WATER-VELLAZM

Dear friends

Today my topic is water- I hope some thing interesting read by me can be shared with you in this posting.
Sincerely
Gopala krishnan 15-3-2011.

1. Water most essential for humans.

Water is considered to be the most essential for human life. A person can survive with out food- but not with out water. The other way-just
drinking water a person can survive a even a week. 

When solid food is not possible to take in, people take liquid food –adding water. Even while taking semi solid food, water has to be taken
in between so that proper digestion takes place. 

Of course there is a view in naturopathy, water should be taken either before or after meals. However in hotels serving naturopathy foods,
THEY ALSO SUPPLY WATER TO THE NEEDY. MAJORITY OF PEOPLE TAKE WATER IN BETWEEN WHILE TAKING MEALS.

We should drink water even before we feel thirsty. By the time we feel thirsty, the reserve water in the body would have been started using
according to medical theory.  

1a. Other beings

Not only humans, animals, birds, plants and trees etc too require water. Some species can survive in water only like fish. We can see garden
plants appear fresh after watering.

2. Source of water

The earliest water used would have been from open water bodies. This is because the earliest civilisation developed along the riverbeds like
Egypt's Nile and our currently dry Saraswathi river. With construction of temples near by water bodies were felt necessary, giving rise to
temple ponds. Either our old temples are close to river or have water ponds and wells. 

2a. Sage Jamadagni story

We have the story of sage Jamadagni asking his children to kill his wife, who could not make out pot on a day to bring water from river for
use in ashram, due to her one moment lack of distraction seeing a bathing Gandharva. This is an instance water is brought from rivers in
early days.

3. Water bodies

The rivers, ponds, streams, lakes, and sea are water bodies. Except in the sea, in other bodies water is not much salty. Though all the
rivers reach sea, the salt content do not reduce in sea. I was thinking the reason in school days but late when I studied absorption of salts
from the deep grounds, I could understand the reason. (Water is not flowing in the sea-It is a storage)

I have learnt more than 70% of earth is with water, but we can use only 1% of it for our use. 

4. Human body

I have learnt more than 70% of our body weight is water. This means if my weight is 70 kg about 50 Kg is water.  But this water is essential
for our body. 

This water manages our sweat.  All fluids in the body are managed by water. It is the water content in the blood makes it circulating. Our
mouth is kept wet by this water. 

Our kidney is always filtering out wastewater from the body with different un wanted salts. This comes out of the body as urine. When we give
urine for analysis the salt content is analysed to regulate the intakes of salt.

5. The milk

Recently I had posted about milk. More than 65% of milk is water. Sugar cane juice is having good content of water. Fruits like lemon,
orange, sathukkudi, mathula etc have a seeing water content. 

6. Water substitute.

The water substitute is ONLY WATER. If we take any other drinks like coffee, tea, or cool drinks, it will be felt thirsty after some time. If
the same quantity of water is consumed the thirst will not appear. 

Here I like to refer Dr Ahilaswamy in KMH Hospital in Chennai. On a discussion he told me- Coffee, tea and cool drinks, which we take, cannot
be considered as part of water we consume a day.

Similarly walking with in house or while shopping or banking etc. cannot be part of our walking.  Morning walk is a separate item and a
continuous one to perform. 

7. How much water to be drank per day 

The answer is to keep the equilibrium of body water. Water is left from the body mainly as sweat, urine, and in motion. But water is also
left from the body through other organs like nose, mouth, eyes etc. 

The normal urine going from the body is calculated as about 1-1.5 litre. People who have been admitted in ICU would have experienced,
measuring of water given and measuring of water going as urine. 

1.5 litre is about ten glasses. It is safe to drink water between 1.5 to 2 litres.

7a. Diabetic patients.

While I have detailed an approximate quantity, the diabetic patients and kidney affected should regulate the water in take as per doctor's
direction. The KIDNEY SHOULD NOT BE PUT TO OVER LOAD.

8. Water purity
If water is not pure, water born diseases like typhoid, pneumonia etc can be occurred. The flowing water in rivers or well water or well-
cleaned pond's water is considered comparatively pure. The rainwater is caught after one or two rains are very pure. I have read in
Lakshadweep rainwater is collected by the inhabitants for drinking. 

We get water in municipal or corporation supply after purifying. Well water is purified if it is salty. In Tamilnadu well water is saltier
comparing to Kerala. This could be due to salt content of earth. While in Kerala well water is preferred to river water, in Tamilnadu it is
the other way. 

The bottled water now common is purified good water. Pure water is taste less.

8a. Cost of purified water.

The cost of purified water varies with water source and method of purification. While normally the one litre bottle cost about 12-15 rupees,
in Chennai central, there is a purifying plant in platform no 5; we can get 3 litres in bottle for Rs 10-00. I think it is installed in a no
profit basis there.

In houses we uses water filter, which remove dissolved elements. But all are not removed. But with Reverse Osmosis plants 80-85% of other
contents are removed. This water is practically tasteless. (What ever the filter, charcoal bits are part of it)

9. Chemistry of water

The water is made up of oxygen and hydrogen. In simple words, H2O. Two molecules (atoms) of Hydrogen combined with one molecule of Oxygen.  

10 Chiratyil vellam urumbinu samudram

This is a saying in Malayalam. For the ant water in a coconut shell is an ocean. For the poor a few thousands is a big debt. For the middle
class a few lakhs. But for the affluent a few crores!!!

11. Vellam vellam sarvathra, thulli kutikkan illathare. 

This is another saying. Water is everywhere but contaminated. Not a drop to drink. However when thirst is more and unbearable, no body can
look for more purity. 

Something similar to diabetic patients using public toilets or public places. Though it can cause urinary infection, having no alternative,
when control is lost any available space is used.

12. Panchathanthra story

In Panchathanthra stories, I have read people have killed camels to drink water when thirst is un controlled, to drink the water stored in
its stomach while travelling in deserts.

13. Watering Tulasi plant.

It is considered sacred to water Tulsi plant in the morning after bath and lighting aarthi in the evening. Tulasi is considered as
incarnation of Lekshmi and watering it amount to asking for her grace.

14.Spending like water

This is another saying when a person spends money like any thing on luxurious things.

15 Boiled water

When water is boiled many impurities get removed and bacteria get destroyed. It is advisable to use boiled water in all seasons after
cooling.

16. Bath

The secondary use of water by humans is for bathing. Bathing gives refreshing for body. It is a practice to take bath in the morning and
evening or at least in the morning. If one has to feel the enjoyment of extreme refresh ness, after tiresome walk he should take bath like in
cool Pampa river during Sabarimalai pilgrimage.

Bath should not be taken after meals immediately.

16a. Washing and cleaning

All washing and cleaning are one only with water. 

17. Jala muneeswar

It is told siddhas called Jalamuneeswar take their penance in still waters in the afternoon. Hence it is not advised to disturb water in the
afternoon in the wells and rivers. 

18. Jalakanteswar

It is seen the deity in Thiruvanaikkavil temple is in water and neck and above seen. The priests there just rub in the granite in front in
joints, and we can see before our eyes water oozing out. 

19 Jalakreeda.

It is told the Gandharvas very much like jalakreeda. I recollect now the scenes from film "Jnan Gandharvan "

20. Jala/Matsya Kanyaka

Jala kanyaka is told as a being half the body of a human women and half like fish. Mahabharatha has reference to Jalakanayaka and Arjuna's
relation ship with her.

21. Incarnations

I will conclude this posting referring first three incarnations- Matsya, Koorma and Varaha are from water.
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