Manorama: What Almonds and Sanskrit Have in Common

As a young kid, I knew nothing about almonds except, of course, that I liked eating them.

My grandma always had a dish laid out on her coffee table with a mix of shelled nuts. I recall enjoying the action of cracking the nuts and popping them into my mouth each time we visited her.

When I was 13 years old I met a yogi. His ashram was near my grandparents’ house. His name is Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati. He was a medical doctor, a brain surgeon, and a psychiatrist. I called him Guru ji, respected teacher. Guru ji held a Ph.D. in Sanskrit. To spend time with this mystical man was to study health in its deepest form. He would share the ways of eastern philosophy in an old school traditional style. When I began studying with him, he taught me about Sanskrit mantras and grammar and taught me to be mindful in all of my actions, including cooking and eating.

About six years ago, my mother suddenly became extremely ill and passed away from cancer in her chest. Although they couldn’t diagnose the exact type of cancer she had, it was clear that a lifestyle of poor eating and stress had been contributing factors in her illness. After she passed, I became deeply interested in nutrition and particularly in what foods could prevent or reverse the growth of cancer in the body. In my research, I discovered that regular consumption of almonds can have an amazing effect on the body and has been found to reduce cancer that is present in the body. I also learned that it can be supportive in the prevention of it.

Medical News Today says that researchers at the University of California, Davis, conducted a study to determine the effect of almonds on colon cancer. According to the authors, the results suggested that “almond consumption may reduce colon cancer risk and does so via at least one almond lipid-associated component.” Their research was published in the journal Cancer Letters.

It seems that eating almonds not only affects colon cancer, but others, as well. So the next time you feel hungry, instead of reaching for chips, grab a handful of almonds, or better yet, soak some almonds the night before, rinse the soaking water off, and nosh on the bowl of soaked almonds throughout the day. It might just support your health overall.

My Guru, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, taught me to be curious about things that are healing, like food, and consciousness. “Sanskrit,” he would say, “is a language of consciousness. It is a language of vibration. And that vibration is healing.” Just as almonds contain nutrients, which when eaten can remove toxins from the body, in the same way Sanskrit sounds have coded within them vibrations that when chanted shift the inner state of the individual from negative and stressed to a positive calmer state.

The more you decrease stress in your life, the less acid will build up in your system. Chanting Sanskrit mantras regularly brings greater ease on a daily basis, which leads to a reduction of stress. When stress lessens, the acidic build up born from stress, that can cause illness dissipates. Chanting a Sanskrit mantra each day and sitting for a moment to feel its effects on your mind and body supports ease in your body and mind, which like almonds support the prevention of various types of inflammation instigated illnesses, including cancer.

Mini Sanskrit Mantra Practice with Manorama

OM
Namo Devyai Mahā Devyai     
Śivāyai Satatam Namah

Reverence to the cosmic mother, again and again, who represents peace, tranquility and the balance in all of manifestation.

1.    Say the above mantra 3 x’s each morning
2.    Sit for 5 minutes after saying this mantra and feel its quieting effects
3.    Take this calm feeling into your day and into all the actions you engage.
4.    Notice the effects of the Sanskrit mantra.

Copyright 2022 Luminous Shabda, Sanskrit Studies & Manorama

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