does not eschew tobacco in

all its forms can never be perfectly healthy, nor can he be a man of

pure and blameless character.

I must say that tea, coffee and cocoa are equally injurious to health,

although I know that very few are likely to agree with me. There is a

kind of poison in all of them; and, in the case of tea and coffee, if

milk and sugar were not added, there would be absolutely no nutritious

element in them. By means of repeated and varied experiments it has been

established that there is nothing at all in these articles which is

capable of improving the blood. Until a few years ago, we used to drink

tea and coffee only on special occasions, but to-day they have become

universally indispensable. Things have come to such a pass that even

sickly persons often use them as substitutes for nourishing food!

Fortunately for us, the costliness of cocoa has prevented its spread to

the same extent as tea and coffee, although, in the homes of the rich,

it is quite liberally used.

That all these three articles are poisonous can be seen from the fact

that those who once take to them can never afterwards get on without

them. In the old days, I myself used to feel a distinct sense of

weariness or langour if I did not get my tea punctually at the usual

hour. Once some 400 women and children had gathered together at a

certain celebration. The executive committee had resolved against

providing tea to the visitors. The women, however, that had assembled

there, were in the habit of taking tea at 4 o'clock every evening. The

authorities were informed that, if these women were not given their

usual tea, they would be too ill to move about, and, needless to say,

they had to cancel their original resolution! But some slight delay in

the preparation of the tea led to a regular uproar, and the commotion

subsided only after the women had had their cup of tea! I can vouch for

the authenticity of this incident. In another instance, a certain woman

had lost all her digestive powers under the influence of tea, and had

become a prey to chronic headaches; but from the moment that she gave up

tea her health began steadily to improve. A doctor of the Battersea

Municipality in England has declared, after careful investigation, that

the brain-tissues of thousands of women in his district have been

diseased from excessive use of tea. I have myself come across many

instances of health being ruined by tea.

Coffee does some good against _Kapha_ (phlegm) and _Vatha_ ('wind'), but

at the same time it weakens the body by destroying the vital fluid, and

by making the blood as thin as water. To those people who advocate

coffee on the ground that it is beneficial against "phlegm" and "wind",

we would recommend the juice of ginger as even better for the purpose.

And, on the other hand, let us remember that the evil effects of coffee

are too serious to be counter-balanced by its good. When the blood and

the vital fluid are poisoned by a stuff, can there be any hesitation in

giving it up altogether?

Cocoa is fully as harmful as coffee, and it contains a poison which

deadens the perceptions of the skin.

Those people who recognise the validity of moral considerations in these

matters should remember that tea, coffee and cocoa are prepared mostly

by labourers under indenture, which is only a fine name for slavery. If

we saw with our own eyes the oppressive treatment that is meted out to

the labourers in cocoa plantations, we should never again make use of

the stuff. Indeed, if we enquire minutely into the methods of

preparation of all our articles of food, we shall have to give up 90% of

them!

A harmless and healthy substitute for coffee (tea or cocoa) can be

prepared as follows. Even habitual coffee-drinkers will be unable to

perceive any difference in taste between coffee and this substitute.

Good and well-sifted wheat is put into a frying-pan over the fire and

well fried, until it has turned completely red, and begun to grow dark

in colour. Then it is powdered just like coffee. A spoon of the powder

is then put into a cup, and boiling water poured on to it. Preferably

keep the thing over the fire for a minute, and add milk and sugar, if

necessary, and you get a delicious drink, which is much cheaper and

healthier than coffee. Those who want to save themselves the trouble of

preparing this powder may get their supply from the _Satyagraha Ashram,

Ahmedabad_.

From the point of view of diet, the whole mankind may be divided into

_three_ broad divisions. (1) The first class, which is the largest,

consists of those who, whether by preference or out of necessity, live

on an exclusive vegetable diet. Under this division come the best part

of India, a large portion of Europe, and China and Japan. The staple

diet of the Italians is macaroni, of the Irish potato, of the Scotch

oatmeal, and of the Chinese and Japanese rice. (2) The second class

consists of those who live on a mixed diet. Under this class come most

of the people of England, the richer classes of China and Japan, the

richer Mussalmans of India, as well as those rich Hindus who have no

religious scruples about taking meat. (3) To the third class belong the

uncivilised peoples of the frigid zones, who live on an exclusive meat

diet. These are not very numerous, and they also introduce a vegetable

element into their diet, wherever they come in contact with the

civilised races of Europe. Man, then, can live on three kinds of diet;

but it is our duty to consider which of these is the healthiest for us.

An examination of the structure of the human body leads to the

conclusion that man is intended by Nature to live on a vegetable diet.

There is the closest affinity between the organs of the human body and

those of the fruit-eating animals. The monkey, for instance, is so

similar to man in shape and structure, and it is a fruit-eating animal.

Its teeth and stomach are just like the teeth and stomach of man. From

this we may infer that man is intended to live on roots and fruits, and

not on meat.

Scientists have found out by experiments that fruits have in them all

the elements that are required for man's sustenance. The plantain, the

orange, the date, the grape, the apple, the almond, the walnut, the

groundnut, the cocoanut,--all these fruits contain a large percentage of

nutritious elements. These scientists even hold that there is no need

for man to cook his food. They argue that he should be able to subsist

very well on food cooked by the Sun's warmth, even as all the lower

animals are able to do; and they say that the most nutritious elements

in the food are destroyed in the process of cooking, and that those

things that cannot be eaten uncooked could not have been intended for

our food by Nature.

If this view be correct, it follows that we are at present wasting a lot

of our precious time in the cooking of our food. If we could live on

uncooked food alone, we should be saving so much time and energy, as

well as money, all of which may be utilised for more useful purposes.

Some people will doubtless say that it is idle and foolish to speculate

on the possibility of men taking to uncooked food, since there is

absolutely no hope of their ever doing it. But we are not considering at

present what people will or will not do, but only what they _ought_ to

do. It is only when we know what the ideal kind of diet is that we shall

be able more and more to approximate our actual to the ideal. When we

say that a fruit-diet is the best, we do not, of course, expect all men

to take to it straightway. We only mean that, _if_ they should take to

this diet, it would be the best thing for them.

There are many men in England who have tried a pure fruit-diet, and who

have recorded the results of their experience. They were people who took

to this diet, not out of religious scruples, but simply out of

considerations of health. A German doctor has written a bulky volume on

the subject, and established the value of a fruit-diet by many arguments

and evidences. He has cured many diseases by a fruit-diet combined with

open-air life. He goes so far as to say that the people of any country

can find all the elements of nutrition in the fruits of their own land.

It may not be out of place to record my own experience in this

connection. For the last six months I have been living exclusively on

fruits--rejecting even milk and curd. My present dietary consists of

plantain, groundnut and olive oil, with some sour fruit like the lime. I

cannot say that my experiment has been altogether a success, but a

period of six months is all too short to arrive at any definite

conclusions on such a vital matter as a complete change of diet. This,

however, I can say, that, during this period, I have been able to keep

well where others have been attacked by disease, and my physical as well

as mental powers are now greater than before. I may not be able to lift

heavy loads, but I can now do hard labour for a much longer time without

fatigue. I can also do more mental work, and with better persistence

and resoluteness. I have tried a fruit-diet on many sickly people,

invariably with great advantage. I shall describe these experiences in

the section on diseases. Here I will only say that my own experience, as

well as my study of the subject, has confirmed me in the conviction that

a fruit-diet is the best for us.

As I have already confessed, I do not think for a moment that people

will take to a fruit-diet as soon as they read this. It may even be that

all that I have written has no effect at all on a single reader, but I

believe it to be my bounden duty to set down what I hold to be the right

thing to the best of my light.

If however, anybody does wish to try a fruit-diet, he should proceed

rather cautiously in order to obtain the best results. He should

carefully go through all the chapters of this book, and fully grasp the

fundamental principles, before he proceeds to do anything in practice.

My request to my readers is that they should reserve their final

judgments until they have read through all that I have got to say.

A vegetable diet is the best after a fruit-diet. Under this term we

include all kinds of pot-herbs and cereals, as well as milk. Vegetables

are not as nutritious as fruits, since they lose part of their efficacy

in the process of cooking. We cannot, however, eat uncooked vegetables.

We will now proceed to consider which vegetables are the best for us.

Wheat is the best of all the cereals. Man can live on wheat alone, for

in it we have in due proportion all the elements of nutrition. Many

kinds of edibles can be made of wheat, and they can all be easily

digested. The ready-made foods for children that are sold by chemists

are also made partly of wheat. Millet and maize belong to the same

genus, and cakes and loaves can also be made out of them, but they are

inferior to wheat in their food-value. We will now consider the best

form in which wheat may be taken. The white "mill flour" that is sold in

our bazars is quite useless; it contains no nutriment at all. An English

doctor tells us that a dog which was fed solely on this flour died,

while other dogs which were fed on better flour remained quite healthy.

There is a great demand for loaves made of this flour, since men eat

merely to satisfy their palate, and are rarely moved by considerations

of health. These loaves are devoid of taste and nutriment, as well as of

softness. They become so hard that they cannot be broken by the hand.

_The best form of flour is that which is made of well-sifted wheat in

the grind-mill at home._ This flour should be used without further

sifting. Loaves made of it are quite sweet to the taste, as well as

quite soft. It also lasts for a longer time than the "mill flour", since

it is far more nutritious, and may be used in smaller quantities.

The loaf sold in the bazars is thoroughly useless. It may be quite white

and attractive in appearance, but it is invariably adulterated. The

worst of it is that it is made by fermentation. Many persons have

testified from experience that fermented dough is harmful to health.

Further, these loaves being made by besmearing the oven with fat, they

are objectionable to Hindu as well as Mussalman sentiment. To fill the

stomach with these bazar loaves instead of preparing good loaves at home

is at best a sign of indolence.

Another and an easier way of taking wheat is this. Wheat is ground into

coarse grain, which is then well cooked and mixed with milk and sugar.

This gives a very delicious and healthy kind of food.

Rice is quite useless as a food. Indeed, it is doubtful if men can

subsist upon mere rice, to the exclusion of such nutritious articles as

_dhall_, _ghee_ and milk. This is not the case with wheat, for man can

retain his strength by living on mere wheat boiled in water.

We eat the pot-herbs mainly for their taste. As they have laxative

powers, they help to purify the blood up to a limit. Yet they are but

varieties of grass, and very hard to digest. Those who partake too much

of them have flabby bodies; they suffer very often from indigestion, and

go about in search of digestive pills and powders. Hence, if we take

them at all, we should do so in moderation.

All the many varieties of pulse are very heavy, and hard of digestion.

Their merit is that those who eat them do not suffer from hunger for a

long time; but they also lead to indigestion in most cases. Those who do

hard labour may be able to digest them, and derive some good out of

them. But we who lead a sedentary life should be very chary of eating

them.

Dr. Haig, a celebrated writer in England, tells us, on the basis of

repeated experiments, that the pulses are injurious to health, since

they generate a kind of acid in the system, which leads to several

diseases, and a premature old age. His arguments need not be given here,

but my own experience goes to confirm his view. Those, however, who are

unable or unwilling to eschew the pulses altogether, should use them

with great caution.

Almost everywhere in India, the spices and condiments are freely used,

as nowhere else in the whole world. Even the African negroes dislike the

taste of our _masala_, and refuse to eat food mixed with it. And if the

Whites eat _masala_, their stomach gets out of order, and pimples also

appear on their faces, as I have found from my own experience. The fact

is that _masala_ is by no means savoury in itself, but we have so long

been accustomed to its use that its flavour appeals to us. But, as has

been already explained, it is wrong to eat anything for its mere taste.

How comes it, then, that _masala_ is so freely eaten by us? Admittedly,

in order to help the digestion, and to be able to eat more. Pepper,

mustard, coriander and other condiments have the power of artificially

helping the digestion, and generating a sort of artificial hunger. But

it would be wrong to to infer from this that all the food has been

thoroughly digested, and assimilated into the system. Those who take too

much of _masala_ are often found to suffer from anaemia, and even from

diarrhea. I know a man who even died in the prime of youth out of too

much eating of pepper. Hence it is quite necessary to eschew all

condiments altogether.

What has been said of _masala_ applies also to salt. Most people would

be scandalised at this suggestion, but it is a fact established by

experience. There is a school in England who even hold the view that

salt is more harmful than most condiments. As there is enough of salt in

the composition of the vegetables we use, we need not put any extra

salt into them. Nature herself has provided just as much salt as is

required for the upkeep of our health. All the extra salt that we use is

quite superfluous; all of it goes out of the body again in the form of

perspiration, or in other ways, and no portion of it seems to have any

useful function to perform in the body. One writer even holds that salt

poisons the blood. He says that those who use no salt at all have their

blood so pure that they are not affected even by snake-bite. We do not

know if this is a fact or not, but this much we know from experience,

that, in several diseases like piles and asthama, the disuse of salt at

once produces appreciably beneficial results. And, on the other hand, I

have not come across a single instance of a man being any the worse for

not using salt. I myself left off the use of salt two years ago, and I

have not only not suffered by it, but have even been benefitted in some

respects. I have not now to drink as much water as before, and am more

brisk and energetic. The reason for my disuse of salt was a very strange

one: for it was occasioned by the illness of somebody else! The person

whose illness led to it did not get worse after that, but remained in

the same condition; and it is my faith that, if only the diseased person

himself had given up the use of salt, he would have recovered

completely.

Those who give up salt will also have to give up vegetables and _dhall_.

This is a very hard thing to do, as I have found from many tests. I am

convinced that vegetables and _dhall_ cannot be properly digested

without salt. This does not, of course, mean that salt improves the

digestion, but it only _appears_ to do so, just as pepper does, although

ultimately it leads to evil consequences. Of course, the man who

entirely gives up the use of salt may feel out of sorts for a few days;

but, if he keeps up his spirits, he is bound to be immensely benefitted

in the long run.

I make bold to regard even milk as one of the articles to be eschewed!

This I do on the strength of my own experience which, however, need not

be described here in detail. The popular idea of the value of milk is a

pure superstition, but it is so deep-rooted that it is futile to think

of removing it. As I have said more than once, I do not cherish the hope

that my readers will accept all my views; I do not even believe that all

those who accept them in theory will adopt them in practice.

Nevertheless, I think it my duty to speak out what I believe to be the

truth, leaving my readers to form their own judgments. Many doctors hold

the view that milk gives rise to a kind of fever, and many books have

been written in support of this view. The disease bearing germs that

live in the air rapidly gain an entrance into the milk, and render it

poisonous, so that it is very difficult to keep milk in a state of

perfect purity. In Africa elaborate rules have been laid down for the

conduct of the dairies, saying how the milk should be boiled and

preserved, how the vessels should be kept clean, and so on. When so much

pains have to be taken in this matter, it is certainly to be considered

how far it is worth while to employ milk as an article of food.

Moreover, the purity or otherwise of the milk depends upon the cow's

food, and the state of its health. Doctors have testified to the fact

that those who drink the milk of consumptive cows fall a prey to

consumption themselves. It is very rare to come across a cow that is

perfectly healthy. That is to say, perfectly pure milk is very hard to

obtain, since it is tainted at its very source. Everybody knows that a

child that sucks the breast of its mother contracts any disease that she

might be suffering from. And often when a little child is ill, medicine

is administered to its mother, so that its effect might reach the child

through the milk of her breast. Just in the same way, the health of the

man who drinks the milk of a cow will be the same as that of the cow

itself. When the use of milk is fraught with so much danger, would it

not be the part of wisdom to eschew it altogether, especially when

there are excellent substitutes? Olive oil, for instance serves this

purpose to some extent; and sweet almond is a most efficient substitute.

The almond is first soaked in hot water, and its husk removed. Then it

is well crushed, and mixed thoroughly well with water. This gives a

drink which contains all the good properties of milk, and is at the same

time free from its evil effects.

Now let us consider this question from the point of view of Natural law.

The calf drinks its mother's milk only until its teeth have grown; and

it begins to eat as soon as it has its teeth. Clearly, this is also what

man is intended to do. Nature does not intend us to go on drinking milk

after we have ceased to be infants. We should learn to live on fruits

like the apple and the almond, or on wheat _roti_, after we have our

teeth. Although this is not the place to consider the saving in money

that might be effected by giving up milk, it is certainly a point to be

kept in mind. Nor is there any need for any of the articles produced

from milk. The sourness of lime is quite a good substitute for that of

buttermilk; and as for _ghee_, thousands of Indians manage with oil even

now.

A careful examination of the structure of the human body shows that meat

is not the natural food of man. Dr. Haig and Dr. Kingsford have very

clearly demonstrated the evil effects of meat on the body of man. They

have shown that meat generates just the same kind of acid in the body as

the pulses. It leads to the decay of the teeth, as well as to

rheumatism; it also gives rise to evil passions like anger, which, as we

have already seen, are but forms of disease.

To sum up, then, we find that those who live on fruits alone are very

rare, but it is quite easy to live on a combination of fruits, wheat and

olive oil, and it is also eminently conducive to sound health. The

plantain comes easy first among the fruits; but the date, the grape, the

plum and the orange, to name only a few, are all quite nourishing, and

may be taken along with the _roti_. The _roti_ does not suffer in taste

by being besmeared with olive oil. This diet dispenses with salt,

pepper, milk and sugar, and is quite simple and cheap. It is, of course,

foolish to eat sugar for its own sake. Too much sweetmeat weakens the

teeth, and injures the health. Excellent edibles can be made of wheat

and the fruits, and a combination of health and taste secured.

The next question to consider is how much food should be taken, and how

many times a day. But, as this is a subject of vital importance, we will

devote a separate chapter to it.

CHAPTER VI

HOW MUCH AND HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD WE EAT?

There is a great divergence of opinion among doctors as to the quantity

of food that we should take. One doctor holds that we should eat to the

utmost of our capacity, and he has calculated the quantities of

different kinds of food that we can take. Another holds the view that

the food of labourers should differ in quantity as well as in quality

from that of persons engaged in mental work, while a third doctor

contends that the prince and the peasant should eat exactly the same

quantity of food. This much, however, will be generally admitted, that

the weak cannot eat just as much as the strong. In the same way, a woman

eats less than a man, and children and old men eat less than young men.

One writer goes so far as to say that, if only we would masticate our

food thoroughly well, so that every particle of it is mixed with the

saliva, then we should not have to eat more than five or ten tolas of

food. This he says on the basis of numberless experiments, and his book

has been sold in thousands. All this shows that it is futile to think of

prescribing the quantity of food for men.

Most doctors admit that 99% of human beings eat more than is needed.

Indeed, this is a fact of everyday experience, and does not require to

be proclaimed by any doctor. There is no fear at all of men ruining

their health by eating _too little_; and the great need is for a

reduction in the quantity of food that we generally take.

As said above, it is of the utmost importance to masticate the food

thoroughly well. By so doing, we shall be able to extract the maximum of

nutriment from the minimum of food. Experienced persons point out that

the fæces of a man whose food is wholesome, and who does not eat too

much, will be small in quantity, quite solid and smooth, dark in colour,

and free from all foul smell. The man who does not have such fæces

should understand that he has eaten too much of unwholesome food, and

has failed to masticate it well. Also, if a man does not get sleep at

night, or if his sleep be troubled by dreams, and if his tongue be dirty

in the morning, he should know that he has been guilty of excessive

eating. And if he has to get up several times at night to make water, it

means that he has taken too much liquid food at night. By these and

other tests, every man can arrive at the exact quantity of food that is

needed for him. Many men suffer from foul breath, which shows that their

food has not been well digested. In many cases, again, too much eating

gives rise to pimples on the face, and in the nose; and many people

suffer from wind in the stomach. The root of all these troubles is, to

put it plainly, that we have converted our stomach into a latrine, and

we carry this latrine about with us. When we consider the matter in a

sober light, we cannot help feeling an unmixed contempt for ourselves.

If we want to avoid the sin of over-eating, we should take a vow never

to have anything to do with feasts of all kinds. Of course, we should

feed those who come to us as guests, but only so as not to violate the

laws of health. Do we ever think of inviting our friends to clean their

teeth with us, or to take a glass of water? Is not eating as strictly a

matter of health as these things? Why, then, should we make so much fuss

about it? We have become such gluttons by habit that our tongues are

ever craving for abnormal sensations. Hence we think it a sacred duty to

cram our guests with rich food, and we cherish the hope that they will

do likewise for us, when their turn comes! If, an hour after eating, we

ask a clean-bodied friend to smell our mouth, and if he should tell us

his exact feelings, we should have to hide our heads in utter shame! But

some people are so shameless that they take purgatives soon after

eating, that they might be able to eat still more or they even vomit out

what they have eaten in order to sit down again to the feast at once!

Since even the best of us are more or less guilty of over-eating, our

wise forefathers have prescribed frequent fasts as a religious duty.

Indeed, merely from the point of view of health, it will be highly

beneficial to fast at least once a fortnight. Many pious Hindus take

only one meal a day during the rainy season. This is a practice based

upon the soundest hygienic principles. For, when the air is damp and the

sky cloudy, the digestive organs are weaker than usual, and hence there

should be a reduction in the quantity of food.

And now we will consider how may meals we may take in the day.

Numberless people in India are content with only two meals. Those who do

hard labour take three meals, but a system of four meals has arisen

after the invention of English medicines! Of late, several societies

have been formed in England and in America in order to exhort the people

to take only two meals a day. They say that we should not take a

breakfast early in the morning, since our sleep itself serves the

purpose of the breakfast. As soon as we get up in the morning we should

prepare to work rather than to eat. We should take our meal only after

working for three hours. Those who hold these views take only two meals

a day, and do not even take tea in the interval. An experienced doctor

by name Deway has written an excellent book on Fasting, in which he has

shown the benefits of dispensing with the breakfast. I can also say from

my experience that there is absolutely no need to eat more than twice,

for a man who has passed the period of youth, and whose body has

attained its fullest growth.

CHAPTER VII

EXERCISE

Exercise is as much of a vital necessity for man as air, water and food,

in the sense that no man who does not take exercise regularly, can be

perfectly healthy. By "exercise" we do not mean merely walking, or games

like hockey, football, and cricket; we include under the term all

physical and mental activity. Exercise, even as food, is as essential to

the mind as to the body. The mind is much weakened by want of exercise

as the body, and a feeble mind is, indeed, a form of disease. An

athlete, for instance, who is an expert in wrestling, cannot be regarded

as a really _healthy_ man, unless his mind is equally efficient. As

already explained, "a sound mind in a sound body" alone constitutes true

health.

Which, then, are those exercises which keep the body and the mind

equally efficient? Indeed, Nature has so arranged it that we can be

engaged in physical as well as mental work at the same time. The vast

majority of men on earth live by field-labour. The farmer has to do

strenuous bodily exercise at any cost, for he has to work for 8 or 10

hours, or sometimes even more, in order to earn his bread and clothing.

And efficient labour is impossible unless the mind is also in good

condition. He has to attend to all the many details of cultivation; he

must have a good knowledge of soils and seasons, and perhaps also of the

movements of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Even the ablest men will

be beaten by the farmer in these matters. He knows the state of his

immediate surroundings thoroughly well, he can find the directions by

looking at the stars in the night, and tell a great many things from the

ways of birds and beasts. He knows, for instance, that rain is about to

fall when a particular class of birds gather together, and begin to make

noise. He knows as much of the earth and the sky as is necessary for his

work. As he has to bring up his children, he must know something of

_Dharma Sastra_. Since he lives under the broad open sky, he easily

realises the greatness of God.

Of course, all men cannot be farmers, nor is this book written for them.

We have however, described the life of the farmer, as we are convinced

that it is the _natural life_ for man. To the extent to which we

deviate from these natural conditions must we suffer in health. From the

farmer's life we learn that we should work for at least 8 hours a day,

and it should involve mental work as well.

Merchants and others leading a sedentary life have indeed, to do some

mental work, but their work is too one-sided and too inadequate to be

called _exercise_.

For such people the wise men of the West have devised games like cricket

and football, and such minor games as are played at parties and festive

gatherings. As for mental work the reading of such books as involve no

mental strain is prescribed. No doubt these games do give exercise to

the body, but it is a question if they are equally beneficial to the

mind. How many of the best players of football and cricket are men of

superior mental powers? What have we seen of the mental equipment of

those Indian Princes who have earned a distinction as players? On the

other hand, how many of the ablest men care to play these games? We can

affirm from our experience that there are very few players among those

who are gifted with great mental powers. The people of England are

extremely fond of games, but their own poet, Kipling, speaks very

disparagingly of the mental capacity of the players.

Here in India, however, we have chosen quite a different path! Our men

do arduous mental work, but give little or no exercise to the body.

Their bodies are enfeebled by excessive mental strain, and they fall a

prey to serious diseases; and just when the world expects to benefit by

their work, they bid it eternal farewell! Our work should be neither

exclusively physical nor exclusively mental, nor such as ministers

merely to the pleasure of the moment. The ideal kind of exercise is that

which gives vigour to the body as well as to the mind; only such

exercise can keep a man truly healthy, and such a man is the farmer.

But what shall he do who is no farmer? The exercise which games like the

cricket give is too inadequate, and something else has to be devised.

The best thing for ordinary men would be to keep a small garden near the

house, and work in it for a few hours every day. Some may ask, "What can

we do if the house we live in be not our own?" This is a foolish

question to ask, for, whoever may be the owner of the house, he cannot

object to his ground being improved by digging and cultivation. And we

shall have the satisfaction of feeling that we have helped to keep

somebody else's ground neat and clean. Those who do not find time for

such exercise or who may not like it, may resort to walking, which is

the next best exercise. Truly has this been described as the Queen of

all exercises. The main reason why our _Sadhus_ and _Fakirs_ are strong

as a class is that they go about from one end of the country to the

other only on foot. Thoreau, the great American writer, has said many

remarkable things on walking as an exercise. He says that the writings

of those who keep indoors and never go out into the open air, will be as

weak as their bodies. Referring to his own experience, he says that all

his best works were written when he was walking the most. He was such an

inveterate walker that four or five hours a day was quite an ordinary

thing with him! Our passion for exercise should become so strong that we

cannot bring ourselves to dispense with it on any account. We hardly

realise how weak and futile is our mental work when unaccompanied by

hard physical exercise. Walking gives movement to every portion of the

body, and ensures vigorous circulation of the blood; for, when we walk

fast, fresh air is inhaled into the lungs. Then there is the inestimable

joy that natural objects give us, the joy that comes from a

contemplation of the beauties of nature. It is, of course, useless to

walk along lanes and streets, or to take the same path every day. We

should go out into the fields and forests where we can have a taste of

Nature. Walking a mile or two is no walking at all; at least ten or

twelve miles are necessary for exercise. Those who cannot walk so much

every day can at least do so on Sundays. Once a man who was suffering

from indigestion went to the doctor to take medicine. He was advised to

walk a little every day, but he pleaded that he was too weak to walk at

all. Then the doctor took him into his carriage for a drive. On the way

he deliberately dropped his whip, and the sick man, out of courtesy, got

down to take it. The doctor, however, drove on without waiting for him,

and the poor man had to trudge behind the carriage. When the doctor was

satisfied that he had walked long enough, he took him into the carriage

again, and explained that it was a device adopted to make him walk. As

the man had begun to feel hungry by this time, he realised the value of

the doctor's advice, and forgot the affair of the whip. He then went

home and had a hearty meal. Let those who are suffering from indigestion

and kindred diseases try for themselves, and they will at once realise

the value of walking as an exercise.

CHAPTER VIII

DRESS

Dress is also a matter of health to a certain extent. European ladies,

for instance, have such queer notions of beauty that their dress is

contrived with a view to straitening the waist and the feet, which, in

its turn, leads to several diseases. The feet of Chinese women are

deliberately straitened to such an extent that they are smaller even

than the feet of our little children, and, as a result, their health is

injured. These two instances show how the health may be affected by the

nature of the dress. But the choice of our dress does not rest always in

our hands, for we have perforce to adopt the manners of our elders. The

chief object of dress has been forgotten, and it has come to be regarded

as indicative of a man's religion, country, race and profession. In this

state of things, it is very difficult to discuss the question of dress

strictly from the point of view of health, but such a discussion must

necessarily do us good. Under the term dress, we include all such things

as boots and shoes, as well as jewellery and the like.

What is the chief object of dress? Man in his primitive state had no

dress at all; he went about naked, and exposing almost the whole body.

His skin was firm and strong, he was able to stand sun and shower, and

never once suffered from cold and kindred ailments. As has already been

explained, we inhale the air not only through the nostrils, but also

through the numberless pores of the skin. So when we cover the body with

clothing, we are preventing this natural function of the skin. But when

the people of the colder countries grew more and more indolent, they

began to feel the need to cover their bodies. They were no longer able

to stand the cold, and the use of dress came into being, until at length

it came to be looked upon not merely as a necessity, but as an ornament.

Subsequently it has also come to be regarded as an indication of

country, race etc.

In fact, Nature herself has provided an excellent covering for us in our

skin. The idea that the body looks unseemly in undress is absurd, for

the very best pictures are those that display the naked body. When we

cover up the most ordinary parts of our body, it is as though we felt

ashamed of them in their natural condition, and as though we found fault

with Nature's own arrangement. We think it a duty to go on multiplying

the trappings and ornaments for our body, as we grow richer and richer.

We 'adorn' our body in all sorts of hideous ways, and pride ourselves on

our handsomeness! If our eyes were not blinded by foolish habit, we

should see that the body looks most handsome only in its nakedness, as

it enjoys its best health only in that condition. Dress, indeed,

detracts from the natural beauty of the body. But, not content with

dress alone, man began to wear jewels also. This is mere madness, for

it is hard to understand how these jewels can add an iota to the body's

natural beauty. But women have gone beyond all bounds of sense or

decency in this matter. They are not ashamed to wear anklets which are

so heavy that they can hardly lift their feet, or to pierce their nose

and ears hideously for putting on rings, or to stud their wrists and

fingers with rings and bracelets of several kinds. These ornaments only

serve to help the accumulation of dirt in the body; there is indeed no

limit to the dirt on the nose and ears. We mistake this filthiness for

beauty, and throw money away to secure it; and we do not even shrink

from putting our lives at the mercy of thieves. There is no limit to the

pains we take to satisfy the silly notions of vanity that we have so

sedulously cultivated. Women, indeed, have become so infatuated that

they are not prepared to remove the ear-ring even if the ears are

diseased; even if the hand is swollen and suffering from frightful pain,

they would not remove the bracelets; and they are unwilling to remove

the ring from a swollen finger, since they imagine that their beauty

would suffer by so doing!

A thorough reform in dress is by no means an easy matter, but it is

surely possible for all of us to renounce our jewels and all superfluous

clothing. We may keep some few things for the sake of convention, and

throw off all the rest. Those who are free from the superstition that

dress is an ornament can surely effect many changes in their dress, and

keep themselves in good health.

Now-a-days the notion has gained ground that European dress is necessary

for maintaining our decency and prestige! This is not the place to

discuss this question in detail. Here it will be enough to point out

that, although the dress of Europeans might be good enough for the cold

countries of Europe, it is hopelessly unsuited to India. Indian dress,

alone, can be good for Indians, whether they be Hindu or Musalman. Our

dress being loose and open, air is not shut out; and being white for the

most part, it does not absorb the heat. Black dress feels hot, since all

the sun's rays are absorbed into it, and, in its turn, into the body.

The practice of covering the head with the turban has become quite

common with us. Nevertheless we should try to keep the head bare as

far as possible. To grow the hair, and to dress it by combing and

brushing, parting in the middle and so on, is nothing short of

barbarous. Dust and dirt, as well as nits and lice, accumulate in the

hair, and if a boil were to arise on the head, it cannot be properly

treated. Especially for those who use a turban, it would be stupid to

grow the hair.

The feet also are common agents of disease. The feet of those who wear

boots and shoes grow dirty, and begin to exude a lot of stinking

perspiration. So great is the stink that those who are sensitive to

smells will hardly be able to stand by the side of one who is removing

his shoes and socks. Our common names for the shoe speak of it as the

"protector of the feet" and the "enemy of the thorn" showing that shoes

should be worn only when we have to walk along a thorny path, or over

very cold or hot ground, and that only the soles should be covered, and

not the entire feet. And this purpose is served excellently well by the

_sandal_. Some people who are accustomed to the use of shoes often

suffer from headaches, of pain in the feet, or weakness of the body. Let

them try the experiment of walking with bare feet, and then they will at

once find out the benefit of keeping the feet bare, and free from sweat

by exposure to the air.

CHAPTER IX

SEXUAL RELATIONS

I would specially request those who have carefully read through the book

so far to read through this chapter with even greater care, and ponder

well over its subject-matter. There are still several more chapters to

be written, and they will, of course, be found useful in their own way.

But not one of them is nearly as important as this. As I have already

said, there is not a single matter mentioned in this book which is not

based on my personal experience, or which I do not believe to be

strictly true.

Many are the keys to health, and they are all quite essential; but the

one thing needful, above all others, is _Brahmacharya_. Of course, pure

air, pure water, and wholesome food do contribute to health. But how can

we be healthy if we expend all the health that we acquire? How can we

help being paupers if we spend all the money that we earn? There can be

no doubt that men and women can never be virile or strong unless they

observe true _Brahmacharya_.

What do we mean by _Brahmacharya_? We mean by it that men and women

should refrain from enjoying each other. That is to say, they should not

touch each other with a carnal thought, they should not think of it even

in their dreams. Their mutual glances should be free from all suggestion

of carnality. The hidden strength that God has given us should be

conserved by rigid self-discipline, and transmitted into energy and

power,--not merely of body, but also of mind and soul.

But what is the spectacle that we actually see around us? Men and

women, old and young, without exception, are seen entangled in the coils

of sensuality. Blinded by lust, they lose all sense of right and wrong.

I have myself seen even boys and girls behaving like mad men under its

fatal influence. I too have behaved likewise under similar influences,

and it could not well be otherwise. For the sake of a momentary

pleasure, we sacrifice in an instant all the stock of vitality that we

have accumulated. The infatuation over, we find ourselves in a miserable

condition. The next morning, we feel hopelessly weak and tired, and the

mind refuses to do its work. Then, we try to remedy the mischief by

taking all sorts of 'nervine tonics' and put ourselves under the

doctor's mercy for repairing the waste, and for recovering the capacity

for enjoyment. So the days pass and the years, until at length old age

comes upon us, and finds us utterly emasculated in body and in mind.

But the law of Nature is just the reverse of this. The older we grow,

the keener should grow our intellect also; the longer we live, the

greater should be our capacity to transmit the fruits of our accumulated

experience to our fellowmen. And such is indeed the case with those who

have been true _Brahmacharies_. They know no fear of death, and they do

not forget good even in the hour of death; nor do they indulge in vain

complaints. They die with a smile on their lips, and boldly face the day

of judgment. They are the true men and women; and of them alone can it

be said that they have conserved their health.

We hardly realise the fact that incontinence is the root-cause of all

the vanity, anger, fear and jealousy in the world. If our mind is not

under our control, if we behave once or more every day more foolishly

than even little children, what sins may we not commit consciously or

unconsciously? How can we pause to think of the consequences of our

actions, however vile or sinful they may be?

But you may ask, "Who has ever seen a true _Brahmachary_ in this sense?

If all men should turn _Brahmacharies_, would not humanity be extinct,

and the whole world go to rack and ruin?" We will leave aside the

religious aspect of this question, and discuss it simply from the

secular point of view. To my mind, these questions only bespeak our

weakness and our cowardliness. We have not the strength of will to

observe _Brahmacharya_, and, therefore, set about finding pretexts for

evading our duty. The race of true _Brahmacharies_ is by no means

extinct; but, if they were to be had merely for the asking, of what

value would _Brahmacharya_ be? Thousands of hardy labourers have to go

and dig deep into the bowels of the earth in search of diamonds, and at

length they get perhaps merely a handful of them out of heaps and heaps

of rock. How much greater, then, should be the labour involved in the

discovery of the infinitely more precious diamond of a _Brahmachary_? If

the observance of _Brahmacharya_ should mean the ruin of the world, why

should we regret it? Are we God that we should be so anxious about its

future? He who created it will surely see to its preservation. It is

none of our business to enquire if other people practise _Brahmacharya_

or not. When we turn merchant or lawyer or doctor, do we ever pause to

consider what the fate of the world would be if all men were to do

likewise? The true _Brahmachary_ will, in the long run, discover for

himself answers to such questions.

But how can men engrossed by the cares of the material world put these

ideas into practice? What shall the married people do? What shall they

do who have children? And what shall be done by those people who cannot

control their lust? The best solution for all such difficulties has

already been given. We should keep this ideal constantly before us, and

try to approximate to it more and more to the utmost of our capacity.

When little children are taught to write the letters of the alphabet, we

show them the perfect shapes of the letters, and they try to reproduce

them as best they can. Just in the same way, if we steadily work up to

the ideal of _Brahmacharya_, we may ultimately succeed in realising it.

What if we have married already? The law of Nature is that

_Brahmacharya_ may be broken only when the husband and wife feel a

strong desire for a child. Those who, remembering this law, violate

_Brahmacharya_ once in four or five years cannot be said to be slaves to

lust, nor can they appreciably lose their stock of vitality. But, alas,

how rare are those men and women who yield to the sexual craving merely

for the sake of an offspring! The vast majority, who may be numbered in

thousands, turn to sexual enjoyment merely to satisfy their carnal

passion, with the result that children are born to them quite against

their will. In the madness of sexual passion, we give no thought to the

consequences of our acts. In this respect, men are even more to blame

than women. The man is blinded so much by his lust that he never cares

to remember that his wife is weak and incapable of rearing a child. In

the West indeed, people have trespassed even against the claims of

common decency. They indulge in sexual pleasures, and devise measures in

order to evade the responsibilities of parenthood. Many books have been

written on this subject, and a regular trade is being carried on in

providing the means of preventing conception. We are as yet free from

this sin, but we do not shrink from imposing the heavy burden of

maternity on our women, and we are not concerned even to find that our

children are weak, impotent and imbecile. Every time we get children, we

bless Providence, and so seek to hide from ourselves the wickedness of

our acts. Should we not rather deem it a sign of God's anger to have

children who are weak, sensual, crippled and impotent? Is it a matter

for joy that mere boys and girls should have children? Is it not rather

a curse of God? We all know that the premature fruit of a too young

plant weakens the parent, and so we try all means of delaying the

appearance of fruit. But we sing hymns of praise and thanks-giving to

God when a child is born of a boy-father and a girl-mother! Could

anything be more dreadful? Do we think that the world is going to be

saved by the countless swarms of such impotent children endlessly

multiplying in India or elsewhere in the world? Verily we are, in this

respect, far worse than even the lower animals; for, the bull and the

cow are brought together solely with the object of having a calf. Man

and woman should regard it as sacred duty to keep apart from the moment

of conception up to the time when the child has ceased to suck its

mother's breast. But we go on in our merry fashion blissfully forgetful

of this sacred obligation. This incurable disease enfeebles our mind and

leads us to an early grave, after making us drag a miserable existence

for a short while. Married people should understand the true function of

marriage, and should not violate the law of _Brahmacharya_ except with a

view to having a child for the continuation of the race.

But this is so difficult under our present conditions of life. Our diet,

our ways of life, our common talk, and our environments are all equally

calculated to rouse and keep alive our sensual appetite; and sensuality

is like a poison, eating into our vitals. Some people may doubt the

possibility of our being able to free ourselves from this bondage. This

book is written not for those who go about with such doubtings of heart,

but only for those who are really in earnest, and who have the courage

to take active steps for their improvement. Those who are quite content

with their present abject condition may even be offended to read all

this; but I hope this will be of some service to those who are heartily

disgusted with their own miserable existence.

From all that has been said, it follows that those who are still

unmarried should try to remain so; but, if they cannot help marrying,

they should do so as late as possible. Young men, for instance, should

take a vow to remain unmarried till the age of 25 or 30. We shall not

explain here all the benefits other than physical that result from this;

but those who want to enjoy them can do so for themselves.

My request to those parents who may read these pages is that they should

not tie a mill-stone round the necks of their sons by marrying them in

their teens. They should look also to the welfare of their sons, and not

only to their own interests. They should throw aside all silly notions

of caste-pride or 'respectability', and cease to indulge in such

heartless practices. Let them, rather, if they are true well-wishers of

their children, look to their physical, mental and moral improvements.

What greater disservice can they do to their sons than compelling them

to enter upon a married life, with all its tremendous responsibilities

and cares, even while they are mere boys?

Then again, the true laws of health demand that the man that loses his

wife, as well as the woman that loses her husband, should remain single

ever after. There is a difference of opinion among doctors as to whether

young men and women need ever let their vital fluid escape, some

answering the question in the affirmative, others in the negative. But

this cannot justify our taking advantage of it for sensual enjoyment. I

can affirm, without the slightest hesitation, from my own experience as

well as that of others, that sexual enjoyment is not only not necessary

for the preservation of health, but is positively detrimental to it. All

the strength of body and mind that has taken long to acquire, is lost

altogether by the escape of the vital fluid, and it takes a long time to

regain this lost strength, and even then there is no saying that it can

be thoroughly recovered. A broken vessel may be made to do its work

after mending, but it can never be anything but a broken vessel.

As has already been pointed out, the preservation of our vitality is

impossible without pure air, pure water, pure and wholesome food, as

well as pure thoughts. So vital indeed is the relation between our

health and the life that we lead that we can never be perfectly healthy

unless we lead a clean life. The earnest man who, forgetting the errors

of the past, begins to live a life of purity will be able to reap the

fruit of it straightway. Those who have practised true _Brahmacharya_

even for a short period will have seen how their body and mind improve

steadily in strength and power, and they will not, at any cost, be

willing to part with this treasure. I have myself been guilty of lapses

even after having fully understood the value of _Brahmacharya_, and

have, of course, paid dearly for it. I am filled with shame and remorse

when I think of the terrible contrast between my condition before and

after these lapses. But from the errors of the past I have now learnt to

preserve this treasure in tact, and I fully hope, with God's grace, to

continue to preserve it in the future; for I have in my own person,

witnessed the inestimable benefits of _Brahmacharya_. I was married

early in life, and had become the father of children as a mere youth.

When, at length, I awoke to the reality of my situation, I found myself

sunk in the lowest depths of degradation. I shall consider myself amply

rewarded for writing these pages if at least a single reader is able to

take warning from my failings and experiences, and to profit thereby.

Many people have told me (and I also believe it) that I am full of

energy and enthusiasm, and that my mind is by so means weak; some even

accuse me of rashness. There is disease in my body as well as in my

mind; nevertheless, when compared with my friends, I may call myself

perfectly healthy and strong. If even after twenty years of sensual

enjoyment, I have been able to reach this state, how much better should

I have been if only I had kept myself pure during those twenty years as

well? It is my full conviction that, if only I had lived a life of

_Brahmacharya_ all through, my energy and enthusiasm would have been a

thousandfold greater and I should have been able to devote them all to

the furtherance of my country's cause as of my own. If this can be

affirmed of an ordinary man like myself, how much more wonderful must be

the gain in power,--physical, mental, as well as moral--that unbroken

_Brahmacharya_ can bring to us!

When so strict is the law of _Brahmacharya_, what shall we say of those

guilty of the unpardonable sin of illegitimate sexual enjoyment? The

evil that arises from adultery and prostitution is a vital question of

religion and morality and cannot be fully dealt with in a treatise on

health. Here we are only concerned to point out how thousands who are

guilty of these sins are afflicted by syphilis and other unmentionable

diseases. The inflexible decree of Providence happily condemns these

wretches to a life of unmitigated suffering. Their short span of life is

spent in abject bondage to quacks in a futile quest after a remedy that

will rid them of their suffering. If there were no adultery at all,

there would be no work for at least 50% of doctors. So inextricably

indeed has venereal disease caught mankind in its clutches that even the

best doctors have been forced to admit that, so long as adultery and

prostitution continue, there is no hope for the human race. The

medicines for these diseases are so poisonous that, although they may

appear to have done some good for the time being, they give rise to

other and still more terrible diseases which are handed down from

generation to generation.

In concluding this chapter, we will briefly point out how married people

can preserve their _Brahmacharya_ intact. It is not enough to observe

the laws of health as regards air, water and food. The man should

altogether cease to sleep in privacy with his wife. Little reflection is

needed to show that the only possible motive for privacy between man and

wife is the desire for sexual enjoyment. They should sleep apart at

night, and be incessantly engaged in good works during the day. They

should read such books as fill them with noble thoughts and meditate

over the lives of great men, and live in the constant realisation of the

fact that sensual enjoyment is the root of all disease. Whenever they

feel a prompting for enjoyment, they should bathe in cold water, so that

the heat of passion may be cooled down, and be refined into the energy

of virtuous activity. This is a hard thing to do, but we have been born

into this world that we might wrestle with difficulties and temptations,

and conquer them; and he who has not the will to do it can never enjoy

the supreme blessing of true health.

PART II

SOME SIMPLE TREATMENTS

CHAPTER I

AIR-TREATMENT

We have now done with the discussion of the foundations of health, as

well as the means of its preservation. If all men and women were to obey

all the laws of health, and practice strict Brahmacharya, there would be

no need at all for the chapters which follow, for such men and women

would then be free from all ailments, whether of the body or of the

mind. But where can such men and women be found? Where are they who have

not been afflicted by disease? The more strictly, however, we observe

the laws which have been explained in this book, the more shall we be

free from disease. But when diseases do attack us, it is our duty to

deal with them properly, and the following chapters are intended to show

how to do it.

Pure air, which is so essential to the preservation of health, is also

essential to the cure of diseases. If, for instance, a man who is

suffering from gout is treated with air heated by steam, he perspires

profusely, and his joints are eased. This kind of vapour-treatment is

known as "Turkish Bath."

If a man who is suffering from high fever is stripped naked, and made to

sleep in the open air, there is an immediate fall in the temperature,

and he feels a distinct relief. And if, when he feels cold, he is

wrapped in a blanket, he perspires at once, and the fever ceases. But

what we generally do is just the reverse of this. Even if the patient is

willing to remain in the open air, we close all the doors and windows of

the room in which he lies, and cover his whole body (including the head

and ears) with blankets, with the result that he is frightened, and is

rendered still weaker. If the fever is the outcome of too much heat, the

sort of air-treatment described above is perfectly harmless, and its

effect can be instantly felt. Of course, care should be taken that the

patient does not begin to shiver in the open air. If he cannot remain

naked, he may well be covered with blankets.

Change of air is an effective remedy for latent fever and other

diseases. The common practice of taking a change of air is only an

application of the principle of air-treatment. We often change our

residence in the belief that a house constantly infested by disease is

the resort of evil spirits. This is a mere delusion, for the real "evil

spirits" in such cases are the foul air inside the house. A change of

residence ensures a change of air, and with it the cure of the diseases

brought on by it. Indeed, so vital is the relation between health and

air that the good or evil effects of even a slight change are

instantaneously felt. For a change of air the rich can afford to go to

distant places, but even the poor can go from one village to another, or

at least from one house to another. Even a change of room in the same

house often brings great relief to a sick man. But, of course, care

should be taken to see that the change of air is really for the better.

Thus, for instance, a disease that has been brought on by damp air

cannot be cured by a change to a damper locality. It is because

sufficient attention is not paid to simple precautions like this that a

change of air is often so ineffectual.

This chapter has been devoted to some simple instances of the

application of air to the treatment of disease, while the chapter on Air

in Part I of this book contains a general consideration of the value of

pure air to health. Hence I would request my readers to read these two

chapters side by side.