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by Jayaram V

"The saintly persons get relief from all kinds of sins by partaking the

food that has been first offered to gods as sacrifice. But those who

 prepare food for their selfish ends eat but only sins. (Bhagavad gita

3:13)

"All beings come into existence from food. Food comes from rains.

Rains originate from the performance of sacrifices. And sacrifice is born

out of doing prescribed duties. (Bhagavad gita 3:14)

I speak the truth, it is indeed his death. He who nourishes neither the

god nor a friend, he who eats alone, gathers sin. (Rig Veda X. 117)

From earth herbs, from herbs food, from food seed, from seed man.

Man thus consists of the essence of food. (Taittiriya Upanishad)

'From food are produced all creatures which dwell on earth. Then they 

live by food, and in the end they return to food. For food is the oldest 

of all beings, and therefore it is called panacea. (Taittiriya Upanishad)

Food is God

According to Hinduism, food is verily an aspect of Brahman (annam

parabrahma swaroopam). Because it is a gift from God, it should be

treated with great respect.

The gross physical body iscalled annamayakosh or the

food body, because it is

nourished by food and grows

by absorbing the energies

from the food. Orthodox

Hindus offer food to God

mentally before eating. Food

is identified with the element

of earth. According to Prasna

Upanishad, "Food is in truth the Lord of Creation (Prajapathi). Fromfood is produced retas (the sexul energy or semen) and from it

beings are born." According to Manu, "Food, that is always

worshipped, gives strength and manly vigor; but eaten irreverently,

it destroys them both." Food should be eaten for the survival and

strength of the body, with a religious attitude, to practice austerities

and gain self control, but not for pleasure. Eating is therefore any

other human activity which can be made into either a sacrificial act

that would help in the liberation of soul or a mere pleasure activity

that would lead to bondage and suffering.

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In the Bhagavadgita Sri Krishna declares that food is of three types

as are sacrifices, austerity and charity. Sattvic (pure) food is that

one which increases longevity, purity, strength, health, happiness

and taste and which is juicy, oily, durable in nature and liked by

sattvic people. Rajasic (hot) food is that one which is bitter, sour,

salty, hot and spicy, burning and which gives unhappiness, sorrow

and disease. Tamasic (intoxicating) food is that one which is stored

and devoid of any juices, dried, foul smelling, decomposed, left over

and indigestible. When a person eats these foods without offering

them to God, he develops the qualities they impart and acts

according to them. One should therefore be very careful in what

one eats and when, where and how it is eaten.

Food Rituals

In Hinduism several rituals are associated with food. A child's first

feeding is celebrated as a samskara known as annaprasana. The

funeral rites involve serving of of food, offering of food to the

departed soul and making of his astral body with food for his

continuation in the ancestral world. According to Manu," Food, that

is always worshipped, gives strength and manly vigour; but eaten

irreverently, it destroys them both." He therefore advices that "a

twice-born man should always eat his food with concentrated mind,

after performing an ablution; and after he has eaten," he should

"duly cleanse himself with water and sprinkle the cavities of his

head. Devout Hindus observe some rituals before eating food, which

are enumerated below.

Cleaning the place. Food is always eaten in a clean place. The

Hindu law books proscribe eating food in unclean places.

Sprinkling of water around the food. When food is served,

water is sprinkled around it, accompanied by some mantras or

prayers. This is meant to purify the food and make it worthy

for the gods. Some water is also sipped following this act, in

order to clear the throat.

Making an offering of the food. Food is then offered to five

vital breaths (pranas), namely prana, apana, vyana, udana,

samanaya and then to Brahman seated in the heart.

Some offer food to their personal gods or divinities before eating

instead of the five vital breaths. The purpose of offering food to the

deities and God is two fold. It renders the act of eating a sacrificial

ritual and signifies internalization of sacrifice, making ones body a

sacrificial altar. Secondly it is believed that offering food to gods is

a mark of self-surrender and devotion. According to Hindu

scriptures, he who eats food after offering it to gods or God would

come to no harm as any rajasic or tamasic substances or qualities

hidden in the food would be neutralized by the their positive

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energies and blessings. In addition to these, the twice born were

advised to perform five sacrifices every day which are essentially

sacrificial offerings of food to different entities. They are

Ahuta, which is not offered to the fire, usually the vedic

mantras,

Huta, which is the burnt oblation offered to the gods,

Prahuta which is usually food grains etc offered by scattering it

on the ground

the Bali, which is the sacrificial offering given to the Bhutas or

ghosts,

Brahmya-huta, which is the food offered to the digestive fires

of Brahmanas and guests invited to one's house,

Prasita, which is offered to the to the ancestors.

According to the Bhagavadgita, he who eats food without offering to

God verily incurs sin. Food is also served to guests and poor peopleduring festive occasions and important ceremonies. In ancient India

young students who were initiated into Brahmacharya were

expected to beg for their food. Cooking food is also prohibited for

those who have entered the phase of Sanyasa or renunciation.

While self-mortification was not suggested, they were expected to

gradually reduce their dependence upon food in order to set

themselves free from the cravings of the body and the mind.

Vegetarianism

According to Hinduism, food is responsible for our physical birth and

also the development of our bodies. What we eat decides our

physical well being as well as

our mental makeup. If we

eat sattvic food (pure food)

we become sattvic (pure)

beings. If we heat rajasic

food (hot and spicy) we

become rajasic (ambitious,

temparamental, egoistic etc).

If we eat animal food or

intoxicating foods, we may

develop animal qualities and

lethargic nature. Therefore we have to be careful about our food.

Besides killing innocent and helpless animals for the purpose of 

filling ones stomach is a bad karma with harmful consequences.

Apart from non vegetarian food, orthodox Hindus also avoid eating

spicy food, onions, garlic, mushrooms, intoxicating juices, very sour

food and some bulbs and tubers. The following are a few quotations

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from the Manusmriti.

The eater who daily even devours those destined to be his food,

commits no sin; for the creator himself created both the eaters and

those who are to be eaten (for those special purposes). ( 5:30)

Meat can never be obtained without injury to living creatures, and

injury to sentient beings is detrimental to (the attainment of)

heavenly bliss; let him therefore shun (the use of) meat. (5:48)

There is no sin in eating meat, in (drinking) spirituous liquor, and in

carnal intercourse, for that is the natural way of created beings, but

abstention brings great rewards. (5:56)

Not all Hindus avoid eating meat. A great majority of Hindus eat it.

In ancient India even the Brahmins ate certain types of sacrificial

meat. Hindu law books do not prohibit the eating of meat in

general, but only certain types of meat. To a great extent Jainism

and to some extent Buddhism influenced the food eating habits of 

the Hindu community in ancient India, although we cannot say

definitely that the concept of non violence and avoiding meat eating

were alien to them before. As early as the rig Vedic period, ancient

Hindu sages who spent their lives in meditation and seclusion

subsisted on roots and tubers and plant food only to gain control

over their minds and bodies and attain self-realization. Hiuen Tsang

who visited India in the 7th Century AD noted that Indian ate

mostly vegetarian food.

Charity

Hindus believe that serving food to the poor and the needy, to the

pious and the religious and to the birds, insects and animas is a

very good karma. In ancient India it was an obligatory religious

duty to serve food to the begging students and sadhus and to the

Brahmanas. Food is also associated with a lot of religious activity.

Food is invariably offered to God during most of the religious

ceremonies. On specific days in a year food is offered to departed

souls. Food is also distributed to people at the end of many

religious ceremonies. Many Hindu temples distribute food freely

every day to the visiting devotees.

Fasting

If eating is a sacrificial ritual, fasting is another kind of ritual meant

to purify the body and the mind and develop the sattvic quality of 

detachment and equanimity. Devout Hindus observe fasting on

special occasions as a mark of respect to their personal gods or as a

part of their penance. At certain times in a year like the

Durganavami festival they do not take food for days together.

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Suggested Further Reading

The Significance of Animals in Hinduism

and Hindu Ceremonies

Why should we eat only vegertarian food

?

Books on Vegetarian Cooking

The triple gunas according to the

Bhagavad gita

Jainism and the theory of karma

The Buddhist code of conduct on Meat

eating

The right conduct for the monks

How is meditation like cooking?

 

Thursday , August 12, 2010

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