shrIchUrNam-kunkumam-lead

Source: Vijay B (a familiar friend), 2016. Location: Santa Clara CA and India.

My 1 year son had lead poisoning (very high levels within 1 month) from yellow-srichUrNam that was store bought (sent from India).

Discovery

We started applying thiruman on 1st birthday. Was on vacation in India so applying daily.

He was chewing on paint chips on a visit to India.
So when we went back I got a preventive lead test done. Came positive (12 mcg/dL). We thought it was the paint. Back in US, I was probably not applying tirumaN daily - but only on weekends when I was at home.

They did a second test in 2-3 weeks and while the number went down (to 10 mcg/dL), it didn’t go down as much as expected. So, it wasn’t paint.

They reported it to the Santa Clara county health division. Became a big deal. Inspectors came home, tested entire environment. Didn’t find anything.

But based on experience the office told me that most likely it is the srichurnam. They found lead in multiple Indian family homes in the kumkum.

I got myself and my wife tested (Mine was 4 or 5 mcg/dL. Wife’s was 2 mcg/dL.). I came positive (still below the threshold to open a case) while she came negative.

Treatment

We were advised to saturate the blood with good stuff like iron from spinach. This forces the lead to stay in the bones and not leach back into the blood (atleast not as fast).

DIY shrIchUrNam

I decided to make my own srichurnam. In 6 months, my son’s numbers got better.

Data (date, mg/dL)

  • 2016-09-01 12.3
  • 2016-10-13 9.8
  • 2017-02-02 8
  • 2017-05-16 7
  • 2017-07-15 6
  • 2017-11-16 3
  • 2018-08-03 4
  • 2019-06-10 3

Alerts

If it is bright yellow it is suspect.

विश्वास-टिप्पनी

पाठशालायां केचिद् बाला स्फुट-पीत-तिलकवन्तो दृष्टः। यथाशास्त्रं शुद्ध-हरिद्रादिनिर्मितं भगवत्-स्पर्शात् परं प्रयुज्यमानं चेच् चिन्ता नास्ति।
किञ्च, मम सन्देहः -
किञ्चित् क्रेयं chalk-निभ-मृत्-खण्डं प्रयुज्यमानम् इति।
तेन हन्त, मेधोह्रासो भवतीति सुविदितम् (यथा - TW )। स-दयं कश्चन १५ निमेषाणि गृहीत्वा सर्वम् इदं यथा तय् अवगच्छन्ति तथा बोधयन्तु 🙏

A hard to test theory - lead in yellow chalks (which are contrary to shAstra-s) used for shrIchurNam with alarming popularity in the past generation (2000-2020s) has done measurable harm to the intellect of traditional vaDakalai shrIvaiShNava-s. Given the competing effect of modern degeneracy - it’s hard to find the signal in the final intellectual output - but if only there were reliable IQ test scores across generations (and interest now)…

  • DIY shrIchUrNam making .
  • श्रीचूर्ण-प्रतिष्ठा-क्रमः अत्र
  • विष्णुगात्रस्पर्शापेक्षा
    • आह्निकार्थप्रकाशिकायाम् अत्र - “विष्णु-गात्र-परा-मृष्ट-हरिद्रा-चूर्णम्” इत्यस्य व्याख्याने।