Alok Pandey

By Alok Pandey - Oct 15, 2010

"...in the language of the Upanishad, the life-force is the food of the body and the body the food of the life-force; in other words, the life-energy in us both supplies the material by which the form is built up and constantly maintained and renewed and is at the same time constantly using up the substantial form of itself which it thus creates and keeps in existence. If the balance between these two operations is imperfect or is disturbed or if the ordered play of the different currents of life-force is thrown out of gear, then disease and decay intervene and commence the process of disintegration. And the very struggle for conscious mastery and even the growth of mind make the maintenance of the life more difficult. For there is an increasing demand of the life-energy on the form, a demand which is in excess of the original system of supply and disturbs the original balance of supply and demand and, before a new balance can be established, many disorders are introduced inimical to the harmony and to the length of maintenance of the life; in addition the attempt at mastery creates always a corresponding reaction in the environment which is full of forces that also desire fulfilment and are therefore intolerant of, revolt against and attack the existence which seeks to master them. There too a balance is disturbed, a more intense struggle is generated; however strong the mastering life, unless either it is unlimited or else succeeds in establishing a new harmony with its environment, it cannot always resist and triumph but must one day be overcome and disintegrated."

By Alok Pandey - Oct 15, 2009

The recent controversy over some unlabelled ingredients from a traditional medicine source has stirred up an old controversy — the validity of ancient healing systems vis-à-vis the modern medical establishment. The advocates of the first believe that allopathy, the child of modern science, is risky and dangerous, that it merely suppresses symptoms rather than cures the illness and that its side-effects are excessive and can even be life-threatening. Those who side with the latter believe that all other systems of healing other than allopathy are unscientific and unproven, that they do not have any effect or perhaps only a minimal one, that it is dangerous to use them for serious illnesses since their non-effectiveness simply leads to a natural worsening, and that whatever cures are claimed are simply the result of natural resolution of the illness rather than an effect of the medicine. Since both sides cling to their beliefs, people are left to decide for themselves and choose whatever system they prefer.

By Alok Pandey - Jul 15, 2025

In the race towards sophisticated medical systems, we have somewhere lost the human touch. Money and machines are the new lords now, rather than compassion and the personal touch. It is time to take a relook at our medical education and ask where we are heading. This article explores this issue of building healers rather than standardised medicine dispensing-machines.

By Alok Pandey - Jul 15, 2021

The field of human relationships is one of the most complex and challenging aspects of human existence. Yet how little do we know about it? It is not a subject we are taught in school. Whatever we learn about it is through the school of nature and by the time we have learnt our lessons it is often too late. These few articles are an attempt to understand this aspect from the yogic standpoint and see what it has to say about it.

By Alok Pandey - Jul 15, 2021

As the world reels under yet another ‘mass hysteria’ and panic, it is time to look within and reflect and ask ourselves which road are we have taken and where it will lead us as a civilisation, as a conscious and thinking humanity. As the dust begins to settle, it is time to take stock and re-orient ourselves by looking deeper into the causes and the effects, not only of the ‘pandemic’ but also of our response to it.