Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Food for Thought
All of us eat to live, the primary purpose of food being sustenance of life.
It is needless to expand on the importance of food, as the skipping of even a
single meal makes us feel the gnawing in the stomach. We hear of mahAtmAs who
go without food for days, months and years together, intent solely on communion
with the Ultimate. We hear of the impossible penance performed by Sri Dhruva,
barely out of infancy, and others elder to him, involving fasting for long
periods of time.
All these do not appeal to us, since they are associated with foregoing food,
for which we have developed a voracious appetite. We have become like the
Romans, who lived to eat, who were gourmets of the highest order and considered
savouring the innumerable culinary delicacies as the principal mission of their
lives. It is rumoured that they would gorge themselves with the finest the cook
had to offer for the day, till they could eat no more. However, undeterred by
the filled stomach rebelling against any more intake, they would forcibly vomit
whatever they had imbibed, to make room in their monstrous bellies for more
food.
Knowing full well that prescribing prolonged fasting as a means of cleansing
the physique and psyche would not be palatable to gluttons like us, Sri
Tirumangai Mannan generously concedes that we need not undertake continuous and
extraordinary fasting as did Sri Dhruva. In fact, he says that we need undergo
no form of arduous physical inconvenience, as the Lord doesn't expect it of us-
"oon vAda vAda uyir kAvalittu tAn vAda seyyum tavam seyya vENdA".
(This of course doesn't mean that we can give up the occasional fasting
ordained on pitru dinam, Ekadasi etc.)
To people like us who cannot give up eating and that too in style, for long
periods of time, Sri Nammazhwar prescribes an easy way out--think of whatever
you eat or drink with gusto, as verily the Lord Himself-"uNNum sOru, parugum
neer, thinnum vettrilai yAvum KaNnan emperumAn endru". (Though Azhwar's real
purport is that we should regard the Lord as the source of all sustenance,
enrichment and pleasure), this appears to us to be much easier, for when do
fast occasionally, the thought of our empty stomach and anticipation of the
break-fast precludes any thought of the Lord, for which purpose the entire
exercise is intended. The term "upavAsam" which signifies fasting, literally
means "to live near", indicating that when we forego food, we are supposed to
substitute it by thoughts of the Paramatma and His auspicious attributes. Hence
when we fast, we are said to be mentally nearer to the Lord. What happens in
reality is quite the opposite: on days of fasting, some people gorge themselves
with different varieties of tiffin, avoiding rice religiously, while there are
some who eat nothing but all sorts of fruit, as "PhalAhAram".
In such cases, "upavAsam" takes on a new (and unintended) meaning altogether,
as the person lives not near the Lord, but near food itself in various forms.
In reply to his son's query as to the nature of the Ultimate, VaruNa tells
Bhrigu Maharshi that Food is verily to be regarded as the Brahmam ("annam
Brahma iti vyajAnAt"). VaruNA adduces reasons for this tenet-it is from food
that beings acquire the ability to live, flourish and procreate. Thus the life
cycle of every being is dictated by availability of food, without which no
existence is possible. It is for this reason that the Upanishad enjoins upon us
to earn as much food as possible ("annam bahu kurveeta"), so that not only do
we provide for ourselves adequately, but are also able to offer succour to the
poor and needy.
"aham annAda:" says the same Upanishad, echoing the seeker's claim that he is
the one who partakes of food. The Shruti considers this so significant that it
repeats the statement twice more. We are unable to find anything profound about
a person calling himself the consumer of food, for, that is what we all do and
with regularity. However, the Food meant by the Shruti here is
an entirely different item, unlike any menu offered anywhere in the world.
It is to the Paramapurusha that the emancipated soul refers as Food, when he
calls himself the Eater ("annAda:"). We must remember that once the liberated
Atma reaches Paradise, it spends all its time in blissful enjoyment of the Lord
and His innumerable auspicious attributes. The Lord thus forms a fabulous
food-for the eyes, ears and for the other faculties of the MuktAtmA, who enjoys
the Lord endlessly and in myriad modes. And it is out of the ecstasy born out
of this unique experience that the Shruti repeats itelf-"aham annAdO aham
annAdO aham annAda:"
Azhwars too characterise the Lord as a delicacy of the highest order-amudam-"
en amudam" "ArAvamudam" "amizhdilum Attra inian" "enakku tEnE palE kannalE
amudE" etc. Thus it is the exalted resident of Srivaikuntam whom the Shruti
quotes, when it says "I am the consumer" and what he consumes is nothing but
the Lord and His auspicious attributes.
There is one more sentence in the same Upanishad, which confers a benediction
that the person becomes the possessor of food as well as its consumer-"annavAn
annAdO bhavati". We are unable to discern anything profound in this, for anyone
who has a lot of food, would indeed consume it. Hence is it not enough for the
Shruti to bless us with food, leaving its disposal to those eminently trained
for the same, like us? Should it separately indicate that we would also become
consumers of food?
We have to remember that not a single syllable of the Shruti is redundant, nor
does it believe in tautology. We find in several cases extremely wealthy
persons, endowed with all that can be desired in the way of riches, pitifully
unable to indulge their palates, when it comes to food. Diabetis, heart
disease, ulcers of the stomach and numerous other ailments lie in wait to
pounce upon the rich and unwary, condemning them to a life-time diet of salt
-less porridge ("kanji") or sugarless coffee and tasteless meals, even though
their servants might be eating with gusto their own simple but tasty repast.
Thus, it would appear that it is not merely enough to possess a thing, but one
has also to be fortunate to consume and enjoy it. And this is what the
Upanishad refers to when it speaks of a person being "annavAn" as well as
"annAda:".
If we take the term "annam" to refer to the Parabrahmam, after the Shruti vakya
"annam BrahmEti vyajAnAt", we would arrive at the formulation that one should
become the possessor of Brahmam and enjoy it too. The significance of this too
doesn't strike us at first, till we recollect the history of Sri VasudEva and
Sri DEvaki. Though this couple had the unimaginable good fortune of begetting
the Paramapurusha, they had to part with Him on the very night of His birth. It
is Sri Yasoda and Sri NandagOpa who derived the maximum pleasure and bliss from
the Divine Toddler, as the foster parents. Thus, though the former couple were
"annavAn"s, their fortune did not extend to being "annAda:", prompting Devaki
to cry out in jealousy-" nandan pettranan nal vinai illA nangaL kOn VasudEvan
pettrilanE". Hence the benediction of the Upanishad that one should not only be
the possessor of food, but also be healthy and fortunate enough to consume it.
When the Shruti blesses us to possess as well as consume food, when Sri Kalian
waives requirements of prolonged fasting, etc., do they mean, ipso facto, that
we can eat anything, any number of times, anywhere? Does it mean that there
need be absolutely no control over the quantum, content and frequency of our
intake?
The same Shruti prescribes the number of meals per day for various classes of
beings-"TasmAt dvirahnO manushyEbhya: upahriyatE, prAtascha sAyamcha"
"Trirahna: pasava: preratE, prAta: sangavE sAyam".
It is clearly enunciated here that human beings should confine their meals to
two, one in the morning and one in the evening/ night. This appears to rule out
the mid-day meal imbibed during "lunch" time, the tiffin taken in the evening,
as well as the innumerable cups of tea and coffee that are poured in during the
day. When we seek confirmation of this, we find that the same Shruti prescribes
"parishEchana mantra" only for two meals a day-"satyam tvartEna parishinchAmi
iti prAta:" in the morning and "RitantvA satyEna parishinchAmi iti sAyam
parishinchati". It therefore appears to be pretty clear that only two meals per
day are the permissible quota, for human beings. The Shruti also tells us that
it is only animals, which are entitled to eat thrice a day (which doesn't speak
much of people like me).
The Upanishad also has a few vital tips about food. For one thing, it tells us
never to be critical of or to refuse food-"annam na nindyAt, tat vratam". The
next time we say we don't like this item of food or that, we would do well to
remember this dictum. This would perhaps include wasting food too-the next time
we leave something uneaten on our plate, or force food upon our already
satiated guests or children with the mistaken impression that it constitutes
hospitality, we should think twice.
And on the days of the annual shraddham for one's late parents, one is supposed
to fast till its performance and also after consuming "pitru sEsham".
Consumption of coffee or tea, not very desirable even on ordinary days, is
totally taboo on the day of the ceremony, either before or after the shrAddha.
On that day, the normal rule of two meals doesn't apply and one is supposed to
go without the normal night meal. Consumption of "bhakshaNam" in the night
doesn't appear to have the sanction of the Shastra. This is because the
bhAgavatas who bless us by officiating in the shrAddham as VisvEdEva, Pitru and
Sri MahAvishnu are exhorted by us to eat well, so that hunger doesn't affect
them in the night, necessitating another meal-"yathA rAtrou kshut na bhavEt,
tathA bhunktvA".
When we expect that those who officiated in our karma should go without food
that night, is it fair for us to eat again? Considering that "ShrAddham" is
that performed with absolute dedication ("shraddhayA kartavyam iti shrAddham"),
non-adherence to the aforesaid simple rules might well vitiate the entire
proceedings and result in our forefathers made unhappy, while the entire
exercise is aimed at pleasing them.
Sri Kulasekhara Perumal says he would have no truck with those obsessed with
food, to the exclusion of everything else-"uNdiyE udayE ugandOdum im mandalam
tannodum kooduvadillai yAn". He perhaps refers to those who indulge themselves
in excesses, as far as food is concerned-eating more frequently than is
prescribed, eating items which are specifically proscribed, eating on days or
parts of days on which fasting is recommended and eating before offering the
food to the Lord.
It is here that compendiums like Swami Desikan's "AhAra niyamam" come to our
rescue, laying down in detail what can and cannot form part of our menu. It is
compliance with these dicta regarding intake, which made our elders enjoy rude
good health even in their advanced years and it is the non-adherence to these
simple rules that is the cause of many an ailment in our generation. By our
elders' standards, most of what we eat today would probably come under the
category of "Junk Food", affording nutrition to neither our physique nor our
soul. Recognising the importance of good nourishment and its capability to
prevent and cure disease, millenia before our present day doctors did, the
Upanishad terms Food a panacea for all ills-"tasmAt sarvoushadham uchyatE". It
would therefore appear that while Food for thought is always welcome, the same
doesn't apply to food for the palate.
Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Dasan, sadagopan
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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