Mahashatavdhan

Dr Sudhir Shah
(M.D., D.M.)
 Hon. Neurologist to H.E. Governor of Gujarat
 Director of Neurosciences : Sterling Hospital
 Head of Department ,Neurology : V. S. Hospital

www.sudhirneuro.org

4th March, 2012 Mumbai, India

Towards Powerful Cognition
Plan of My Talk
 Memory function

 Tips to improve memory

 Jain view
Human Brain Capacity
 Human brain has roughly 100 billion (1011)
neurons and 100 trillion (1014) synapses
 One can store enormous facts e.g. 90 million
books each having 1000 pages
 One can hold approximately seven items
in short-term memory for about 20 to 30 seconds
 It is known that we severely underutilize our
brain
Brain VS Computer
 The brain is much, much bigger than any
[current] computer
 Accurate biological models of the brain would
have to include some 225,000,000,000,000,000
(225 million billion) interactions between cell
types, neurotransmitters, Neuro modulators,
axonal branches and dendritic spines
 No hardware/software distinction can be made
with respect to the brain or mind
 Brains are analogue; computers are digital
Brain VS Computer
 The brain is a massively parallel machine;
computers are modular and serial
 Processing speed is not fixed in the brain;
 Short-term memory is not like RAM
 Synapses are far more complex than electrical
logic gates
 Unlike computers, processing and memory are
performed by the same components in the brain
 The brain is a self-organizing system
What is Memory?

 Memory is a specific cognitive function: the

storage and retrieval of information

 As such, it is the prerequisite for learning, the

building block of all human knowledge
Limbic System & Memory
 Certain structures of the limbic system are
involved in memory function

 These large limbic system structures are

AMYGDALA and HIPPOCAMPUS
Limbic System
The Hippocmapus

The Hippocampus Plays

an important role in
consolidating
information from
short-term memory
into long-term
memory and retrieves
them when necessary
The Amygdala

The Amygdala is
responsible for
determining what
memories are stored
and where the
memories are stored in
brain & responsible for
emotional memories
Cohen and Squire, 1980 Memory

Declarative Non-declarative

 Available to conscious retrieval  Experience-induced change in

behaviour

 Can be declared (propositional)

 Cannot be declared (procedural)

 Examples
 Examples
 “What did I eat for breakfast?”  Subliminal advertising

(episodic) (priming)
 “What is the capital of Spain?”  How to ride a bicycle?

(semantic) (skills)
 “What did I just say?”  Phobias

(working) (conditioning)
Mati Gyan + Shrut Gyan
What Is Working Memory ?

 A combination of
– Attention
– Concentration
– Short-term memory

 The ability to temporarily maintain and

manipulate information
Working Memory
 The Prefrontal Cortex
 With more difficult tasks involving bilateral brain
activation
 The number of activated brain regions in the
prefrontal cortex increases as the complexity of
the task increases.
 In Munishri, the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus
& amygdala must have been very well
developed…..
 Hypothesized Memory Processes:
Encoding, Consolidation, and Retrieval
 Encoding, Consolidation and
Retrieval of Declarative Memories
Shatavadhani
 Shrimad Rajchandra (1867-1901)
 Shatavadhani Dr.R.Ganesh ( 1981)
 Muni Mahendra Kumar (1957)
 Sathavathani Sheikh Thambi Pavalar (1874-
1950)
 Shri Manek Muniji Maharaj (1991)
  Shatavadhan And Above
 Dr. Garikipati Narasimha Rao (2002)
 Dr. Medasani Mohan (1996)
 Dr. Nagaphani Sarma (2000)
 Kadimalla Varaprasad
 Yashodevsuri Ma. Saheb
 Dharmsuri Ma. Saheb
 Nirmalashriji
 Munishri Ajitchandrasagarji Maharaj ( D/O
Panyasshree Naychandra Sagarji Maharaj)
Scientific Tips For
Higher Cognition
 Repetition  Be Positive
 Symbolization  Be Interested
 Association  Be Attentive
 Visualisation  Be Active
 Remove stress  Be Relaxed & Happy
 Neurobics  Be yourself
Limitations of Scientific
Knowledge
 Laws of Conservation defined only for physical
systems which are closed and passive
 Biological systems are open systems
 Constantly interacting with the environment
 Human beings have memory, which makes it
difficult to do any scientific experiment on them
Jain view
 Gyanavarniyakarma xayopasham
Worship of Gyan, Gyani & tools of Gyan.

 Linked with Past birth achievements

 Ways shown to lead to kevalgyana

Jain (Oriental-Spiritual) View to
Achieve Higher Cognition
 Maun (silence)
 Brahamcharya (celibacy)
 Sadhna (austerity)
 Tapasya (penance)
 Pratyahaar ( Control of Senses)
 Vinay (politeness)
 Mantrajap (chanting)
 Swadhyaya (spiritual reading)
 Constant Abhyas ( Repeatition)
 Dhyana (Meditation)
Spiritual Order and
Shatavadhanies
 Shatavdhanies’ spiritual practices involve all these
disciplines
 By these mind goes into low entropy state &
tremendous data can be stored and recalled
efficiently
 Involves parapsychology like telepathy and
clairvoyance
 It will provide new direction of evolution which is
very different from Darwin’s principle of evolution
 It is a big challenge for the modern science
Shri Pokharna
Jain’s Theory of Knowledge Through
Consciousness

 As per modern science, knowledge is nothing but

information organized in some way and information
is nothing but data organized in some way
 We can collect data and generate information and
knowledge through consciousness
 So all knowledge is structured in the consciousness
 Hence the Jain concept that knowledge is structured
in the consciousness is very logical, as
demonstrated by shatavadhanies
 However final destination is Kevalgyan
Role of Subconscious Mind
Subconscious Mind
 The subconscious (preconscious) mind is part of
the conscious mind and includes our memory.
These memories are not conscious, but we can
retrieve them to conscious awareness at any time
 Your subconscious mind remembers everything
even those things that have entirely by-passed
your conscious awareness
 So boosting Subconscious mind can be powerful
memory tool…..by spiritual practices like
meditation, silence, etc.
Suggested Hypothesis
 There may be opening of Millions of Synapses
 Increased function of Neurotransmitters
 More use of Association areas
 Role of Prefrontal cortex, as it is more developed
in animals with higher intelligence
 Formation of G Module and extraordinary tracks
of neurons
 Development of new storage areas
Memory and Gene
 Neuroscientists identified a master controller of
memory
 Npas4  gene appears to regulate the brain’s
ability to form new memories
 So by increasing this Gene Expression one can
make powerful memory
 Genes Molecules Synapses Neurons
systems Networks Behaviour
"We remember what we understand; we
understand only what we pay
attention to; we pay attention to what
we want" - Edward Bolles
The Value of Chunking

 You have 5 seconds

to memorize as much
as you can
 Then, draw an empty
chess board and
reproduce the
arrangement of pieces
Thank you