How to purify your past to brighten the future

We have seen that karma, heredity and personality all matter when it comes to shaping the future. Since our attempt is to make our future brighter, one of the obvious things we have to do is work on removing the obstacles that come in the way of a positive result.

We know that the body is controlled by genetic material, that is, chromosomes and DNA. DNA is a blueprint. It functions when the body is able to make a replica of it for application when required. This replica is called RNA. It is RNA that is responsible for the karma in our bodies and in our behaviour (or attitude) for our lives. 

So if we want to change some hereditary patterns and even our concepts about the soul and life (since those come from our personality or individuality), we need to work on DNA-RNA.

It has been seen that through love, devotion and service beyond the self in society, we are actually able to change these ingrained responses and programmes in our lives – in effect, they don’t change the DNA, perhaps, but the way DNA responds to RNA, which is actually responsible for our lives. Based on this concept, rishis in ancient times began to design rituals and cultural or community activities, types of music and sound programmes, meditation, etc. 

We can see that these have not been designed to earn any patents or for personal gain for them or their own children. It has been done simply to encourage positive change in individuals and in society, for the love of mankind. All these rituals have meaning and provide results. All we have to do to begin causing positive change is understanding and utilising our own heritage.

One of the important things discovered by the rishis is that there are patterns, cycles and repetitions in the universe. They managed to understand that things are not random, and that if we aligned ourselves with these cycles, it would be of great benefit in every way and lead us to a holistic and successful existence. 

According to these patterns, the science of astronomy was developed to a high degree and the measurement of time designed accordingly in the form of months and seasons in the yearly cycle. Cosmic behaviour was connected with earthly and human behaviour. Just like when scientists want to land a vehicle on the moon, they choose a suitable time when the distance between earth and the moon is small and other environmental factors are in favour of the exercise. The programmes and energies of a non-material nature also have suitable and unsuitable parts in their patterns. 

One of these is related to our ancestral programme, and the suitable time in the yearly cycle to help remove any obstacles in it is during the period we call Pitrupaksha, a fortnight in the lunar month of Bhadrapad.  

It is interesting to note that such a ‘time of the ancestors’ is practised in many parts of the world, after the rains or before winter. The latitudes and longitudes of their locations would be the reason why they are not at the exact time as Pitrupaksha in our part of the world. 

To do anything there must be an established technique. For example, a psychiatrist may ask someone who has tremendous anger towards another to beat up a pillow with the other person’s picture on it. We do that in life too when banging a door or storming away, when we feel provoked and want to hit someone.

Creating a model is also a technique. It provides a place to create impressions required to make changes in our life programmes. This model should be able to carry impressions. Therefore, we use organic elements – earth and water – which are also the two main supporting elements of the human body. 

As explained earlier, we have already worked on these two elements during the Ganesh festival.  We have put all our desires, services and family and community values, expressed our love and concentrated them on the idol of Shree Ganesh. 

ALSO READ: Part II: How to purify your past to brighten the future

The author is founder of Atmasantulana Village, a world-renowned holistic healing centre. Email: ayurveda@dnaindia.net