Prepare at the physical, psychological and spiritual levels to competently face the coming adverse times ! : Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale
There will be great shortage of food, water, cooking gas, electricity, etc. during the coming adverse times, and survival will be a great challenge. Taking these aspects into consideration and to face adversities, everyone needs to be prepared at the physical, psychological, familial, economic and spiritual level. General guidelines on this are given ahead. Try to follow these as much as possible from today itself.
1. What is the meaning of Apatkal ?
In Sanskrut, ‘Apat’ means a calamity and ‘apatkal’ means the ‘times of calamity’
2. Preparedness at the physical level
2A. Follow aspects given ahead to prevent deaths due to shortage of food.
2A 1. Stock dry pulses, grains, etc. enough to last for some months or years : Consider stocking pulses, grains, sorghum, wheat, rice, potatoes, jaggery, turmeric, red chilli powder, pickles, jams, ghee, etc.
2A 1A. After a certain period (Every 3-4 months), check the condition of the stored pulses, grains and other items.
2A 2. Take the following measures keeping in mind the possibility of shortage or unavailability of cooking gas and kerosene for stove.
2A 2A. Keep an earthen cooking stove in the house and learn to cook on it.
2A 2B. Buy equipment which works on solar energy (for example, a solar cooker).
2A 2C. Those who rear animals such as cows, oxen can set up a Gobar-gas plant.
2A 2D. Those who have enough perishable garbage (such as vegetable stems, leftover food, perishable food items, etc.) should set up a ‘Biogas plant’.
2A 3. Avoid using modern gadgets (for example, a mixer) while cooking and habituate yourself to using traditional appliances such a stone slab and a roller : Habituate yourself to using old appliances such as grinding stone, mortar and pestle, etc. so that day-to-day living in the later period will not be difficult.
2A 4. Start growing grains, root vegetables and rearing cows
2B. Take the following measures to avoid distress caused by unavailability of water.
2B 1. If there is no well close to your house, then get one dug : In the adverse times, in case the civic administration is unable to supply water, then it can be drawn from a well close to your house. People staying close can get together and get a well dug immediately.
2B 2. Acquire big water tanks to store water
2B 3. Buy a candle-filter for replacing the water-purifier at home when it will not work in the absence of electricity.
Sanatan has published Texts with details on these survival methods.
2C. Keeping in mind that doctors, Vaidyas, medicines, hospitals, etc. will not be available in the coming adverse times, do the following to overcome illnesses !
2C 1. Start implementing non-medicinal remedies such as sitting in the sun, fasting, etc. from now itself instead of depending on medicines to treat minor illnesses.
2C 2. Learn ‘Acupressure therapy’, ‘Spiritual remedies on ailments caused by obstructions in the Pranashakti (Vital energy) flow system’, ‘Empty box remedies’ and ‘Chants for curing ailments’ and start using them as required from now itself ! : Sanatan has published Texts on these subjects as well.
2C 3. After consulting your local Ayurvedic and Allopathic doctors, stock Ayurvedic, Allopathic and Homoeopathic medicines as required for your family, appropriately so that they last for longer periods.
2C 4. Familiarise yourself with the medicinal plants available in your area from experts in the field and try using them as needed.
2C 5. Start growing medicinal plants : Sanatan’s Texts – ‘Growing medicinal plants on available land’ and ‘How to grow medi-cinal plants ?’ give details on growing medi-cinal plants and their uses to treat various diseases.
2C 6. Make efforts from now itself to stay healthy instead of taking medicines after falling sick : Make efforts to exercise regularly, eat only when hungry, avoid eating unnecessarily, etc. These habits can cure current ailments quickly and increase immunity. Additionally, these habits will be beneficial in the adverse conditions.
2D. At least one family member must learn first-aid training so as to provide emergency treatment to a patient in the event of getting hurt, getting burnt, falling unconscious, etc. : Hindu Janajagruti Samiti conducts free-of-charge ‘First-aid Training Camps’ at various places. Everyone should attend these workshops and get trained. (A Text series titled – ‘First-aid Training’ [3 Volumes] from Sanatan’s publications is also available.)
2D 1. Keep a ‘first-aid kit’ ready for use in the family : Prepare a first-aid kit with painkiller tablets, ointment, gauze and sticking tape (to be placed on wounds), tablets for common ailments such as fever, vomiting, etc. Keep the kit at a place from where it is can be easily seen. Instead of placing tablet strips, put the tablets in an airtight container and paste the name of the tablet, ailment on which it can be used, date of manufacture and date of expiry. This is to ensure that the expiry date of the tablet has not lapsed when a tablet is taken out from the strip. (Details on the first-aid kit are provided in Sanatan’s Text ‘First-aid training – Examining the victim, saving the critical victim’s life and first-aid on ailments associated with shock’.)
2E. Other points
2E 1. Buy mosquito-nets to protect against mosquitoes as needed.
2E 2. Take treatment requiring advanced medical equipment such as eye surgery, dental treatment, etc. immediately.
2E 3. Gradually reduce your needs such as eating only certain kinds of food, using only hot water for bathing, using a fan continuously and habits such as inability to sleep without air-conditioning, inability to walk even short distances but using vehicles.
2E 4. Start using food items, water, electricity, cooking gas, and other items (for example, cooking oil) frugally !
2E 5. Start practising various physical activities beneficial in the coming adverse times : These physical activities include drawing water from a well with a rope, washing clothes with the hands, climbing up and down the stairs instead of using a lift, using a bicycle instead of a vehicle for short distances, etc.
2E 6. Exercise (for example, perfor-ming Suryanamaskar, walking at least 1-2 kms.) and do Pranayam (Regulated breathing) Yogasanas (Postures), etc. daily to keep your body fit even during adverse conditions.
3. Mental preparedness
in the context of adverse times
3A. Take autosuggestions pertaining to problems : Details on the autosuggestion techniques is provided in Sanatan’s Text ‘Personality defects removal through autosuggestions’.
3A 1. Take autosuggestions if you are feeling afraid of facing situations arising from riots, earthquakes and World War, etc. so as to get used to such situations.
3A 2. Take autosuggestions so as to not get entangled with family members at the emotional level.
3A 3. Take autosuggestions so as to be able to look at a situation which is beyond our control during the adverse times with a philosophical perspective or an observer stance and to joyously accept the situation.
3B. Be prepared for separation from your family for short and long periods.
4. Preparations required at the
family level for the coming adverse times
4A. Store clothes and other items necessary for the family : Store items such as clothes, bed-sheets, blankets, needle-thread, footwear, soap, tooth powder, umbrellas, matchboxes, candles, bulbs, shaving material, sattvik products such as fragrance, camphor, incense required for spiritual healing, etc.
4B. If your flat is on a higher floor beyond the third floor, look for an alternative flat.
4C. Make a will to avoid discord among relatives for property after your demise.
5. Other preparation required
for the coming adverse times
5A. Start reducing unwanted things from your home.
5B. Carry a mobile with a dual SIM card (from two different telecom providers) : If you are not able to get the range from one telecom provider, you can get it from the other.
5C. Maintain a diary of telephone numbers of the Police station, Fire station and other important contacts : There is no guarantee that the contacts list in your mobile will work during the adverse times. Hence, telephone numbers should be maintained in a separate diary.
5D. In case of a Government notification, one should be prepared to leave the house immediately in a situation like floods, etc.; hence, keep a briefcase packed with essential documents such as ration card, Aadhar card, Bank passbook, etc and other necessary items.
5E. Rear dogs to guard your house, cows for milk, oxen for a bullock cart, horses for travel, etc.
5E 1. Learn how to rear a dog, cow, bullock, horse, etc. and learn how to treat their illnesses !
5F. Learn some Art-forms or skills that can be useful in the coming adverse times and continue practising them : Skills such as sewing clothes with a sewing machine, swimming, riding a bullock cart, riding a horse, etc. should be included.
5G. Think of alternative items for soap, tooth powder, etc. : This includes using reetha (Soapnut) to wash clothes, using ash to clean utensils, making tooth powder from cow-dung, etc.
6. Some common instructions for the preparedness at various levels from the perspective of the adverse times
6A. Stock spare parts required for repairing gadgets at home (kitchen gadgets, electrical instruments, etc.), bicycle, bullock cart, etc.
6B. Learn to repair some things such as home appliances, water taps, bicycle, bullock cart, etc.
6C. Purchase some items (such as a grinding stone) immediately and other items in stages (for example, medicines) taking into consideration their expiry date, Government regulations and other restrictions.
6D. Keep a radio in the house as a provision to listen to announcements, news, etc. in case the TV broadcast stops. You can also use the radio which is available on mobiles.
6E. Individuals living in housing societies, apartments, etc. can come together and get the following done : This includes building a ‘Biogas plant’, getting a well dug, making arrangements to set up a solar energy plant, etc.
7. Preparedness at spiritual level
from the perspective of the adverse times
7A. Perform following things daily for continuous bestowal of God’s grace and creation of a protective sheath around yourself : This includes performing ritualistic worship of Deities, lighting a lamp near God and a Tulsi plant in the evening, and offering namaskar (Obeisance) to the lamp, reciting shlokas/hymns that bestow health and create a protective sheath (for example, ‘Shubham karoti’, ‘Ram Raksha Stotra’, ‘Maruti Stotra’, ‘Devikavach’) by all family members at twilight, making a frame of sattvik Name-strips around the bed, and praying to the Deity of worship for protection, etc. at night before sleeping.
7B. From now on perform spiritual remedies with seriousness for protection from the distress caused by negative energies : To eliminate the distress caused by negative energies, perform spiritual remedies such as chanting, salt-water remedy regularly.
(Details on chanting and salt-water remedy is provided in Sanatan’s Spiritual text ‘Chanting (Volume 3)’ and information on various other spiritual healing remedies is provided on Sanatan.org and SSRF.org.)
7C. Perform the ritual of Agnihotra daily to prevent life-threatening effects of radiation from nuclear weapons which will be used in the coming World War 3.
7D. It is necessary to perform spiritual practice and become a devotee of God to be protected from calamities in the coming terrible adverse times.
7D 1. Perform spiritual practice with seriousness ! : Try to put every aspect of guidance on spiritual practice published in ‘Sanatan Prabhat’ Periodicals into practice meticulously.
7D 2. Individual spiritual practice should be performed systematically : Seekers should try to perform their individual spiritual practice meticulously every day.
8. It is essential to create awareness in society by informing relatives and friends about the coming adverse times, sharing this article with colleagues, etc. This will amount to repaying the debt unto society and will be a part of spiritual practice.
Seekers and readers should keep this article handy to prepare for the coming adverse times courageously !
1. This article has been written to give an idea to some extent on how to prepare for the coming adverse times in some spheres. If experts in the mentioned spheres or seekers have more points in this regard, they may please send us the information to – sankalak.goa@gmail.com within 8 to 10 days. This will help in putting forth the points to the people in detail.
2. A Text giving details on this will be published in the coming 3-4 months; hence, send your points to be included. In this Text, answers to the probable questions pertaining to your points will be provided.
Postal address : Mrs. Bhagyashree Sawant, Sanatan Ashram, 24/B, Ramnathi, Bandora, Ponda, Goa – 403 401.V
Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale