A Natural Lifestyle for Complete Health

My respectful greetings to all my dear health-seeking friends and kindred spirits. Among everything in the entire universe, creation itself is the greatest wonder, and within it, human birth is the most exalted. For the survival and well-being of this precious human life, the greatest divine blessing bestowed upon us by God is Nature. For thousands and millions of years, it is Nature that has protected humanity—and continues to do so even today.

For all of humanity, Mother Nature alone has been the eternal guide. The entire animal kingdom stands as living proof of this truth. Such a constant teacher gives us lessons every single day—yet unfortunately, they fail to become meaningful lessons for us. We do not truly see them.

As a result, day by day, we are walking further along the path of disease. Even if there is just one sick or unhealthy person in a household, peace disappears and happiness fades. Today, we are once again witnessing the unfortunate reality of such disease patterns spreading across entire societies. The recently concluded 20th century itself stands as evidence of this.

Today, as a new dawn breaks, we welcome a new millennium. We have stepped into a great century. In the previous century, remarkable experiments were carried out in the field of natural medicine. Among them, my own personal experiment became my guiding light—an experience, a realization, and a powerful signpost toward complete health.

It became clearly evident that our daily lifestyle and routine themselves are nourishing disease. With this realization, considering it a sacred duty, we carried out a widespread health awareness movement throughout the state—reaching thousands of people through lectures and through the books I authored, sharing these beneficial results far and wide.

Beyond all this, the laws of Nature belong to everyone—to all of us. Health is connected to the mind, the mind is connected to the human being, and the human being has an inseparable relationship with Nature. This is a bond that spans lifetimes—a deep and eternal connection. One who separates from this bond becomes unhealthy.

With the resolve that this should not continue in the new century, we have undertaken this movement of natural living. In this great mission, on this noble journey, I earnestly wish that every individual in society may attain complete health, transform their home, their society, and their nation into a strong and healthy system, protect the environment, live in harmony with Nature, and enjoy a long and healthy life for a hundred years.

Message from the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh

For our nation to progress in all spheres, it is essential that all citizens remain healthy. The government is extending significant support to the medical and healthcare sectors. Along with modern medical systems, it is also actively promoting indigenous systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Homeopathy, and Unani in every possible way.

Over generations, we have gradually forgotten our traditional practices and lifestyle disciplines that were handed down to us. These very traditions constitute the natural way of living. The food we eat daily, the water we drink, and the air we breathe—these are the fundamental pillars of our health. When we protect our environment and follow nature-based living practices while consuming clean and wholesome food, positive results become clearly visible.

If we consistently adopt healthy and practical natural healthcare practices within our own homes, we can attain complete health, peace, and happiness. In recent times, the selfless services of Dr. Manthena Satyanarayana Raju, who has been widely spreading awareness of the natural way of living among the masses and helping countless people attain good health, are truly commendable.

1. Why Complete Health?

Our elders rightly said, ‘Health is the greatest wealth.’ Unfortunately, modern man neither allocates time in his daily life to maintain health, nor takes it up as a goal, nor makes even a single step forward in that direction. Instead, by indulging in momentary pleasures, he distances himself from lasting and infinite happiness.

Among all living beings, human birth is the highest and has been bestowed upon us as a great blessing. Temporary pleasures such as food, sleep, and physical indulgence are enjoyed not only by humans but also by animals. If we become slaves to these fleeting pleasures and restrict ourselves to them alone, then despite having attained human birth after leaving behind animal existence, there remains no real difference between animal life and this exalted human life.

Because of mistakes made in diet, lifestyle, and thought patterns, modern man fails to attain enduring happiness at both the physical and mental levels. Mistaking temporary pleasures for ultimate happiness, he completes his hundred-year lifespan without fulfilling the true purpose for which he was born.

After passing through 84 lakh (8.4 million) births, the human body has been granted to us to achieve a higher ultimate goal. This body must be used only as a means to attain that goal. The scriptures clearly state that we are different from the body, and the body is different from us. If we are to reach our destination using this body as a vehicle, then this vehicle must be in good condition and healthy. A journey cannot be comfortable in a poorly maintained vehicle, can it?

Only complete health can enable a person to travel smoothly through a hundred-year life journey and reach the intended destination. Our elders declared, “Śarīram ādyam khalu dharma-sādhanam” — the body is the primary instrument for the practice of dharma. Human birth is not meant merely for cooking and consuming various delicacies, sleeping, passing time in comfort, or destroying the body through diseases. It is meant for the practice of dharma.

To practice dharma, the body must always remain healthy. If only the body is healthy, that is merely physical health — it is not complete. If only the mind is healthy, that too is incomplete. Only when both the body and the mind are healthy does a person attain complete health.

This state of complete health should be present in every individual, every single day. Only then can a person fully apply effort in whichever field they belong to, achieve progress, and make meaningful use of life itself.

2. Why the Natural Way of Living?

Nature is composed of the five elements — earth, water, air, fire, and space. These are known as the Pancha Bhootas. The human body, too, is formed of these same five elements. That is why our elders said that whatever occurs in the macrocosm (the universe or nature) also takes place in the microcosm — the human body.

Just as nature holds a sacred and pure place, the human body, which is born from nature, nurtured by it, and ultimately merges back into it, is equally sacred. Therefore, there is no separation between nature and human beings — they are one and the same. Those who realized this truth — our ancestors and sages — learned to revere the powers and intelligence of nature and to live in harmony with it. Because of this cooperation with nature, they were able to live long, healthy, and disease-free lives.

All 84 lakh (8.4 million) species in creation are formed of the five elements and live in accordance with nature. That is why animals do not require medical systems, hospitals, doctors, or medicines to remain healthy. They live naturally and remain largely free from disease. Only human beings have strayed from this path.

Yielding to temptations, humans eat not what the body truly needs but what merely pleases the tongue. They digest food without physical effort, fail to drink what should be drunk, do not allow the body adequate rest, and neglect the proper elimination of waste. By repeatedly violating the natural laws of the body, humans damage themselves daily — suffering personally and causing suffering to others — while living in opposition to nature and surrounded by disease.

This suffering is the penalty imposed by nature for violating its laws and the laws of the human body. The only refuge from this punishment is to return to faith in the natural way of living. Diseases are increasing day by day because humans have abandoned natural principles in their pursuit of health through artificial means. As a result, even basic peace and happiness have become scarce in modern life.

The root cause of today’s social and health problems lies in the unnatural changes we have introduced into our lifestyle. To free ourselves from these problems, adopting a wholesome and natural way of life is absolutely essential.

In countries like the United States — where the number of diseases and patients continues to rise — people are gradually realizing this truth. They are now turning toward yoga postures, pranayama, meditation, consuming raw vegetables and sprouted grains, drinking water properly, and reducing or eliminating meat consumption—slowly moving closer to natural principles. Ironically, we have failed to reclaim our own ancient sage traditions that once guided the world.

Those who awaken even now and realize that the solution to their problems lies within themselves and within their own homes are truly fortunate. How many diseases we have, which systems they belong to, or how long we have suffered from them — these are not the real issues. If the mind changes, solutions to all problems exist within the natural way of living.

Since human beings are endowed with intelligence, if we use our knowledge and reasoning correctly and nurture health and positive thinking through natural living, humanity itself begins to blossom within us. That is true human progress.

3. The Natural Method Is the Foundation of All Medical Systems

Every human body possesses an innate power to prevent disease. Likewise, when illness occurs, the Creator has endowed the body with the ability to heal itself. All other living beings make full use of this power and opportunity, remaining healthy without dependence on doctors, medical systems, or medicines.

For our naturally designed body, nature itself is the true doctor. Whenever a physical problem arises, the first opportunity to heal must be given to the body itself. If the body’s immunity (disease-resisting power) is weak, no medical system can function effectively. Through the Natural Method of Living, the body’s immunity increases. This method prevents disease from arising at its very source and expels existing illness from the body.

It is unfortunate that nearly 95 out of 100 people are unaware of the true natural way of living. As a result, the number of diseases, patients, doctors, and hospitals continues to grow worldwide — yet human happiness keeps diminishing. Almost every individual in society lives like a patient suffering from some illness, without the intention to completely eliminate disease or to live carefully so that illness never returns.

Nature is like a mother — that is why it is called Prakruti Mata (Mother Nature). In the same way, the natural method is like a mother to all medical systems. Just as mother’s milk benefits a newborn far more than animal milk, treating illness through the natural method benefits every patient far more. Only when mother’s milk is insufficient do we turn to animal milk — likewise, when healing does not occur through the natural method alone, using other medical systems is appropriate and reasonable.

All medical systems together are like a great tree. Humanity needs all of them. Each medical system should be used wisely and appropriately, according to necessity, while ensuring that no harm is done to the body. Any medical system can cure a disease, suppress it, or prevent it from worsening — but none can transform a person’s character or mental tendencies.

When one attempts to reduce disease through the natural method, not only physical health but also mental health and personality transformation can be observed within a few months. Through this approach, a person naturally acquires values and ethical discipline (dharma — righteous conduct). In contrast, other medical systems often allow people to continue repeating the same mistakes while merely suppressing symptoms with medication. That is why medicines rarely change human behavior or habits.

In the natural method, disease reduces only when the underlying mistake is corrected. As a result, harmful habits fade away and good habits naturally take their place. For good individuals to flourish in society, this method must be widely understood and embraced.

In modern times, medicine often treats the body in fragments — like patchwork repairs on separate parts. The natural method, however, treats the individual as a whole. When a patient approaches with one illness, this method not only addresses that illness but also removes hidden, underlying diseases, restoring the body to overall health. This is the greatest service the natural method offers to humanity.

Every medical system becomes relevant only after disease has occurred. There is no medicine or treatment in the world that can guarantee a disease-free life. The natural method alone serves both purposes — it helps those who are ill to fully recover, and it also helps those who wish to live their entire lives without falling ill at all.

4. Do You Know the Natural Laws of Your Body?

Following nature is the law of the body — supporting the body is the duty of a human being
A body made of the five elements has five fundamental laws — nature’s secrets for perfect health
Let us bid farewell to violating bodily laws — and invite health in this new millennium

For example, we may buy a car for a large sum of money. Along with the car come clear instructions — how much air should be in the tyres, which oil to use, at what speed to change gears, when to replace engine oil, when to service the engine, and so on.

Because people understand the value of money they spent, do they ever deliberately violate these rules — such as filling diesel instead of petrol or driving with under-inflated tyres? Never. Neither the car owner nor the driver treats these rules casually.

This body is priceless. It was received freely as a divine gift from God through our parents. Its warranty card is valid for 100 years. The Creator Himself has given it the ability to repair automatically, without visiting a repair shed (hospital), provided we supply what it truly needs. If we do so correctly, the body can remain healthy for a hundred years.

Consider how much damage this human vehicle has suffered from being used unknowingly. How many hospitals has it visited? How many bodies are still limping along without proper repair, no matter how many places they go? And even today, we do not clearly understand why.

If diseases are to leave by the same path through which they arrived, then the only way forward is to regain knowledge and live according to dharma once again. Whatever law was violated to cause a disease must be restored to remove it — this is the undeniable truth.

We go to hospitals seeking health, yet we do not return with complete health. We change doctors, hospitals, medicines, and medical systems repeatedly — money changes hands, but diseases do not disappear. The illness does not exit from within, and the fortune called perfect health does not reach the body. This is a reality we must accept.

Experience shows us that medicines often create new diseases while suppressing old ones. That is why every new year arrives with new illnesses, instead of bidding farewell to old ones and welcoming renewed health.

Just as no pilgrimage, sacred bath, or religious attire can free a person from planetary affliction (Shani — symbolic of unavoidable consequences) without inner change, no human on this planet can heal a patient who refuses to correct his own violations.

Practicing bodily laws daily for health is like dry-cleaning a silk saree — it preserves beauty and longevity. Ignoring bodily laws and spending money on treatment is like beating the same silk saree on a stone to clean it — the fabric weakens, and so does health.

5. Bodily Laws in Our Daily Routine

Bathing cleanses the body outside — drinking water cleanses the body inside
Following moral rules brings happiness — following water rules brings health
Drink water during meals — and digestion becomes disturbed
Good food gives rise to health — a human being must live in friendship with nature
The human body is a vehicle — natural food is its proper fuel
Bid farewell to disease-causing tastes — we have offered alternatives, come and taste them
Reform your food discipline — and health will stand by your side
If you eat only what the tongue craves — the body pays a heavy price later
The digestive system also needs rest — without it, perfect health is an illusion
However many diseases there are, the disease-causing matter is one — the same waste only changes form
Understand the value of elimination — understand it, and live wisely
If bowel movements are smooth every day — you can remain truly happy at every moment
Make bodily laws part of your daily routine — and fulfill the true purpose of human life through practice

Problems that arise in the body due to improper water intake can be corrected only by restoring proper water intake. Trying to compensate for a lack of water through medicines is an effort doomed to fail. Such correction is simply not possible.

Without water, there is no life. It is a naked truth that nearly 50 percent of diseases can be prevented simply by drinking sufficient water. Henceforth, giving due importance to water consumption must become the primary responsibility of every household.

Just as three-fourths of the Earth is water and one-fourth is land, the human body too consists of about 68 percent water and only 32 percent solid matter. We must recognize that water has far greater importance in this body than solid substances.

That is why the Creator, while providing food for human nourishment, ensured that natural foods contain three parts water and one part solid matter. Fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens contain 70 to 80 percent water, with the remaining portion being nutrients.

As civilization advanced, humans began cooking, straining, refining, and powdering food — destroying its natural water content. At the same time, they failed to compensate by supplying water at the right time. In doing so, they invited disease.

Our ancestors — though uneducated — drank plenty of water and lived healthier lives than us. In contrast, modern educated people drink less water and instead consume soft drinks, beer, flavored beverages, and similar liquids, turning the body into something worse than a garbage container. This is a harsh but undeniable truth.

All these odors are indicators of internal impurity, pollution, and disease. Unable to eliminate these from within, we attempt to mask them externally using powders, pastes, creams, and perfumes — and continue to suffer.

Children, by nature, eat less food and drink more water, living in harmony with nature. Adults, however, eat more food and drink less water, and then wrongly teach children the same habit — saying, “What strength comes from drinking water?” Thus, children are encouraged to eat more and drink less.

We have developed a strong habit of drinking water during meals and immediately after eating. We must now clearly understand that drinking water in this manner causes more harm than benefit. No living being in nature drinks water this way.

When water is consumed during or immediately after meals, it mixes with the food and remains in the stomach and intestines as long as the food remains there. This causes the abdomen to expand. Another serious harm is that water dilutes hydrochloric acid and other digestive juices secreted by the stomach, which are essential for digestion. As a result, food is not digested properly and takes much longer to digest.

If you grind pulses in a grinder or on a grinding stone by adding water at the beginning, the pulses will not grind properly. First the pulses are crushed, and only then water is added to make a paste. Similarly, if we drink water after food has been digested into a paste-like form, it causes no harm.

From the moment we wake up until breakfast time, the water we drink plays the greatest role in cleansing the blood and the body. Immediately after waking up, adults should drink 1 to 1.5 liters of water, and children can drink 0.5 to 1 liter.

After drinking this water, exercise may be done after 15 minutes. After exercise — or 45 minutes to 1 hour after the first water intake — water should be consumed again in the same quantity. If the first intake soaks and loosens internal waste, the second intake helps move it out through urine.

Until now, all of us have eaten three parts food and drunk only one part water — or even less — thereby damaging a body that was guaranteed for 100 years. I hope that from now onward, this mistake will not be repeated.

Thinking that drinking so much water will cause frequent bathroom visits, coldness, kidney strain, or inconvenience is a serious misunderstanding. No one should neglect this practice due to lack of time. Initially, urination may increase, but it gradually normalizes. Some may feel mild nausea at first due to lack of habit, but within four days everything settles down.

When water is consumed in the manner described above, problems affecting people of any age — such as abdominal pain, constipation, gas trouble, acidity, sour belching, indigestion, ulcers, blood in stools, bloating, headaches, side pain, urinary disorders, burning urination, low blood pressure, dizziness, dark circles under the eyes, pimples, blemishes, dry skin, darkening of hands and face due to sun exposure, numbness, weight gain, sneezing, nasal congestion, allergies, and many others — can be reduced many times faster than by using purchased medicines, without spending a single rupee, simply by drinking water correctly at home.

Every living being on this earth has a specific type of food that suits its physical structure. Likewise, all non-speaking creatures instinctively know what their food is. They also know when to eat and how much to eat, and they conduct their life journey in harmony with nature.

But the human being — despite being an intelligent creature — is still confused even today about whether the right food is plant-based (vegetarian) or meat-based (non-vegetarian). He does not clearly know whether to eat during the day, at night, or both day and night. What to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat — he cannot decide unless doctors or textbooks tell him.

The human lifespan is 100 years. Should not the food he consumes produce cells that can support a 100-year life? The human being is intellectually gifted, and only when this intellect develops does human life gain its true purpose. The food we eat must therefore support the growth of intelligence. Since humans are social beings, food should protect and nourish the body without damaging it or disturbing social life.

The primary purpose of human life is the acquisition of knowledge. Hence, food should digest easily, provide maximum energy in minimum time, and produce minimal waste. Above all, the most important quality food must possess is life force (prāṇa, vital energy). Only such food increases the living energy within us.

Instead of giving such noble food to the body, we cook excessively, strain, grind, overload with salt and spices, burn, over-process, eat at the wrong times, eat either too much or too little, and eat purely to satisfy the senses. By violating the laws of the body, we end up feeding kerosene-like food to a vehicle that needs petrol (the human body) — and then expect to live healthily. Is this righteousness (dharma) or wrongdoing (adharma)? Think about it.

When we have committed mistakes in food habits right from birth, how can health naturally arise? Since improper food causes suffering to the body, correcting that wrongdoing by providing the right food alone is righteousness. If poor food has caused damage to the body, can that damage be corrected by medicines instead of correcting food? How is that possible? It is not — and we all see this with our own eyes.

When we buy a car, we want it to run smoothly, so we choose good-quality petrol. If we know a petrol station sells adulterated fuel, we avoid it — even if a good station is far away, we go there willingly. Humans understand the need to give good fuel to a car, yet fail to give good food to this priceless human body. That is humanity’s misfortune.

From now on, if we truly want to live in health, correcting the Food Principle must be our top priority. If we understand what food to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, and how to eat, and live accordingly as part of our daily routine, health will naturally follow.

We have four categories of food available to us. Just as oil is fuel for a car, food is fuel for the body. As a car’s durability depends on good oil, our health and thinking depend on good food. Therefore, in this discussion, we will compare food to engine oil.

The first category of food consists of naturally available foods such as fruits, raw vegetables, sprouted grains, coconut, dates, and similar highly nutritious items. When the body is nourished with this kind of food, the waste produced is minimal. This is the most suitable diet for living without body odors and for preventing diseases in the future.

This food best supports human qualities, mental calmness, and inner balance. In fact, this is the food that humans were originally meant to eat. But by becoming slaves to taste, we have moved away from this nectar-like food and moved closer to disease.

If diseases are to heal quickly, and if chronic illnesses are to be prevented, the more percentage of this food one includes in daily life, the better it is. If we compare this food to fuel, it is like aviation fuel or gas used in aircraft — less smoke, higher power, and greater durability of the engine.

The second category of food includes items that are fully cooked and made tasty for consumption. Since cooking reduces life energy (prāṇa), vitamins, and enzymes, one should limit cooked food to 50% of the diet and consume the remaining 50% from the first category every day.

Because food is cooked, about 20% of waste remains in the body daily, though about 80% energy (pickup) is still obtained. Serious chronic diseases generally do not occur, but occasional issues such as fevers or colds may come and go. Healing takes slightly longer than with the first category of food.

Food cooked without salt and oil tastes bland. That is why many people can eat the food served in nature cure centers only for a few days. Even though they know it helps cure disease, they cannot continue it. But if salt and oil are used, diseases do not go away.

After about ten days, once the body adapts, these foods begin to taste very good. For several years now, many people following our lifestyle have been eating these foods, remaining healthy, happy, and free from doctors.

These tasty yet healthy dishes are a special feature of our Nature-Based Lifestyle. Under the 50% cooked food rule, they provide both taste and health. This second category of food is currently followed by most people.

The third category of food refers to a completely cooked vegetarian diet in which salt, oil, and other taste enhancers are regularly used. Stored pickles also fall into this category. This type of food provides only 50% pickup (energy), while the remaining 50% becomes waste that accumulates in the body every day.

As a result, foul smells arise from stool, urine, sweat, and the mouth. There is internal uncleanliness at the cellular level. Somewhere in the body, some disease or another keeps developing and manifests in one form or another. The mind also fails to remain calm and peaceful.

When people with such problems go to doctors, they are given medicines along with dietary advice to reduce salt, oil, masalas, and spicy foods. Even after reducing these tastes, people continue to take medicines for life and suffer from illnesses, without diseases fully disappearing or new ones stopping from occurring.

If you truly want complete health and do not wish to keep running around doctors, this third category of food offers no benefit to anyone — and never will. The natural human qualities and virtues gradually decline day by day because of this diet.

If we compare this food to fuel, it is like diesel — only half pickup and half smoke. Repairs are frequent. Just as a diesel vehicle must regularly go to the workshop, those who depend heavily on this kind of food will find themselves going to hospitals more and more often. Do not forget this.

The fourth category of food includes salted and preserved foods, deep-fried items, meat, eggs, bakery products, sweets, cool drinks, and similar items. In today’s society, this type of food has become fashionable and is consumed excessively.

This food directly produces diseases and promotes tāmasic qualities (inertia, dullness, negativity). It causes mental decline and leads to excessive body odors. If energy gained is 30%, waste produced is 70%. This food lays the foundation for chronic diseases.

Compared to fuel, this is like putting kerosene into a car — very low pickup, very high smoke, and constant breakdowns. Likewise, people who consume this type of food cannot live without daily medicines and doctors. They begin to treat eating as the sole purpose of life.

Therefore, you must decide for yourself whether you will provide your body–vehicle with petrol-like food — that is, the first and second types of food that give health and happiness — or whether you will consume kerosene-like food, namely the third and fourth types, which leave behind large amounts of waste and result in illness.

If our hundred-year life is to proceed with physical and mental health, we must completely bid farewell to the third and fourth categories of food and, in every way, adopt the first and second categories, which are most suitable to the human body. By following these two food disciplines, let us completely heal the diseases we already have.

Through these two types of food practices, many long-standing chronic illnesses — such as skin diseases, high blood pressure (BP), diabetes (sugar), asthma, allergies, heart disease, obesity, headaches, nerve pains, and digestive disorders — can all be cured without medicines.

No living being obtains food without physical effort. Only human beings avoid work and still consume food as if it were freely available. For our ancestors, physical labour was an integral part of their professions and daily routines. Because of this, they naturally and effortlessly took a step ahead in matters of health.

With the rise of modern civilisation, machines began doing the work that humans were meant to do. As a result, mental strain increased while physical effort decreased. Today, even walking for one hour in the morning makes the entire body feel exhausted, yet most people feel that they are “working very hard.” In the present age, work accounts for only 10 percent of life, while food accounts for 90 percent. That is why, in today’s human body, 90 percent is waste (disease) and only 10 percent is substance (health).

Believing that ancestral wealth exists and that hired workers can do everything, if a person chooses to sit idle and let days pass without using the body, the body will not accept this behaviour. Exercise helps in many vital ways: it enables proper digestion of the food eaten, it allows the nutrients from digested food to reach different parts of the body, and it helps expel the waste that remains after the body has used what it needs. This is the law of exercise.

Because we violate this law of exercise, waste matter that should leave the body through sweat remains trapped inside, increasing day by day and laying the foundation for disease. Our elders clearly stated that only the one who sweats deserves to eat, and that the stomach should move only if the wings move — meaning, food must follow effort. When these principles are violated, suffering from disease becomes inevitable.

Trying to correct these deficiencies through medicines is extremely difficult. For those who do not engage in sufficient physical labour, yogāsanas (yogic postures) and prāṇāyāma (regulated breathing practices) can be highly beneficial in compensating for this lack.

Thinking that “I may not have followed the previous three principles properly, but at least I follow this one by sleeping 7–8 hours every day” is a misunderstanding. There may be people who practise the first three principles to some extent, but those who truly practise this principle may not even be one in a million. This principle is the one that builds and strengthens the body’s immune power.

All living beings in creation follow this principle without exception. That is why changes in air, water, or climate do not affect them. In humans, frequent disturbances caused by such changes are mainly due to weak immunity.

According to the Creator’s design, night-time rest is not meant only for the muscles, nerves, and bones that become tired during the day, but also for the internal organs of digestion — the stomach, small intestines, liver, and pancreas. Unfortunately, no system of medicine gives proper importance to this principle, nor does it truly understand it.

Through night-time rest, we replenish the energy lost during the day and restore strength to the muscles, nerves, and bones, preparing the body for the next day. The digestive system belongs to this same category and requires rest in exactly the same way.

In nature, some creatures eat during the day and rest at night, while others eat at night and rest during the day — this itself is a bodily law. No living being eats both day and night. But humans begin eating around 7 in the morning and continue putting something into the mouth until 10 at night — 12 to 14 continuous hours of eating.

When a person eats and immediately goes to sleep, morning arrives before digestion is complete. As long as food is being digested, the digestive system must remain active. Even before it gets 2–3 hours of real rest, bed coffee and breakfast impose a fresh workload on the digestive system.

In this manner, the digestive system is forced to work excessively every day. Unable to properly handle the toxins introduced through food and water, it gradually weakens the entire body. Once the digestive system becomes weak, it lays the foundation for all diseases.

The Rest Principle begins only after food has been completely digested in the digestive system. That is why we can observe that our ancestors and followers of certain religions avoided eating after sunset. When food was fully digested by the time they went to sleep, the digestive system received about eight hours of rest — from around 9 or 10 at night until the next morning.

Once digestion is complete, the fifth principle — the Elimination Principle (Visarjana / natural evacuation) begins to function. When the Rest Principle is compromised, the Elimination Principle is also weakened.

Many people say, “I am an employee”, or “I run a business — how can we possibly finish dinner by sunset?” But the consequences of ignoring this law must inevitably be borne by us. First comes the law of the body, and only then the law of occupation. If we truly desire health, we have no choice but to respect these natural laws.

After the food we consume is metabolized within the body’s cells and releases energy, it also produces waste materials. Just as the amount of smoke and ash depends on the kind of firewood used, the quantity and quality of waste depend on the kind of food consumed.

As long as the amount of waste generated inside the body equals the amount eliminated outside, health remains intact. But when internal waste production increases and elimination decreases, these harmful substances remain stored in the body, gradually producing toxins and poisons, thereby contaminating the entire system.

When this condition continues for some time, the accumulated waste settles in those body parts that are weak or have less movement, eventually turning those parts diseased. There is only one fundamental disease-causing substance behind all illnesses — waste matter.

For example, gold remains gold whether it is worn as a neck chain, a waist ornament, or an anklet — only the form and name change based on location. Similarly, the same waste material transforms into disease-causing substance, and based on where it accumulates inside the body, it takes different names. When it settles in the head, it is called headache; in the joints, arthritis; in the lungs, asthma — doctors give different names, but the root cause remains the same.

When these harmful substances are eliminated, the disease subsides. Any medical system that ignores the removal of this waste and only treats symptoms ultimately causes more harm than good. Nature Cure, on the other hand, begins by cleansing and eliminating these wastes first — and only then restores health.

If we give it the opportunity, the human body cleanses itself internally every single day. Only when this cleansing happens day after day does true health arise. That is why the Creator designed the body in such a way that it can purify itself automatically.

This elimination process does not primarily occur during the daytime. The reason is simple: during the day, the body’s energy is engaged in digesting food and supplying nutrients to various body parts. Once digestion is fully completed and the digestive system enters a state of rest at night, the elimination process begins. From that moment onward, the body’s energy is redirected almost entirely toward elimination.

Only when the elimination process functions for at least 8–10 hours during the night are the waste materials produced from food completely expelled by the next morning. However, for those who eat dinner at 9 or 10 p.m. and go to bed, elimination begins only around 4 or 5 a.m. and continues until breakfast time. That means the body gets only about 2–4 hours of internal cleansing.

The remaining waste — which should have been eliminated for another four hours — stays inside the body every day. Just like compound interest, this waste keeps accumulating day after day. As a result, strong body odors begin to appear — from sweat, stool, urine, the mouth, and saliva.

When waste materials increase excessively inside the body, the body sends warning signals. It reduces appetite, creates a bitter taste in the mouth, and removes the desire to eat — all to say, “Do not eat now. Let me cleanse myself first.” The body asks for rest so it can purify itself internally.

Even if daily elimination time is shortened, at least during illness, if we allow sufficient time for elimination, the body can completely cleanse itself on its own. Unfortunately, with the rise of modern civilization, humans have learned to suppress these signals — popping a pill when the mouth tastes bitter, eating more chutney to override discomfort, and going to bed with a full stomach. By denying the body the opportunity to cleanse itself, humans unknowingly invite chronic diseases.

Except for humans, all other living beings practice this principle every day. That is why they live without soaps, baths, doctors, perfumes, or deodorants — yet remain healthy throughout their natural lifespan.

Medicines prescribed by doctors are ordinary remedies. Fasting alone is the supreme medicine. Giving the body and the digestive system complete rest — even during the daytime by not eating — is what fasting truly means. Upavāsa is a 24-hour elimination process carried out by the body.

When bowel movement (defecation) happens smoothly, half of the burden of the elimination process is automatically reduced. Every mother asks her child what they ate, how much they ate, and urges them to eat a little more. But hardly any mother asks how much water the child drank or how many times they passed stools. The fact that parents do not ask — or do not even realize they should ask — this question can be considered a serious health tragedy.

Today’s parents and doctors believe that eating more gives strength. But they have forgotten a fundamental truth: strength and comfort come only when the waste produced from food is expelled regularly and completely. It is not merely eating that gives strength — it is eating and eliminating properly.

As mentioned earlier, for everyone in the household to have smooth bowel movements, rice should be eaten along with vegetables, or at least an equal quantity of vegetables should be eaten along with rice. Avoid white rice. Eating unpolished raw rice (brown rice), wheat rice, or chapatis made from whole wheat flour is beneficial for strength and for smooth elimination.

Using fresh coconut daily in vegetables is extremely beneficial. All fruits should be chewed thoroughly and eaten whole, without discarding the pulp. Remember that all processed foods bought from the market for taste alone lead to constipation.

Whether children or adults, immediately after waking up, they should drink one to one-and-a-half liters of water, filling the stomach fully. Then, without engaging in other thoughts or activities, they should focus their mind on the navel and the lower abdominal region and walk slowly back and forth for 5 to 10 minutes. This helps the bowel movement begin to move naturally.

One should not go to the toilet until the urge becomes strong. If one waits and remains mentally focused until that point, the bowel movement will pass smoothly and completely in one go. Such smooth elimination itself is a true “good morning”.

After about an hour, drink water again in the same quantity and repeat the same mental focus. This time, the bowel movement will be even smoother and more complete. With this, the waste produced from both meals of the previous day gets fully cleared.

Those who realize how closely health is connected to bowel movement, and how bowel movement is connected to mental focus, are truly fortunate. Those suffering from constipation are the most unfortunate — realize this at least now. Free yourself from constipation, and your lethargy will also leave you.

By failing to practice what must be practiced, and by behaving against nature, human beings are destroying both physical and mental health, and are ending a life meant for wisdom in ignorance. Seeing such behavior, the poet-saint Vemana expressed it powerfully:

Therefore, it is my hope that human beings will now abandon this ignorance, adopt the scientific wisdom of Natural Living that we offer, and practice their basic bodily principles (body laws) every single day as part of daily life — thereby making this human birth truly meaningful.

6. What Am I Doing?

In order to restore my own health, I conducted self-experimentation and developed a set of rules and disciplines for myself. By following them, I experienced many positive results, both physically and mentally. By making these principles a part of my daily life, I am now enjoying complete health.

I felt that it would be good if this benefit could be shared with everyone. With that intention, I studied Natural Healing (Natural Living) in depth, shaped it into a way of life, and resolved to propagate it among the people.

For nearly ten years, I have been spreading this Natural Living way of life, traveling continuously throughout the month and delivering 30 to 40 health lectures every month. So far, I have delivered more than 2,500 health lectures across the entire Andhra region. My only aspiration is this: if people understand the health I have gained and the disciplines I follow, they too can become healthy very quickly.

People seeking health have already wandered from one place to another, from hospital to hospital, spending enormous amounts of money, yet without relief from disease. Disappointed and exhausted, they continue to suffer mentally as well.

For such people, nature has given us a way to regain health without spending money, while staying at home and using what is already available at home. I felt it was my dharma (duty) to offer this knowledge freely to the public. That is why, instead of sitting in one place and running a medical practice, I chose to remain accessible to people, traveling at my own expense and continuing this awareness movement with the support and acceptance of the public.

Listening to lectures helps one remember some points, but it is not always possible to remember and practice everything. Realizing this, I have presented every concept in detail in the form of books. When a book is in your hands, it is as if I am standing right in front of you — you can practice without confusion or doubt.

In this way, many people, through relatives and friends, have read my books, adopted this way of life, and resolved their problems. Hundreds of people who regained their health by reading these books regularly write to us, sharing their experiences. It is this inspiration that keeps my writing alive and ongoing.

Some people suffering from chronic diseases, who have been on medications for many years, may require a few days of medical supervision and, when necessary, fasting (therapeutic fasting) to completely overcome their conditions. Keeping such people in mind, I resolved to establish an ashram (a natural healing center) and formed a trust in my name. Through this trust, we are in the process of constructing a Nature Ashram (Prakriti Ashram).

Some people say that I am doing social service by practicing and spreading this natural system. But I do not think of it as service. I see it simply as doing my duty. It is my responsibility, and I am fulfilling it. Every individual has an obligation to contribute something to society. I feel that this responsibility has fallen upon my shoulders — and therefore, my goal is to offer this knowledge selflessly to everyone.

I consider it my good fortune that I have been given the opportunity to share the secrets of health that people seek. I also consider it my blessing that you are receiving my words with an open mind and putting them into practice.

7. If You Too Want Complete Health!

First learn to drink five liters of water daily, and only after that begin implementing the rest of the daily routine. If you read the remaining books thoroughly, you will find answers to all the doubts that may arise.

When you begin practicing this method, many people will discourage you and try to obstruct you. This method often feels like it goes against society. You will rarely find people chasing after those who destroy themselves by drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes and telling them to stop — but you will certainly find many who try to stop you from doing something good.

For many years, we have suffered great losses by staying away from such beneficial practices. From now on, make sure that does not happen again. Enter your effort with determination and perseverance. Practice what you have learned and experience it personally. Only what is known through experience becomes the true reality.

We are trying to change habits that we have followed for many years, all at once. To adapt to this way of life, a little patience is required. Even if small difficulties arise, they will gradually resolve themselves.

A human being who has moved away from the Natural Way (living in harmony with nature) is like an infant separated from its mother — destined to cry. Believe that this is the right path to health. For those who believe, human life becomes meaningful. For those who oppose time and truth, nothing on this earth gets fulfilled — time does not support them, difficulties alone follow, and in the end, only tears remain.

At least now, gain the wisdom that health cannot be achieved through shortcuts. Learn to live truly as a human being. Hoping that all of you will make this wonderful system a part of your lives, and praying wholeheartedly to Mother Nature that you and your entire family may acquire natural habits and righteous living, I conclude.

A Natural Lifestyle for Complete Health

Dr. Manthena Satyanarayana Raju

https://www.manthena.org

What You Will Learn in This Book

A Word from the Author