THE FIVE FIRES
There is another important section in it dealing with the Panchaagnis, the
Five Fires. There are five kinds of Fire-principle, Agni. Udara-Agni,
Manda-Agni, Kaama-Agni, Soka-Agni and Badavaa-Agni. Udara-Agni refers to the burning sensation caused by hunger, fire in the stomach. Manda-Agni
refers to the burning feeling caused by excessive eating resulting in
indigestion. Kaama-Agni is the burning agony in the mind caused by
numerous
desires and passions. Soka-Agni does not refer only to consuming grief
caused by worldly disappointments and losses. It pertains also to the
burning sorrow felt by one who is yearning for God, thirsting for
experiencing oneness with the Divine.

Divine discourse-May 30, 1991

The dreams that you experience are actually the reactions of your food and habits. There is an intricate and inseparable relationship between food, head and God. Food plays a vital role in the spiritual path. When we consume the right kind of food, it helps us in our effort to understand Divinity. As is the food, so is the mind. Only one with pure mind can understand Divinity. In order to cultivate purity of mind, you should partake of pure and Sathwic food. You should consider food as God. It is said, Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati (as you think so you become). If you consider food as mere Padartha (matter), it will remain so. Depending on the feeling, it undergoes change. Take for instance, the magnetic power in the body. It gets transformed into electric power. It gives rise to sound energy and develops Tejas (effulgence). Jewellery shines with added brilliance when it is polished. Likewise every man is endowed with Tejas which is known as Chaitanya Shakti (power of consciousness).
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Embodiments of Love!
Consider food as Parartha (God) and not mere Padartha (matter). Take care that the food that you eat helps you maintain good health. Do not consume stale food. It is like poison.

"Today, let it be anyone, whether one deems himself a devotee or not, he should give up meat eating. Why? meat eating promotes only animal qualities. It has been well said that the food one consumes determines one's thoughts. By eating the flesh of various animals, the qualities of these animals are imbibed. How sinful is it to feed on animals, which are sustained by the same five elements as human beings! This leads to demonic tendencies, besides committing the sin of inflicting cruelty on animals. Hence, those who genuinely seek to become devotees of God have to give up non-vegetarian food. Calling themselves Sai devotees or devotees of Rama and Krishna, they fatten the chickens. How can they be deemed Sai devotees? How can God accept such a person as a devotee? Therefore, whether they are devotees in India or outside, they should give up from this instant meat eating. […] Therefore, those who aspire to become devotees of God must give up meat, liquor and smoking."

Sri Sathya Sai Baba ,Divine Discorse on 23 Nov 1994, Sanathana Sarathi December 1994 p. 315
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"I have been stressing the vital importance of people giving up this habit of eating non-vegetarian food even from my boyhood days. Meat eating fosters animal qualities in man making him descend to the demoniac level; it is a heart-rending sight to see cows being slaughtered to serve as food for man. The cow has been worshiped as mother in Bharat since ancient times... Cow-slaughter is reougnant to the culture of this country. The provision of drinking water to the people and putting an end to the killing of animals for food are two prime needs for the country to regain its pristine glory. Violence in any form is evil and to kill innocent animals in tantamount to blatant savagery. I bless the prime Minister (of India) and expect him to get there two things accomplished furing his tenure." Sanathana Sarathi December 1994 p. 322



"... it is significant to note that those who live on vegetarian food are less prone to diseases, whereas non-vegetarians are subject to more diseases. Why? Because animal food is incompatible with the needs of the human body."

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Summer Showers 1990, p. 34.
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"Mother Easwaramma looked after her child [Sathya Narayena Raju] with love and care. Days rolled by and the child grew into a boy. He was mithabhashi and mithaahari (one who spoke less and ate less). Easwaramma was mystified by the strange behavior of her son. Usually children are fond of eating. Especially some people would prefer non-vegetarian items like fish or meat. But her son was totally averse to non-vegetarian food. He would not even visit the houses where non-vegetarian food was cooked. Seeing his noble qualities, Easwaramma realized that the child was not an ordinary one, but one of divine nature. Her eldest daughter Venkamma also recognized the divine nature of the child. Together, they brought up the child with love and care."

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Divine Discorse on 23 Nov 2003



"In order to have sacred thoughts, give up the vices like consumption of non-vegetarian food, smoking and drinking intoxicants." (21 Nov 1999)


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"There are certain habits. Members of the Organization should have some good habits. Jaisa Anna, Vaisa Mann - as is the food, so is the thought. As is the feeling so is the experience - Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati. So we have to partake of food in a proper way. It is because of food that we have all sorts of durguna, duralochana and duschinta- bad habits, bad thoughts. So give up smoking. Also eschewing drinking. This alcoholism and smoking are ruining your health. One without health cannot achieve any small thing. Meat eating is also very bad. If you partake animal food, you will develop animal qualities. As is the food, so is the head. So you should have regulation of food. Then the fourth one is gambling. Those in the spiritual field should immediately give up smoking, drinking, meat eating and gambling. All these four are bad qualities.

You take this meat eating. Many people have to kill the animals because of your non-vegetarianism. You are responsible for the death of those animals. They are killed because you eat them. This is a sin. What a sin to kill innocent animals and eat them." (21 Nov 1995)



From the time of our birth till the time this body perishes, we are making many attempts to earn money and acquire food. In this process of amassing wealth, we are adopting means and methods which are adopted also by the birds and animals.
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In the matter of acquiring food, different kinds of strength, abilities and skills are used by us but these very same skills are used by animals and birds as well. It is not right that we use all our knowledge and skill for doing just what the animals and birds also do. In the process of our spending all our energies in acquiring food, we are going far away from the aspect of Atma. For the purpose of feeding ourselves, many lives are being sacrificed. In this process of our searching for food, many things like trees, birds, fish and animals are being sacrificed. Because these various living things are being sacrificed and are merging with human beings, they have also been acquiring human lives in their rebirth. None of these Jivas are getting any chance of rising higher than human lives. The entire life is being spent in making an effort to be reborn after one's death, thus repeating the cycle of birth and death.

We are becoming slaves to the process of birth and death. We should not allow ourselves to become slaves to this process. We should make an attempt to become one with the great effulgent spirit.

Summer Showers in Brindavam, 1974



"On this sacred day of Vijaya Dasami take an oath to give up vices such as smoking, drinking and partaking of non-vegetarian food. Many do not realize the evil-effects of these bad habits. If a smoker blows air on a white handkerchief, he will find yellow spots on it. This is a sign of disease. Smoking leads to cancer. Drinking is a demonic quality. It makes you intoxicated and to forget yourself. Consuming non-vegetarian food is also a bad quality. When human body itself is made of flesh, where is the need to consume the flesh of birds and animals? You should partake of only sacred food. Only then you will have sacred feelings. For sacred thoughts and sacred deeds, sacred food is essential." (1 Oct 1998)



"The tongue should be engaged only in speaking the truth, in speaking sweetly and in consuming what is pleasant and wholesome for the body. Man degrades himself by consuming intoxicating drinks and non-vegetarian food and by indulging in smoking. These noxious habits affect the brain also." (6 Oct 1997)



"Nature can be modified by nurture; even dogs can cease to relish meat when they are trained to relish only vegetarian food".

Sathya Sai Speaks Vol XII, Chap. 36
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"It is a fact that plants also have life like animals. But animals are endowed with mind, and nervous systems too while the plants do not possess the same. The animals cry and weep when they are being killed. It is not the case with plants; as such, equating killing of animals and destruction of plants is faulty logic. Further, killing the animals and eating their flesh leads to the creeping or dissemination of the animal qualities and behavior in to the man (meaning that man acquires the beastly qualities by eating animal flesh). Thus follows our acquiring the beastly qualities - tamasic nature - of the buffalos or the sheep. Hence, meat eating should be discarded.
Food conditions the nature of the mind. Mind guides the thinking. Thinking results in action. Actions lead to commensurate or matching results and effects. This chain of action between the food we eat and the results of our actions highlights the fact that meat eating leads to beastly actions and the concomitant evil effects."

Sathya Sai, The Avatar of Love, p. 132



"Acts and food which are to be eschewed.
Nishidda Karmas. These relate to acts which are to be eschewed. For instance, the spiritual aspirant has to observe certain regulations regarding food. He must totally eschew rajasic food like alcoholic drinks and meat. The nature of the food determines the nature of one' s thoughts,
feelings and actions. If one' s conduct is to be right and proper, one should carefully observe the
disciplines regarding diet."

Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume XXIX, Chap. 20



"There should be some regulations with regard to food. Many doctors emphasize the value of proteins and recommend meat, eggs, etc. But proteins got in this form serve only to build the body, but do considerable harm to the mind. Doctors are primarily concerned with the gross physical body. They pay little attention to the subtle form of the mental makeup. Most of the diseases that are prevalent in the world today are related to the mind. Mental illness seem to outnumber physical ailments. The Vedhaantha has declared that the mind is the cause of man' s bondage or liberation. This means that the mind has to be used properly and turned godwards. Equally the mind is responsible for health or sickness.
In this context, food is all important. Proteins are present in milk, curds and vegetables as much as in meat. If in the matter of diet, the doctors give the right prescription, diseases can be averted."

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Discourse on 07-02-1993
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