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Food
and the Eater
Feb.
07, 2010
-
Swami Yogatmananda
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Summary of this Lecture:
Food is the sustaining force of our existence and should be eaten
with respectful attitude avoiding any kind of wastage. Taittariya
Upanisad says that while food is being eaten, it eats the eater
too because when food goes inside it becomes the 'I' of the eater.
In Vedanta, we find beautiful analysis of hunger that is associated
with the entity-ship 'I'. One reality in ignorance appears to be 'many'
and subject/object division gets formed. Since this division is not
real, 'I' through mistaken expression of hunger, wants to unite with
the 'world' which is seen as food. Aitareya Upanisad describes
that the (subject) eater demands food (object) and since the food
(another entity) wants to protect itself, starts running away. This
chasing temporarily stops when the eater eats the food and becomes
satisfied; but the hunger returns and the cycle goes on. The Sanskrit
word Aahaar =food literally means in-take. Hunger signifies
dissatisfaction and every sense organ has different object of hunger.
Through the process of eating, the eater tries to become one with
food. if this process is directed properly, it will culminate in the
eater and the food becoming ONE, as Taittariya Upanisad expresses
- 'I am the eater, I am the food'. It is a unified experience of the
ONE manifesting in two different forms. This is the goal of life because
this experience of Oneness alone brings total fulfillment. Bhagavad
Gita mentions three kinds of food sought by three kinds of people
- Sattvika, Rajasika, Tamasika. Sankaracharya in his 'Five
Verses on Spiritual Practice' calls food as medicine to cure
the disease of hunger. Being medicine, it should be taken
without considerations of like or dislike and an overdose must be
avoided. Then the food will purify the eater. Chandogya Upanisad
says that when intake is pure, mind becomes pure; then the memory
of our true nature becomes steadfast; such a person cuts asunder all
bondages and realizes the Self, which is Existence, Consciousness,
Bliss absolute.
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