Form of Food
Sathya Sai
Baba
The mind of man is not an organ that can be identified
physiologically; it cannot be touched or operated on by doctors or surgeons. It
is an intangible bundle of resolutions and hesitations; of wishes and wants; to
pros and cons. It has as warp and woof of the wishes that man entertains with
reference to outward objects and sensations. It easily rushes out after external
pleasures and assumes the shapes of the things it seeks. It can also be turned
back into searching for inner contentment and inner joy. That is why the mind is
said to be the instrument for both bondage and liberation. Allow the senses to
lead it outward; it binds. Allow the intelligence to prevail upon it to look
inward for bliss; it liberates.
The mind is the puppet of the food that
is consumed by man. It is prompted one way or the other by the subtle pull of
the food it is fed on. The quality of the food determines the direction of the
desire that diverts the mental flow. That is why in the Geetha as well as in all
scriptural texts, Saathwik (pure) food is recommended for the upward seeking
individual. Mind means desire, Sankalpa (resolve), something sought for. When
the formless desired form, the universe arose; so, mind is the creative
principle, the Maaya (illusion), that desired the very first desire, to 'be
many'. When it is now fed on Rajas - passion and emotion, activity and adventure
- it gallops into the world with the plunge of desire! It brings man deeper into
the morass. When it is fed on Thaamasik (impure) food, which dulls, inebriates,
blunts reason, and induces sloth, the mind is callous, inert and useless for
uplifting man.
The three Types of 'Food' eaten by Man
Saathwik food, according to some,
consists in milk and fruits. But, it is much more; it may not even be these.
For, the calories that one takes in through the mouth are but a small part of
the food intake of man. The intake by the senses are part of the food that
builds the individual. The sounds heard, the sights seen, the tactile
impressions sought or suffered, the air breathed, the environment that presses
for attention, appreciation and adoption - all these are 'food'. They have
considerable impact on the character and career of the individual.
The quality of the food is determined by
the vibrations that it is charged with, through the thought processes of the
persons who handle it, prepare it and serve it. The 17th chapter of the Geetha
clearly defines the nature and tastes of the three types of 'food' eaten by man:
the food that promotes love, virtue, strength, happiness, and cordiality is
Saathwik; that which inflames, arouses, intoxicates and heightens hunger and
thirst is Raajasik; the food that depresses, disrupts, and causes disease if
Thamaasik.
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The company in which food is consumed,
the place, the vessels in which it is cooked, he emotions that agitate the mind
of the person who cooks it and serves it - all these have subtle influences on
the nature and emotions of the persons who takes the final product in! It is
because the sages of India realised this that they laid down many do's and
don'ts for the process of eating, as for the different stages of spiritual
progress.
Our thoughts trail off in directions
determined by the sounds that fall upon the ear. When the sounds convey rebuke
or praise, flattery or challenge, the thoughts too react correspondingly. When
the sounds instil ideas of truth, beauty or goodness, the mind too seeks the
silence of truth, the sweetness of beauty and harmony, the strength of goodness.
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Nagarasankeerthan is the greatest
Disinfectant
I have directed that you should start
this day with Nagarasankeerthan (street singing of spiritual hymns), for, it is
the greatest disinfectant of the atmosphere of the individual, as well as the
community. The Puuja (ritualistic worship) in the domestic shrine, the
recitation of hymns, the Bhajan (group singing of devotional songs) that you do,
all send forth vibrations that purify and cleanse the atmosphere, and so,
disinfect the 'food' that you consume.
Pareekshith listened to stories of
divine glory and so, he was hastened on the path of liberation, during the seven
fateful days. So too the sight of temples, mosques and houses surcharged with
divinity, of idols and sculptures depicting the mystery and majesty of God in
His various forms, of scenes that instil in your mind the littleness of man
before the vastness of God's handiwork - these have a salutary effect on the
formation of character, and the direction of habits and attitudes.
The senses have to be controlled,
primarily because they pursue deleterious influences that harass man and lead
him into ruin. Inner peace is lost when the senses feed man on inflaming wants
and infructuous desires. For the Saadhaka (spiritual aspirant) - and, who can
escape being a Saadhaka? - the intake must always be pure and blameless,
Saathwik. The sounds, the sights, the impressions, the ideas, the lessons, the
contacts, the impacts - all must promote reverence, humility, balance,
equanimity and simplicity. If the impressions are Raajasik, the mind will get
agitated, vengeful, fanatic and fearsome. If they are Thaamasik, the mind will
not even be aroused into the awareness of its own innate handicaps. It is only
the Saathwik 'food' that will keep the mind on an even keel, fully concentrated
on the Aathma on which one must contemplate in order to attain peace.
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Source :Discourse of Sathya
Sai Baba, Hyderabad, 28 Jan 1971
Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust
© copyright 2004
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