Science proves the prowess in chanting of Vedic mantras !
New Delhi – ‘Neuroscience proves how recitation done with intense efforts helps the brain. Researcher in Neurosciences Dr. James Hartzel was the first to present ‘the effects of Sanskrut’ after studying 21 Sanskrut scholars. With research he showed that recitation of Vedic mantras improves cognitive function of the brain including immediate and long term memory. This study showing that both memory and thinking improve with recitation of Vedic mantras strengthens the Bharatiya tradition of faith.
Rigorous efforts of researcher Dr. Hartzel
Dr. Hartzel is a Spanish national from Bask who has devoted himself to the study of Sanskrut. He is a postgraduate researcher from ‘Center On Cognition, Brain and Language’. He has spent several years in studying and translating the Sanskrut language and was awestruck with the effects that Sanskrut had on the brain.
Dr. Hartzel realised that his
memory had improved during this research !
Dr. Hartzel says,“The more I studied Sanskrut and translated it the more my memory improved.” Teachers and students are amazed about how I am able to deliver a lecture exactly in the same manner in different classrooms. Some other Sanskrut translators too have revealed an increase in their grasping capacity, to me.
For years together, the vedic sanskrut pandits of Bharat have been reciting and memorising the verses with content of 40 to 100 thousand words, from 3000 year old ancients sanskrut holy texts and are training others to recite them exactly the way they are written. We wanted to study the effect of intense verbal training in Sanskrut on the physical structure of the brain.”
Research on 21 Sanskrut scholars
and 21 average people for comparison
Dr. Hartzel’s first effort was research directed towards analysis of the brain of Sanskrut learners. He did structural MRI (‘Structural magnetic resonance imaging’) scan of the brains of 21 Sanskrut scholars and 21 average persons for comparison.
Dr. Hartzel says, “What we discovered in Structural MRI scanning was amazing. A greater part of brain matter in Sanskrut scholars was far more developed in comparison with the brains of average people. The gray matter (neural tissues) in both cerebral hemispheres of Sanskrut scholars was more than 10% and there was an increase in cortical density. Even though the research on the exact reasons for increase in the gray matter and the cortical density of the sanskrut pandits is still ongoing, the above observations match their growing cognition and grasping power.
In his report Dr. Hartzel stated that the gray matter in the hippocampus in the right cerebral hemisphere, which plays an important role in terms of immediate and long-term memory, and also the memory related to sound, vision and orientation to time was more in Sanskrut scholars in comparison with average people. The temporal cortex on the right side associated with speech prosody and sound recognition was also denser in Sanskrut scholars than in average people.
Need for further research !
Since Dr. Hartzel is not convinced that the above changes noticed in the brain are purely the effects of Sanskrut he has planned to research this further. Research and compilation on ‘Sound and the prowess of chanting mantras’ is being done by him widely.
Recent study of Dr. Hartzel makes one ponder on whether recitation of shlokas (Holy verses) from ancient Scriptures and Holy texts could help in treatment of Alzheimer’s and other memory related illnesses? Ayurvedic vaidyas from Bharat accept this and promise to research this and the Sanskrut language further.
Ancient research
In 1967 a French physician, psychologist and an ear specialist Alfred Tomatiz studied the effect of chanting strictly for upto 8 hours in Benedictin monks. When a new priest reduced their chanting hours, then despite receiving sufficient sleep these monks became lazy. The more they slept the lazier they became. Alfred Tomatiz believed that the chanting was energizing their brain and body. When the chanting hours were restored, they were again energised. What is surprising is that five decades ago a French scientist had recorded that the Christian monks chanting the Gregorian Holy verses had extraordinary memory.
It was clear that chanting Vedic mantras or shlokas, even with minimum chanting, the mind becomes enthusiastic and spiritual remedies too occur spontaneously.’
Sanskrut : The unexplored language