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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



        


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