Forms of Food
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in one of His discourses said that our minds are not only influenced by the food we take in through our mouths but also through the various senses.
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, of pros and cons. The mind is like a cloth that has as warp and woof 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 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 [Bhagawad] Gita, as well as in all scriptural texts, satwic [pure] food is recommended for the upward-seeking individual. Mind means “desire,” sankalpa [resolve], something sought for. When the Formless desire formed, the universe arose; so mind is the creative principle, the maya [illusion], that desired the very first desire, to be many. When it is now fed on rajas—on 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 tamasic (impure) food, which dulls, inebriates, blunts reason, and induces sloth, the mind is callous, inert, and useless for uplifting man.
Three types of “food” eaten by man
Satwic food, according to some, consists of milk and fruits. But it is much more; it may not even be these. For the calories that man takes in through his mouth are but a small part of his intake. The intake by the senses is 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 Gita 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 satwic; that which inflames, arouses, intoxicates, and heightens hunger and thirst is rajasic; the food that depresses, disrupts, and causes disease is tamasic.
The company in which the food is consumed; the place, the vessels in which it is cooked; the 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 dos and don’ts for the process of eating, as well 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 instill ideas of truth, beauty or goodness, the mind, too, seeks the silence of truth, the sweetness of beauty and harmony, the strength of goodness.
Nagarsankirtan is the greatest disinfectant I have directed that you should start the day with nagarsankirtan [street singing of hymns], for it is the greatest disinfectant of the atmosphere of the individual, as well as of the community. The puja [ritualistic worship] you do in your domestic shrine, your recitation of hymns, the bhajan [singing of devotional songs] you do—all send forth vibrations that purify and cleanse the atmosphere, and so disinfect the “food” that you consume.
Parikshit listened to stories of divine glory, and so he was hastened on the path of liberation during the seven fateful days [from the time a snake bit him to his death]. So, too, the sight of temples, churches, mosques, and houses surcharged with Divinity, of idols and sculptures depicting the mystery and majesty of God in His various forms, of scenes that instill in the 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 unfruitful desires. For the sadhaka (spiritual aspirant)—and who can escape being a sadhaka? —The intake must always be pure and blameless, satwic. The sounds, the sights, the impressions, the ideas, the lessons, the contacts, and the impacts—all must promote reverence, humility, balance, equanimity, and simplicity. If the impressions are rajasic, the mind will get agitated, vengeful, fanatic, and fearsome. If they are tamasic, the mind will not even be aroused into awareness of its own innate handicaps. It is only satwic “food” that will keep the mind on an even keel, fully concentrated on the atma [soul] on which the sadhaka must contemplate in order to attain peace.
Source: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XI
