Prajnaparadha is the Sanskrit name of a disease in Ayurveda, the ancient system of Medicine of India.
Following is my reading of its description written by one of the great practitioner of Ayurveda from Kerala, South India, Acharya Raghavan Thirumulpad in Malayalam language from the book Ayurveda Darshanam ( Vision of Ayurveda) published by The State Institute of Languages in 1997.
It is composed of two words
പ്രജ്ഞ ( Prajna) WISDOM
അപരാധ (Aparadha) CRIME
Prajnaparadha are harmful violent actions committed by body, mind and words of a person. When it happens, persons commit crimes or engage in undesirable acts either deliberately or due to ignorance or even knowing well that it is wrong to do so.
When Prajnaparatha happens people exhibit lack of control over emotions, critical thinking, excessive self indulgence in the past experiences. They become easily susceptible to unhealthy behavior patterns and succumb to dangerous actions. In this state of disease people express violent thoughts, actions and words. Such criminal acts, committed due to lack of discernment about oneself and others can destabilize the natural balance of human body and can cause havoc for everybody everything around.
According to this system of thought, Prajnaparadha is the root all diseases.
There are ten such actions committed by body, mind and spoken words identified as the general symptoms of Prajnaparadha.
They are;
Body:
ഹിംസ(Himsa - violence)
സ്തേയം ( Stheyam- stealing)
അന്യഥാ കാമം(Anyadha Kamam - immoral unethical sex)
Mind:
വ്യപാദം(Vyapadam - harmful thoughts about oneself and others),
അഭിധ്യ ( Abhidya - prayers for other’s death and destruction) ,
ദ്രുഗ്വി പര്യയം(Drugwi Paryayam - susceptance towards ideas and ideals of hatred and violence)
Words:
പൈശൂന്യം( ( Paishoonyam - bad mouthing ),
പരുഷം( Parusham - arrogannce) ,
അനൃതം ( Anrutham - lying),
സംഭിന്നാലാപം( Sambhinnalapam - intentionally incoherent and misleading talks to create confusions and divisions among others )
The Opposite state of Prajnaparadha is known as
സ്ഥിത പ്രജ്ഞ (Sthitha Prajna ) is the state when a person leads a healthy state of body, mind and spirit and can be achieved through following practices
ശരീരം Body
അഹിംസ (Ahimsa - Non Violence
ദാനം ( Danam - acts of gift/ philanthropy )
വിഹിത കാമം ( sexual acts within individual, social morals and celibacy)
വാക്ക് Words
ഹിത കഥനം ( Words of inspiration to engage oneself and others in good actions
പ്രിയ കഥനം ( Words of love and happiness )
സത്യ കഥനം ( Words of Truth)
അസംഭിന്നാലാപം( Words of logic, unity and oneness )
മനസ്സ് Mind
ഹിത ചിന്ത ( Thoughts of goodness about oneself and others )
ശുഭ ചിന്ത ( Thoughts of compassion and kindness )
സ്യമഗ് ദർശനം ( Thoughts of equality and Oneness )
In the ideal or perfect state of Sthitha Prajna സ്ഥിത പ്രജ്ഞ , people will be in total harmony with themselves and everything / everyone around, as an integral part of a Greater One or Supreme Conscious , which according to the Ayurveda is the natural state of existence of human beings like all other beings on this planet.
രോഗ ഹേതു
Cause of the disease Prajnaparadha
Ayurveda consider the living physical body as the manifestation of Atma or Spirit , both seen and unseen , known and unknown. The Atma or Spirit is made of five intertwined layers or cells, each interacting with others thereby changing oneself and induce changes in others continuously.
In this concept of physical body or Atma is a cluster of five kinetic cells in continuous motion, the outermost cell is the ശരീരം ( Body) , followed byപ്രാണ ( Prana Breath or life force), മനസ് (Mind), വിജ്ഞാനം (intellect or knowledge), leading to the innermost cell of ആനന്ദ (Ananda or Happiness) .
These five cells represents five basic great elements of life such as Body as Earth, Prana as Air, Mind as Fire, Intellect/ Knowledge as Water and Ananda as Akasha or Sound Space
In its natural state of existence, all these five cells dance together in a perfect balanced rhythm which represents a healthy body when people feel joy or Ananda. In the perfect state of Ananda , a person shall achieve total unity with oneself and everything and everyone around and shall be free from all forms of divisive thoughts and actions and shall experience Supreme Joy.
Any imbalance in the functioning of any of the five cells will affect the entire system which will derail the natural biological functions of the physical body.
Ayurveda terms all the natural biological functions in the human body as Doshas.
There are three types of Doshas - Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Ayurveda consider a healthy physical body is one when all the three Doshas are in a state of natural balance.
As natural creatures with self consciousness, each person has choices and responsibilities to lead a life in balance state of body’s biological functions or Doshas. Failing to practice such natural ways of living, physical bodies will develop multiple imbalances. This imbalances along with external factors such as time and habitat which, a person chose or destined to live are the causative agents of the disease Prajnaparadha.
.ശരീരം The Physical Body Food
ദൃശ്യം ശരീരം What is seen and experienced is the physical body.. Shiva Sutra
The outermost cell of the living Spirit is the physical body or അന്നമായ കോശം ( ANNA MAYA KOSHAM) or Food Cell made of materials drawn from Mother Earth and transform into dancing physical body always in a state of motion to dance with the other great elements of air, fire, water and space/ sound.
While each of these elements retain its own roles and functions in a physical body, it transform continuously and induce changes in all other elements or cells which is called physical growth or ageing of the body.
In its natural balanced state, food cell creates harmony of motion in the body and the person feel happy which is state of living without diseases and disorders. As system of medicine Ayurveda dwell deep into this important aspect of human knowledge and says, “In a balanced state, all the three Doshas of the body or all biological functions perform in its natural ways and body experience comfort and peacefulness”.
What we eat is very important in maintaining the natural balance of the rhythm of the dance of life and when we consume food which disturbs body’s natural system of balance or the biological functions we are prone to Prajnaparadha.
Suresh