You can also do this during Amavasya and Purnami or the new moon days and the full moon days. But this period from the equinox to solstice is important because if the earth rotates once, you call it a day. If the moon goes around the earth, we call it a month. If the earth goes around the sun, we call it a year. Like this From the smallest to the largest aspect of the physical, everything in physicality is cyclical in nature. And because this human body is just a piece of this planet and the planet is just a small speck in the solar system, the mechanics of the solar system naturally play a role in the mechanics of how human system functions. We fixed the spring equinox.
as an important point because it is a transition from spring to summer. It is a time when the planet is going through important changes in terms of how much solar energy it receives. All life on this planet is solar powered and all life on the planet in the northern hemisphere is responding to this in the summer time because where in the northern hemisphere the first full moon or the new moon after that is generally when the new year starts of the first new moon day or the full moon day after the spring equinox. Well, what I'm telling you is we have instruments of our body and mind which are miracles, both of them. But to make them soar, you must hold it the right way. One simple thing to take care of during the equinoxes is
to keep your hair wet, especially during the Sandhyas or the four times in a day when there's a transitionary period, that is morning, afternoon, evening and midnight. But well, the midnight Sandhya may not be relevant for a whole lot of people. If you cannot manage keeping the hair wet or if time and living here has taken its toll on your hairline, at least the top of the head should be kept wet. You can also do this during Amavasya and Purnami or the new moon days and the full moon days. But this period from the equinox to solstice is important because this is the time the sun's impact is at its peak. So there are many simple things that you should take care of. In southern India, let's say just two decades ago, twenty, thirty years ago, if you looked at people who worked outside,
especially the farmers and the labor who worked outside in the sun. During this period, the pavnami or the full moon day that comes in the month of Chaitra, which in Tamil language people say Chitrai pavnami, from this day onwards till the summer solstice comes, no farmer went out onto the field or no Tamil person at that time went out without applying castor oil which is a very thick oil upon the top of their head because oil is a way of keeping your head wet throughout the day. If you put water, it's gone in ten minutes. So they applied oil before they went out. This was a common sight that farmers always applied castor oil on top of their head. This is very prevalent in southern parts of Karnataka also which I have witnessed in my farms. The labor never came to the farm without oil on top of their head.
This is why the festivals in this culture are set up the way they are. All Indian festivals are calendar-oriented, not belief-oriented. So many simple things were prescribed. For example, the consumption of seasonal fruit and vegetables are a fundamental aspect because what you ingest is as important as how you breathe. Well, if you are from southern India, in this time of the year, people consume what is called as Lakshmi Charu in Andhra Pradesh, Palai Sadam in Tamil Nadu, Kulu in Karnataka. What these things are is, they are cooling agents. They cool the system and they're very rich in B12. The cooling aspect of these foods and B12 rich component is very important when the sun's rays are at a certain level of intensity. So these things they realized long time ago and these things were very ardently followed till recently. But today, you want to eat fruit from New Zealand and pasta from Italy which was cooked three months ago. I don't have anything against these foods or the places. But the important thing is you must understand
what you consume is a fundamental instrument for your well-being. Today we use calendar and weather apps to change our lifestyle. But did you know that ancient indian people watch the movement of the sun to decide their food, sleep, farming, prayer, and even their daily activities. Especially in south India, people change their lifestyle between equinox to solstice. Ancient Indian believed The human body moves in cycles, just like nature. During equinox, day and night become almost equal. This was seen as a time of balance. People started doing body cleansing practices. They eat light food, did fasting, drank herbal drinks, and practiced meditation. They believed that when seasons change, the body's energy also changes. In South India, festivals like Ugadi and Vishu were connected to seasonal change. During this time, people cleansed their homes deeply, ate neem and jaggery, started waking up early with sunrise, did oil massage on the body and ate less spicy food. Why? Because hotter days were coming and they wanted to keep the body cool and balanced. In Ayurveda, this was seen as a seasonal reset for the body. What changed during solstice?
During summer solstice, the year's longest day arrives. Traditional people change their daily routine. They work less during hot afternoons, start work before sunrise, drink buttermilk and cooling herbs, rest during midday, visit temples early in the morning. They believed the sun energy was strongest during this time. Ancient Indian people did not try to fight nature. They lived in harmony with it. Maybe that is why Their lifestyle was not only healthy but also deeply connected to life. Ancient India did not live by the clock, it lived by the sun.
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