Form of Food - Baba

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Form of Food

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Source :

Discourse of Sathya Sai Baba, Hyderabad, 28 Jan 1971

Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust