Childhood Innate Urge,प्राणिक प्रज्ञता and Bodily Need

baby eating dirt

One of my friends’ daughter has one peculiar habit. She is attracted towards Tulasi like a mad person. As soon as she sniffs Tulasi, she will rush to the plant, pluck few leaves and chew them! This is her daily routine.

This is interesting case. I thought to respond my friend.

First of all – this is not addiction. This is innate urge. Addiction is conscious action. Innate urge is blind natural force driving you! Children below 7 are pure and natural. Their urge is sending important message about body physiology, including Pranamay kosha.

Some infants intuitively eat soil. Some eat lime chalk. They do it due to lack of wholesomeness. They lack something. Some material nutrients and some emotional. Who drives their under-development senses and intellect and take such intelligent decisions?

प्राणमय शरीर.

As we grow, we lose our प्राण. But we hardly get engaged in प्राण refilling. प्राणायाम was not some exclusive fancy exercise that some Baba advertise and we perform in garden or 5 Star resort (call it Ashram 😉 ). Sometimes, we lose more than our refilling capacity so impact is never observed. Since refilling is not happening, we slowly lose our intuitive intelligence. So our Gut feeling or hunch hardly works 🙂 It gives wrong directions. Wrong decisions. Vicious cycle. Day comes when even we cannot perform simple wound healing. Doctors call it Diabetes.

Got it? It is प्राणमय शरीर that takes care अन्नमय कोश. Pay attention to it!

Refilling should be performed for each शुभ action,daily. For all time and mission critical activities, we seek help from friends and relatives and perform Yajna together so overall local environment’s प्राण refilling happen. For example, वास्तु पूजन or सत्यनारायण कथा etc.

Now lets go back to case of Tulasi eating urge.

I see two reasons behind this obsession. It could be either of it or both.

Past life Karma. Some connection with the plant retained in this life. It may go away as the girl will grow up.
Imbalance in Tridosha, balanced accidentally by eating Tulasi and then body recorded it as shortcut. Forcing body to take same action repeatably. Neuro-associative conditioned reactions.

What is Tulasi?

सुरसा तुळसी कृष्णा चक्रपर्णी सुमञ्जरी।
भूतप्रिया नागमाता तुळसी सुरसाग्रणी॥
द्वितीया सुरसा गौरी श्वेता सुरभिमञ्जरी।
श्रीमञ्जरी भूतकेशी तुळसी सुरसाग्रणी॥ (मदननिघण्टु)
सुरसस्तुळसी सुरभी गौरी सुमञ्जरी कृष्णा।
बहुमञ्जर्यलसा श्री भूतघ्नी देव(दुन्दु)भिः सुरसी॥
अपेतराजसी चेति कथ्यतेऽरुचिपत्रिका।
विष्णुप्रिया नागमाता शब्दैः पर्यायवाचकैः॥
एतैरेवोच्यते गौरसुरसो नामकोविदैः।
नामभिर्गौरसंयुक्तैर्यथा स्यात् गौरमञ्जरी॥ (अ.म)
तुळसी सुरसा ग्राम्या सुलभा बहुमञ्जरी।
अपेतराक्षसी गौरी शूलघ्नी देवदुन्दुभिः॥ (भावप्रकाशिका)
तुळसी सुभगा तीव्रा पावनी विष्णुवल्लभा।
सुरेज्या सुरसा ज्ञेया कायस्था सुरदुन्दुभी॥
सुरभिर्बहुपत्री च मञ्जरी सा हरिप्रिया।
अपेतराक्षसी श्यामा गौरी त्रिदशमञ्जरी॥
भूतघ्नी पूतपत्री च ज्ञेया चैकोनविंशतिः। (राजनिघण्टु)
सुगन्धा तिक्तकटुका कृमिकुष्ठप्रणाशिनी।
कासहिक्काश्वासहरा तुळसी विषनाशिनी॥ (मदननिघण्टु)
तुळसी कटुका तिक्ता हृद्योष्णा दाहपित्तकृत्।
दीपनी कुष्ठकृच्छ्रास्रपार्श्वरुक्कफवातजित्॥
शुक्ळा कृष्णा च तुळसी गुणैस्तुल्या प्रकीर्त्तिता। (भावप्रकाशिका)
तुळसी लघुरुष्णा च रूक्षा कफविनाशिनी।
कृमिदोषं निहन्त्येषा रुचिकृत् वह्निदीपनी॥ (धन्वन्तरिनिघण्टु)
तुळसी कटुतिक्तोष्णा सुरभिः श्ळेष्मवातजित्।
जन्तुभूतकृमिहरा रुचिकृद्वातशान्तिकृत्॥ (राजनिघण्टु)
श्वेता कृष्णा च तुळसी कटूष्णा चोषणा जगुः।
दाहपित्तकरी हृद्या तुवरा ह्यग्निदीपिका॥
लघ्वी वातकफश्वासकासहिध्माकृमीन् जयेत्।
वान्तिदौर्गन्ध्यकुष्ठानि पार्श्वशूलविषापहा॥
मूत्रकृच्छ्रं रक्तदोषं भूतबाधां च नाशयेत्।
शूलं ज्वरं च हिक्कां च नाशयेदिति कीर्त्तिता॥ (निघण्टुरत्नाकरः)
तुळसी पित्तकृत् वातकृमिदौर्गन्ध्यनाशिनी।
पार्श्वशूलारतिश्वासकासहिक्काविकारजित्॥ (राजवल्लभः)
तुळसी तुवरा तिक्ता तीक्ष्णोष्णा कटुपाकिनी।
रूक्षा हृद्या लघुः कट्वी दाहपित्ताग्निवर्धनी॥
जयेद् वातकफश्वासकासहिध्मावमिकृमीन्।

Kapha Vinashini – balances Kapha dosha, useful to relieve excess sputum production
Krumidosha, Krumihara – Anti microbial. Tulsi plant is one of the best anti viral herbs of Ayurveda.
Ruchikrut – improves taste, relieves anorexia
Agnivardhini, Vahni Deepani – improves digestion strength
Tuvara – astringent
Tikta – bitter
Hrudya – acts as cardiac tonic, congenial for heart, useful to relieve cholesterol deposition in blood vessels.
Dahavardhini – increases burning sensation
Shwasahara – useful in treatment of asthma and chronic respiratory disorders.
Kasahara – useful in cough and cold
Hidhmahara – useful in repeated hiccups
Vamihara – relieves vomiting
Parshvaruk – relieves pain in flanks
Kushta – useful in skin diseases with pain and itchiness
Visha – anti toxic
Kruchra –relieves difficulty in urination
Ashma – useful in kidney and bladder stones
Druk – useful in infectious eye disorders
Bhutahara – useful in psychiatric disorders
As per Bhavaprakasha, both white and black varieties have similar qualities.

Effect on Tridosha –
Vatahara, Kaphahara – balances Vata and Kapha Dosha
Pittavardhini – increases Pitta dosha

[More detail here : http://easyayurveda.com/2014/11/13/tulsi-ocimum-sanctum-benefits-research-side-effects/]

Connect the dots. Observe the patient. So now my job is easy. As a case study, I will observe the girl child, determine her Prakriti and validate it with seasoned Vaidhya.

Before you scold your child for addictive obsessive actions, learn to decipher root cause. You will be surprised to find root cause!

Educational Evangelists and History of Sanskrit Dictionary

संस्कृत गोवीथि : : गव्य ४० (पुराण विशेष) :: वृक्ष प्रतिष्ठा