Rising drug and social media addiction among youth
Drug abuse is one of the top problems confronting the nation and world today, especially among the youth. Incidents of drug and alcohol abuse and related anti-social behaviour have tremendously increased in recent years. This has become a matter of concern to the government, parents, teachers, non-governmental organisations, and enforcement agencies.
Drug abuse has no single cause. Peer influence is one of the many causes of drug abuse among the youth. Most youngsters are pulled into drugs by those they associate with. Deviant behaviour is learnt without many biological and psychological defects. Impersonal agencies of communication, such as social media, movies, television, radio, and newspapers, play an important role in the genesis of antisocial behaviour. All these factors have resulted in a rapid increase in production, distribution, and consumption of multiple drugs of dependence.
Age-old taboos and traditional social control mechanisms have become irrelevant due to Western education and values, opening the door to permissiveness, which has led the youth to indulge in antisocial behaviour, including drug abuse. Parents are helpless to discipline their children. Some of the youth live far away from their parents, either in school or other learning institutions, which makes disciplining impossible. Lack of parental care due to the working situation of the mother or both parents, and the disintegration of the joint family system, have worsened the problem.
The social support assets like family, neighbourhood, school, community, social networks, and religious support mechanisms are not geared up to tackle these new challenges. Professional medical treatment is expensive, which many households simply cannot afford. Also, there is no guarantee of full recovery, nor can relapse be ruled out. In response to this, religious organizations have come up with programmes aimed at mitigating alcohol and drug abuse.
The role of religiosity in treating substance abuse has not been tapped and explored in depth in India. Health care professionals, psychologists, and counsellors who are working with people affected by drug and substance abuse should understand the role of religion in substance abuse treatment. Religion-based drug and substance use interventions that are structured into any religious-derived therapy protocols, within the care framework for patients in recovery, are not only inexpensive but can also prove effective.
The celebrated ‘Narayaneeyam’ composed by Sri Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri was cured of his Vatha Roga (rheumatism) by composing and singing Narayaneeyam in front of Lord Krishna at Guruvayur Temple. Narayan Bhattathiri was born in 1560 AD and mastered the scriptures by the age of 16. He became a great scholar of repute. About ten years later, his Guru was affected by rheumatism, and Narayana Bhattathiri prayed to the Lord to relieve his Guru of the disease and transfer it to him. His prayer was answered. His Guru regained health, and instead the disease came to Narayana Bhattathiri! But he had the deep faith that his prayer to get cured would be heard, and he would be relieved of the disease. Hence, he decided to surrender himself at the feet of Lord Krishna in the temple of Guruvayur and seek the Lord’s blessings. He composed and rendered one ‘Dashakam’ each day to the Lord. A ‘Dashakam’ refers to a composition of ten verses or stanzas dedicated to a Hindu deity. Thus, in 100 days of sincere worship, Narayaneeyam, consisting of 100 Dashakams, was composed.
At the end of each Dashakam, each day, he would pray for the mercy and kindness of the Lord to cure his disease. On the 100th day, the Lord blessed him with His vision. Bhattathiri was overwhelmed with ecstasy, and in the 100th Dashakam, he cries out – ‘Agre Pashyami’ – here I see him in front of me – and he gives a vivid description of the most enchanting form of the Lord he saw – from head to foot – ‘Keshaadi Paadam’. From that day, his ailments totally vanished, and he was cured completely.
Narayana Bhattathiri composed Narayaneeyam at the age of 27 years. With the Lord’s grace showering on him, he lived as a respected philosopher, poet, and saint to the ripe age of 96 years. He has to his credit many masterly compositions of poetry, essays, and books on philosophy and Sanskrit grammar.
Reading the Narayaneeyam is said to possess the miraculous power of healing all illnesses, both mental and physical. Daily reading of the work with devotion helps the devotees to attain good health and vitality.
Chanting Sriman Narayaneeyam, especially Dashakam 8 Shloka 13, 108 times a day for 48 days, will cure all diseases and disorders, both physical and mental afflictions. Sri Kanchi MahaPeriyava Sri Sri Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati Swamigal has recommended chanting this shloka every day. The celebrated verse is as follows:
Sanskrit:
अस्मिन् परात्मन् ननु पाद्मकल्पे त्वमित्थमुत्थापितपद्मयोनि: ।
अनन्तभूमा मम रोगराशिं निरुन्धि वातालयवास विष्णो ॥१३॥
English:
asmin parātman nanu pādmakalpe
tvamitthamutthāpitapadmayoni: |
anantabhūmā mama rogarāśiṃ
nirundhi vātālayavāsa viṣṇo ||13||
The above Verse no. 13 from the 8th Dashakam of Narayaneeyam is a summary of the entire Bhaagavat Purana. This particular Shloka, which is the 13th one from Dashakam 8, is a supplication to the Supreme Being for relief from illness. This Dashakam is to be chanted by the person who is afflicted by disease because it says, ‘You may remove all my afflictions’. This shloka is popularly known by its first line as the “Asmin paraathman” shloka.
Challenging situations, like addictions, occur all of a sudden in life. They appear without any warnings at all. Anything can happen to anyone at any time. The lack of basic spiritual knowledge and understanding of the Self and the mind leads to fear, hatred, anger, jealousy, and sadness, which in turn leads to various kinds of addictions. The Holy Narayaneeyam is one of the greatest gifts to mankind. It teaches its readers the most important skill of mastering one’s own mind and helps them deftly handle even the most difficult of situations, live a healthy, peaceful, and prosperous life, and achieve great Karmic progress.
Drug addiction and social media addiction are destroying our youth. Every physician and counsellor is striving hard to find a perfect yet simple solution to give relief to thousands of afflicted youth. Rehabilitation centres are beyond the means of the common man. A simple prayer, chanted for a few minutes, with deep devotion and humility, could be the ultimate universal remedy to combat drug addiction and social media addiction. Narayaneeyam, verse number 13 from the 8th Dashakam, could be the ultimate broad-spectrum antidote for all kinds of addictions.
Why is the importance of reciting the verse in temples? Most ancient Hindu temples are built on geo-magnetically significant points on Earth, such as intersections of energy meridians and locations near the magnetic equator, and the construction is based on the Vedic Agama Shastra, which incorporates energy flow, solar alignment, and vibration resonance to create powerful energy points. For absorbing cosmic energy, temples extensively use gold, silver, and copper metals, which are also efficient energy conductors. The mantras that are chanted inside the Garbha Griha (sanctum sanctorum) create unique sound vibrations.
The devotee entering the temple precincts is stepping into a confluence zone of energies, comprising the intermingling of cosmic energy, material energy, geo-magnetic energy, sound vibrations, human energy, fire energy (extensive use of lamps), and water energy (as most Hindu rituals use the water element copiously). In some temples, even wind energy is harnessed. For quick absorption of these energies by the human body, our forefathers, including ladies, did not wear any upper garments, and also did not dry their bodies after bathing. Worship inside the temples was done by wearing wet clothes, as river, pond, and lake water are good energy conductors because they contain dissolved salts and minerals, which provide ions that can carry energies. The impurities in natural water create a path for the flow of energies.
The present trend of youngsters reluctant to remove their shirts is because of ignorance and poor knowledge of the modalities of Temple worship. Any devotee standing in front of the sanctum sanctorum, wearing minimal wet clothes, and chanting Narayaneeyam, verse number 13 from the 8th Dashakam, has the unique advantage of directly absorbing multifarious beneficial energies, which can cleanse the body physically and mentally. No affliction or addiction can withstand the power of energetic prayer.
Further, in ancient Vedic traditions and practices, prayers recited during the Brahma Muhurta attain enhanced power and effectiveness. It is referred to as the ‘creator’s hour’. The Brahma Muhurta is a segment of time before dawn. It starts approximately 1 hour and 36 minutes before sunrise and can change according to the different seasons. The Brahma Muhurta is considered one of the best times to start a new yogic practice. It is the ideal time for deep spiritual practices, meditation, dhyana, and sadhana.
Before concluding, readers should also understand the futility of putting money into the innumerable Hundis placed inside the sanctum sanctorum of temples, by greedy governments and the politicians behind many dubious programs. A new scheme initiated by the Marxist government in Kerala is a payment of Rupees one crore for a devotee, for getting direct access to ‘Darshan’ at Sabarimala! All the rush engineered in Hindu Temples across India is managed by political parties and temple employees who are all party workers. Pilgrims are compelled to wait in massive numbers or forced to pay for tickets for ‘paid-Darshan’. Do the cosmic energy, geo-magnetic energy, fire energy, water, wind, and sound energies need money? Depositing money in Hundis cannot cure any physical or mental ailments or addictions. Energies permeating inside Temples do not need either currency notes or coins.
The ‘Phala Shruthi’ or benefits of listening to Narayaneeyam is Ayush (Longevity), Arogyam (Health), and Soukhyam (Well-being), as evidenced by the author Melpathur himself. Rehabilitation centres, clinics, and hospitals should arrange for including daily recitation or listening to the Narayaneeyam, verse number 13 from the 8th Dashakam, in addiction treatment protocols.
The life of Melpathur Sri Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri, and his epic composition Srimad Narayaneeyam, perfectly exemplifies the quote of E.M. Bounds – “Prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them; outlive a generation, outlive an age, outlive a world.”
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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