Chapter XVII (Verses 8, 9, 10)
Shradhha Traya Vibhaga Yoga-The Yoga of Three Fold Faith
Chapter XVII
(Verses 8)
आयुःसत्त्वबलारोग्यसुखप्रीतिविवर्धनाः ।
रस्याः स्निग्धाः स्थिरा हृद्या आहाराः सात्त्विकप्रियाः ॥ १७-८॥
The foods which increase life, purity, strength, health, joy and cheerfulness (good appetite), which are savoury and oleaginous, substantial and agreeable, are dear to the SATTVIC (Pure).
In describing the natural taste for some particular types of food in good men of spiritual urges (sattva), it is said that they like only such diet which increases the vitality (Aayuh), and not sheer bulk; which supplies energy for meditative purposes (Veerya); which discovers for them a secret strength (Bala) to resist the temptations for the sense-objects; which provide health (Aarogya) so that they may not often fall ill and suffer a break in their regular sadhana. Such people will have a natural inclination to take food which will augment joy (Preeti) and inner cheerfulness (Sukha). In short, such creative men, by their own choice, enjoy only food that is clean and wholesome with no chance for them, when consumed, to putrefy within.
All the different types of food eaten by man in the world have been classified and brought under four types on the basis of their physical properties. They are savoury, the greasy, the firm and the cordial types of food. Men of purity instinctively like all these types of food when they have the above-mentioned effects upon the consumers – when they (the consumers) have digested and assimilated them.
No doubt, food has certain effects upon the eater. Generally, the eater is, to some extent, conditioned by the type of diet he eats. Not only is our inner nature built by the type of food consumed, but the inner nature, in its turn, commands our tastes; and we very find very often that we have developed an irresistible appetite for certain types of food˟. In the case of animals it is noticed that sometimes they change their diet, according to their physical need in life; dogs and cats are often seen eating grass, cows licking salt-slabs, etc. children eating sand, and pregnant women manifesting different tastes at different periods of their pregnancy.
˟There are some who translate these terms as “the sweet, the soft, the nourishing and the agreeable types of food that are dear to the ‘God’ (sattvic)”.
Verse 9
कट्वम्ललवणात्युष्णतीक्ष्णरूक्षविदाहिनः ।
आहारा राजसस्येष्टा दुःखशोकामयप्रदाः ॥ १७-९॥
The foods that are bitter, sour, saline, excessively hot, pungent, dry and burning, are liked by the RAJASIC, and are productive of pain, grief and disease.
Men of energy, the ‘passionate’, desire such food (Rajasasya istaah) that have strong flavor and dense taste. Bitter, sour, saltish, very hot, pungent, harsh, burning tastes are to the liking of all vigorous men, restlessly striving to fulfill their uncontrolled passions and desires (rajasic).
Such a diet, no doubt, creates in an individual brilliant energies, but in the wildness, they are, to a degree uncontrollable; and therefore, in their final reactions they lead the eater towards a life productive of PAIN, GRIEF, AND DISEASE.
A student of these discussions in the Geeta is not justified, if he considers that, by a control of diet the thoughts-discipline in himself will also be brought about. From these stanzas, we have to understand that, when the texture of thought improves, the individual finds himself changing his tastes: even his choice of food which would have given him full satisfaction is totally revolutionized.
Verse 10
यातयामं गतरसं पूति पर्युषितं च यत् ।
उच्छिष्टमपि चामेध्यं भोजनं तामसप्रियम् ॥ १७-१०॥
That which is stale, tasteless, putrid, and rotten, refuse and impure, is the food liked by the “TAMASIC”.
(Yaata-yaamam) – A day is divided, in our old calculations in the shastras, into eight Yaamas, wherein a period of three hours constitutes a Yaama. Therefore, food cooked three hours earlier, ‘gone cold’ is that which is considered as spoiled. In these days of canned food, preserved fruits, stored vegetables and refrigeration facilities almost a substantial majority of us have come to love stale food.
TASTELESS (Gata-rasam) – In South India, we find a peculiar hunger for taking rice that has been kept soaked in water the previous night. The next morning, it becomes both stale and tasteless, I suppose, in the north, same like old roti.
FOUL SMELLING (Pooti) – Men of inertia have a natural liking of stinking food that has an insufferable smell for others. The pulav of the modern tables belongs to this category; so too, prawns – we can multiply examples. ‘Men of purity’, however would instinctively revolt against a diet that has any stink about it e.g., seafood.
STALE (Paryushitam) – Food that has been cooked overnight or has been kept for days together, Here we can include all the fermented drinks, which the tamasic people love to drink. All drinks are fermented and the ‘kick’ in them increases as the time after preparation increases.
Unsanitary and unclean food seem to attract the taste of all despicable men of insufferable ignorance and low culture. They love to eat ‘refuse’ (Ucchishtam) that is left over, and impure (Amedhyam) filthy food that is not fit for human consumption. The above enumerated list is a comprehensive report on the base and disgusting tastes of tamasic men of low culture and dull discrimination.