Navaneeta: Butter benefits

Everyone knows that Lord Krishna was very naughty and used to steal butter from the milk maids. Some spiritualists say there was a deeper meaning to it.

Here is one of the explanations I read — 

As quoted ‘’ Butter is made by churning the yogurt made from cow’s milk. Milk represents Upanishads which are the essence of Vedaas represented by cows. The starter to transform the milk to yogurt or curd is the “desire to know about the Absolute”. The extreme heat of one’s spiritual sacrifice boils the milk and the desire itself acts as the starter and transforms the milk into curd.’’

He further says ‘’ Churning represents the hard spiritual disciplines of a saadhaka to separate the butter representing the Absolute truth. Just like the truth is beautiful and pure, butter is pure, tasty and soft. After attaning this stage a devotee’ or saadhakaa’s heart melts like butter with pure Bhakthi and attitude of surrender.
This is what Krishna symbolically stole from the Gopikaas. ‘’

In Ayurveda, it is called Navaneeta in Astanga Hridaya by Acharya Vagbhata.

Quoting the shloka as said by Acharya Vagbhata regarding Navaneeta — 

नवनीतं नवं वृष्यं शीतं वर्ण बल अग्निकृत ||
संग्राहि वात पित्त अश्रु क्षय अर्शम् अर्दिता कासजित |
क्षीर उद्भवं तु संग्राहि रक्त पित्त अक्षि रोगजित ||

Acharya Vagbhata says ‘’ Fresh butter is vrishya (aphrodisiac), acts as body coolant and enhances complexion of skin. It is good for eyes, improves digestion and helps in diseases caused by vata, pitta and rakta (blood). Consumption of butter improves health conditions like hemorrhoids, facial paralysis and chronic cough”

It is actually a very beneficial part of a person’s diet that can improve your immune system, regulate our hormones, protect our vision, boost metabolism, increase brain function, and reduce chances of heart disease and blood pressure.

Furthermore, it can protect against gastrointestinal conditions, while ensuring proper development of brain and nervous system development.

Now let us see the health benefits of Butter (Navaneeta) — 

• For instance,  it has vitamins A, E, D and K which is very essential.
• Minerals like Zinc, Iodine, copper etc., present  help in maintaining bone health and help in re growth.
• It contains high level of Carotene which is a very essential nutrient. Butter is yellow in color because of this natural pigment.

Having said about Carotene would like elaborate on it —

It helps in 2 ways –

a) firstly it turn into anti oxidants
b) Secondly, it gets converted  into Vitamin A

• For instance,  Carotene is known to boost Eye health too, it helps in protection of eyes. And therefore, reduce the chances of macular degeneration.
• However, the Vitamin K2 present in Butter helps in calcium metabolism.
• Similarly it , contains lauric acid,  which is important in treating fungal infections.
• In fact it helps protect against tooth decay.
• The high levels of vitamin A and beta-carotene have positive connections between these two nutrients and lower chances of colorectal and prostate cancer
• The glycospingolipids, a special type of fatty acid can protect your body against a number of gastrointestinal issues and conditions. 
•  Our thyroid gland is arguably the most important part of our endocrine system, and one of the essential relationships that it has is with vitamin A. This helps the proper functioning and regulating of hormones to be created and secreted throughout the body. 
• Specifically, butter contains a rare hormone-like substance that can only be found in butter and cream. It is called the Wulzen Factor, and it protects people from calcification of the joints, which leads to arthritis.