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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

Paramakanti practice

 

Satvika and Tamasa ahaaram-Gita bhashyam

 

 

 

The Forbidden Food

 

 

 

A friend of mine, quoting someone, told me that ours (the Sri Vaishnava sampradaayam) was a "religion of the cooking pot", because we were obsessed with what, where and with whom we ate. We appeared to be bothered more about what was essentially a minor function meant for keeping body and soul together, similar to bathing and cleaning one's teeth. According to him, our excessive concentration on the specifics of food robbed us of our focus on the Lord and the means to attain Him. If only we took to consuming what was available, without entertaining taboos, if only we ate wherever convenient-hotel, choultry or home-instead of being finicky about consuming only home-made food, we would have much more time for concentrating on the things that really mattered, like Bhagavat chintanam, according to this friend. Though I didn't enter into an argument with him, what he said kept rankling in my mind. As a first step, I tried to catalogue what exactly was forbidden food and to my surprise, came up with quite a substantial list.

 

 

 

Before finding out about food that is not to be consumed, fragments from the Divya Prabandam came to my mind. For instance, in Tiruppallaandu, Sri Periazhwar talks about good food-"nallador soru". Commenting on these words, Sri Periyavaacchaan Pillai tells us that food becomes good when the host feeds the guest without any sense of having done a favour and the guest thinks not about how to repay the favour of being fed. It is food similar to that offered with love and affection by a doting mother to her beloved child-"Ittavan ittom endru irutthal, undavan "idarkku en seivom" endru irutthal seyyaada soru" This, then, is "good food", as defined by Azhwar. The Upanishad Bhaashyakara defines such food as "Sameecheenam, vilakshanam, Saatvikam annam"-comprised of items that induce all the nobler instincts in man, not only tasty to the palate, but also prepared and offered with love and affection by those whose minds are occupied by the Lord and His auspicious attributes. Sri Periya Parakaala Swamy cites as example for such "good" food, that offered by Sri Vidura to Sri Krishna with devotion. Purity of thought on the part of the host while preparing and serving, is an indispensable qualification for food becoming "good"-"Bhaava shuddhi samskritatvam vivakshitam".

 

 

 

If such is the food that we must consume, there are types and items of food that we should not favour. We find quite a wealth of information about such forbidden food, in Swami Desikan's "Aahaara Niyamam" as well as in quotes from Poorvacharyas reproduced in the "Vaartthaa Maalai".

 

 

 

Referring to the Aahaara Niyamam, we find that the following types of food are not fit for consumption. It is remarkable as to how some of these injunctions are based on pure hygiene and on a desire to avoid contamination and adulteration.

 

 

 

 

 

1. Food that has been smelt by men and animals

 

2. Food that has come into contact with cloth, saliva or mucus (from sneezing)

 

3. Food touched by sick persons

 

4. Food that has come into contact with flies, worms, thread, hair, nails, etc.

 

5. Food tasted by men, rats, hens, crows and cats

 

6. Food which has been over-fried or overcooked

 

7. Food which has been seen, smelt or touched by dogs

 

8. Food prepared on days of upavaasam like Ekadasi

 

9. Food offered by a Sanyaasi

 

10.Food offered without love and affection

 

11.Food grown/prepared on dirty land and under unsanitary conditions

 

12. Items taken from the gardens of others without their permission

 

13. Extremely bitter, excessively salty and hot food

 

14. Food that is not first offered to Emperuman

 

15. Food partaken before being offered to guests

 

16. Unseasonal fruits and vegetables

 

17. Food prepared or purchased with illegitimate earnings

 

18. Food items bought from the store but cooked unwashed and uncleaned

 

19. Food contaminated by excreta

 

20. Food cooked by people without the basic ideas of hygiene

 

21. Food offered to deities other than Sriman Narayana

 

22. Food that is unbearably hot, sour, etc.

 

23. Food consisting of unidentifiable components

 

24. Food which is not pleasant or acceptable to one's mind

 

25. Salt with dirt

 

26. Food that is avoided by elders and good people

 

27. Food offered before one has completed Sandhyavandanam, Japam, etc.

 

 

 

Quite a long list, isn't it?

 

 

 

Even in the case of milk, which is accepted for consumption even on days of fasting, certain types are to be avoided, says Swami Desikan-

 

 

 

1. Camel's milk

 

2. Milk mixed with salt

 

3. Milk of a pregnant cow

 

4. Milk bought for a price from Brahmins

 

5. Milk from mothers' breasts (except for consumption by babies)

 

6. Milk of horses and donkeys with a single hoof

 

7. Spoilt milk

 

8. Milk of a cow which has lost its calf

 

9. Milk of a cow which has been milked by deceit, substituting its lost calf by another

 

10. Milk kept in copper vessels

 

11. Milk which has been overheated

 

12. Milk from a cow which has two calves, etc.

 

 

 

The sense of hygiene which pervaded each and every action of our elders is abundantly evident in Swami Desikan's prescriptions for water fit for consumption. "Aachaaram", on which our forefathers laid considerable premium, is nothing but hygiene and principles of cleanliness, strengthened by spirituality. The Acharya advises us to avoid the following types of water:

 

 

 

1. Water stored for a second day (This does not apply to the holy water of the Ganga)

 

2. Water left over after washing feet

 

3. Muddy water

 

4. Water given during festivals at public places

 

5. Water of the tender coconut, which has been boiled

 

6. Wayside water

 

7. Water stagnating in holes and pits

 

8. Water of dubious origins

 

9. Water in the washermen's place (Dhobi khaana)

 

10. Rain water before it touches earth

 

11. Water drunk with a conch as vessel, etc.

 

 

 

Going on to the Vaartthaa Maalai, we find good and bad food classified into three categories each, with Sri Nampillai expanding on the same. Good food consists of:

 

 

 

1. Food offered with love and affection by Sri Vaishnavas

 

2. Food submitted by a disciple to his Acharya, with genuine regret that only so much could be given and not more

 

3. A fistful of rice obtained through "Uncchavritti" or bhikshaa

 

 

 

Of these, the food offered with love by Sri Vaishnavas is akin to that given by Emperuman to His devotees with maternal concern and love. Food offered by the Sishya is akin to the grant from the royal treasury. The fistful of rice obtained through Bhikshaa represents the philosophy of earning the minimum required for keeping body and soul together, without being excessively concerned with physical welfare.

 

 

 

What then are the three types of forbidden food according to the Vaartthaa Maalai?

 

 

 

1. Food earned with funds obtained by inconveniencing or troubling Sri Vaishnavas in

 

any manner

 

2. Food obtained with earnings from service to non-Sri Vaishnavas

 

3. Food obtained with earnings from service to the Lord, considering the same as an

 

occupation or profession.

 

 

 

What makes the offered food unworthy of consumption? Three other don't s are prescribed in the aforesaid context:

 

 

 

1. When a Sri Vaishnava offers us food with concern, we are not to take a critical view of the food on account of taste, nutritiousness, etc.

 

2. The host should not offer food after weighing the qualifications of the guest, nor with

 

the calculation, "This would do for this fellow".

 

3. The host should not consider the quantity of food offered to the guest or the frequency

 

thereof.

 

 

 

The ideal host is one who offers food to guests

 

 

 

1. without the expectation of commendation from society that he is a generous feeder

 

2. without the anticipation of praise from those who are fed, and

 

3. without any ahankaaram or mamakaaram-- without thinking, "This is my food. I am

 

offering it to others". The host should always consider himself fortunate that the Lord

 

has placed him in a position of feeding others and should deem himself to be an

 

instrument for implementation of Emperuman's will.

 

 

 

Sri Aacchaan Pillai is said to have remarked that when one Sri Vaishnava plays host to another, he should experience the following emotions:

 

 

 

1. Inadequacy: the host should feel regret that he is unable to submit a feast

 

commensurate with the greatness of the Srivaishnava who has come as guest

 

2. Humility: the host should not deem to have conferred a favour on the Srivaishnava

 

guest by feeding him, but should consider himself to have been favoured by the guest,

 

hoping for the event occurring often.

 

3. Fear-- that the food offered to the Srivaishnava should have been adequate, tasty and

 

that no offence should have occurred during the serving thereof.

 

4. Pride-- that he has the great good fortune of having a Srivaishnava consume food at his

 

house.

 

5. Sorrow- at having missed the privilege of feeding Srivaishnavas so far

 

6. Satisfaction-the host should consider his day and life to have been made

 

extremely fruitful by the act of feeding the Srivaishnava.

 

 

 

Sri Teertthankudi Jeeyar is said to have indicated that six types of food are taboo:

 

 

 

1. Food offered at a house where a death has taken place

 

2. Food offered at a marriage-because the normal standards of hygiene and aachaaram

 

are absent at marriage hall kitchens.

 

3. Food which is sold at a price-since it is a commercial venture, one cannot hope for

 

either cleanliness or nutritiousness in such food

 

4. Food that is offered to others for earning name and fame (that the host is a great

 

philanthropist, etc.)

 

5. Food that is offered to the guest, to curry favour with the latter or with the specific

 

object of achieving something

 

6. Left overs-food that has first been offered to deities other than Sriman Narayana or

 

His devotees.

 

 

 

Sri Pillai Lokacharya indicates another type of feeding in Srivachana Bhooshanam-

 

"Madi tadavaada soru". The host feeds the Srivaishnava guest with all due respect and regard. However, after the meal is over, he develops a feeling of regret that he has provided the meal free. To salvage what he can from the affair, he checks the midriff ("Madi") of the guest to see whether the latter is carrying any cash, which can be appropriated towards the cost of the meal. This makes the guest feel extremely bad for having partaken of the meal. Food offered to the guest, says the Acharya, should be without absolutely any expectation whatsoever and with the feeling that the act of feeding is a great end in itself. This attitude is what made Sri Krishna bypass those of high status and birth and choose to honour Sri Vidura by partaking food at the latter's house, during His visit to Hastinaapuram. Despite his low birth, the food offered to Krishna by Vidura is praised as "Sucheeni gunavanti cha" (pure, tasteful and wholesome), solely due to the attitude of the host and not so much due to the actual contents of the meal.

 

 

 

After my researches took me through all the aforesaid dicta of Acharyas, I felt that there was nothing wrong in our sampradaayam being called "religion of the cooking pot"-for, it is the cooking pot which is often the origin of epidemics and infections. Once we take good care of the cooking pot, both our physical and spiritual health would automatically be taken care of. At Srivaishnavite homes, cooking pots are put to use to prepare food not for mere mortals, but for the Emperuman who resides at various homes in different forms, to whom the meal is offered first and foremost, before consumption by human inhabitants. Thus, it is not for nothing that our Sampradaayam is known as the "Madaippalli Sampradaayam" or the "Yatiraaja Maahaanasika sampradaayam" by someone of the calibre of Swami Desikan.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri Lakshminrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

dasan, sadagopan

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Respected Sir,

 

Very interesting posting. Though some of these injunctions may not be

practicable given today's life on the fast lane, this writer would like to

add some points :

 

1. purchase of basic raw materials. Even taking the simplest of food, the

humble curd rice or idli, one has to depend on the grocer (who stores the

rice; OOlundu in a careless manner and there is no denying that a grocert's

shop, at least in India, has rats, lizards, mice, ants,spiders, and all

types of small insects, creatures etc.which have a gala time in the night

when the shop is shut. The grocer himself is invariably a man who is in

business to make a profit and does cut corners by resorting to shorting the

weighing machine/balance etc. Even so called cleaned,sorted and packaged

food, graded by the 'Standards Organization" - eg. Agmark gives the quality

stamping for Honey manufactured by village self-help groups who in turn do

not bother much about hygine etc.and involves lots of manual intervention

including handling the product by raw hands. The milk comes from the big

state-owned dairies

where at times condition of the animals may leave lot to be desired. For

instances, some of the big dairies in Maharastra are manned by illiterate

workers who have no clue or bother about the sacredness of the cow and

there is ill treatment, without doubt.

 

The big supermarkets,selling the top brands too are guilty of this casual

approach. They hire manual workers from the nearby slums on a per-day basis

to sit a big hall and use the sieve and sort out the stones etc. from the

grocery items by bare hands. In many cases, these 'sorting' army does not

take bath, gossip, smoke and mechanically do the sorting.

 

Carrots and ginger in the market is first put in a big tub of water into

which the wholesale vendor jumps in barefoot upto his waist and starts

stomping vigorously to dislodge the dirt,mud and grime. The carrots /ginger

are then manually sorted and displayed on the stores or with the retailer

at the market and which we buy and eat.

 

Of course we do wash, clean and perform the basic hygine operation before

adding it to the cooking pot, but if you look at the entire process from

start to end, then it is these intermediaries who literally 'contaminate'

the raw material.

 

The other solution, rather the only solution would be for the householder

to have a small patch of garden around his house where basic vegetables eg.

gourds, bitter groud, beans etc. are cultivated and consumed directly. Of

course this is not feasible these days,except in some villages or ancestral

homes where elders choose to stay.

 

2. Then we have cases of going to houses of third parties (relations,

friends etc.) for various occasions, even a casual visit; parties; events

like marriage, etc. In all such cases, food forms the main subject and

here too there is unavoidable / unconscious /invisible 'contamination'.

Not each and every individual offering /serving the food does with

devotional affection and sincere inner feeling but a certain amount of

carelessness, casual approach exists.

 

3. Water : Water in most cities is run thru filters, chrlorinated and in

certain places, like Chennai for instance, there is considerable hardness

and one cannot easily assume that there is no 'contimation'. Similarly,

while travelling most of us resort to the ubiquotious branded bottled

mineral water

 

4. Hotel food : at least in the big cities,in India, every 4th

establishment displays a host of packaged or cooked or so-called fast food,

not to speak of the hotels and Pizza joints. Most hotels now have the

standard 'free home delivery' option which means further laziness for the

family as they do not have to stir out of the house. Then there are joints

which specialize in 'health food' where they supply 'fat free' fried items;

sprouts; whole wheat bread; organic food and what not.

 

5. Postings in remote lands eg. Iceland, antartica, Mongolio, deep inside

the Amazons etc. where one cannot the typical food one is used to and

survival is often highly dependent on having to perforce partake some

non-veg food.

 

In all these instances considerable difficult arises for the individual to

manage the food part of his/her life. Food must be consumed two time at

least and one has to have adequate energy. The choice seems quite narrow

and inevitable and once is literally forced to opt for the easiest way out

and indulge

 

The broader question is : in the light of the strictly orthodox strictures

laid down by our Acharyas and Sages as outlined in your mail, what is the

way out for an ordinary mortal struggling to make ends meet engaged in 10

hours of vocation and 2 hrs of commuting x 5 days a week. Offering the

food to the Lord before partaking is assumed, but then one is knowingly

offering that which has a very high probability of a mix of the various

subtle 'contaminations' indicated by you.

 

On the flip side, are we to take it for granted that irrespective of the

contamination, given the practical problems, would a sincere offering to

the Lord before consuming serve as a mitigant?

 

 

Om tat Sat

Tat tvam ai

 

 

 

sadagopaniyengar

@vsnl.net Srirangasri, ,

Sent by: oppiliappan, tiruvenkatam, ramanuja

Oppiliappan@yaho cc: Radha Jagannathan <radha (AT) rci (DOT) rutgers.edu>, CHETLUR SRINIVASAN

ogroups.com <chetlurvas (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>, Thiruppathy Raguveeradayal <rajamragu >,

sadagopaniyengar (AT) vsnl (DOT) net

The Forbidden Food

01/01/07 08:14

PM

Please respond

to Oppiliappan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

Paramakanti practice

 

Satvika and Tamasa ahaaram—Gita bhashyam

 

 

 

The Forbidden Food

 

 

 

A friend of mine, quoting someone, told me that ours (the Sri Vaishnava

sampradaayam) was a “religion of the cooking potâ€, because we were

obsessed with what, where and with whom we ate. We appeared to be bothered

more about what was essentially a minor function meant for keeping body

and soul together, similar to bathing and cleaning one’s teeth. According

to him, our excessive concentration on the specifics of food robbed us of

our focus on the Lord and the means to attain Him. If only we took to

consuming what was available, without entertaining taboos, if only we ate

wherever convenient—hotel, choultry or home—instead of being finicky about

consuming only home-made food, we would have much more time for

concentrating on the things that really mattered, like Bhagavat chintanam

, according to this friend. Though I didn’t enter into an argument with

him, what he said kept rankling in my mind. As a first step, I tried to

catalogue what exactly was forbidden food and to my surprise, came up with

quite a substantial list.

 

 

 

Before finding out about food that is not to be consumed, fragments from

the Divya Prabandam came to my mind. For instance, in Tiruppallaandu, Sri

Periazhwar talks about good food—“nallador soruâ€. Commenting on these

words, Sri Periyavaacchaan Pillai tells us that food becomes good when the

host feeds the guest without any sense of having done a favour and the

guest thinks not about how to repay the favour of being fed. It is food

similar to that offered with love and affection by a doting mother to her

beloved child—“Ittavan ittom endru irutthal, undavan “idarkku en seivomâ€

endru irutthal seyyaada soru† This, then, is “good foodâ€, as defined by

Azhwar. The Upanishad Bhaashyakara defines such food as “Sameecheenam,

vilakshanam, Saatvikam annamâ€â€”comprised of items that induce all the

nobler instincts in man, not only tasty to the palate, but also prepared

and offered with love and affection by those whose minds are occupied by

the Lord and His auspicious attributes. Sri Periya Parakaala Swamy cites

as example for such “good†food, that offered by Sri Vidura to Sri Krishna

with devotion. Purity of thought on the part of the host while preparing

and serving, is an indispensable qualification for food becoming “goodâ€â€”“

Bhaava shuddhi samskritatvam vivakshitamâ€.

 

 

 

If such is the food that we must consume, there are types and items of

food that we should not favour. We find quite a wealth of information

about such forbidden food, in Swami Desikan’s “Aahaara Niyamam†as well as

in quotes from Poorvacharyas reproduced in the “Vaartthaa Maalaiâ€.

 

 

 

Referring to the Aahaara Niyamam, we find that the following types of food

are not fit for consumption. It is remarkable as to how some of these

injunctions are based on pure hygiene and on a desire to avoid

contamination and adulteration.

 

 

 

 

 

1. Food that has been smelt by men and animals

 

2. Food that has come into contact with cloth, saliva or mucus (from

sneezing)

 

3. Food touched by sick persons

 

4. Food that has come into contact with flies, worms, thread, hair, nails,

etc.

 

5. Food tasted by men, rats, hens, crows and cats

 

6. Food which has been over-fried or overcooked

 

7. Food which has been seen, smelt or touched by dogs

 

8. Food prepared on days of upavaasam like Ekadasi

 

9. Food offered by a Sanyaasi

 

10.Food offered without love and affection

 

11.Food grown/prepared on dirty land and under unsanitary conditions

 

12. Items taken from the gardens of others without their permission

 

13. Extremely bitter, excessively salty and hot food

 

14. Food that is not first offered to Emperuman

 

15. Food partaken before being offered to guests

 

16. Unseasonal fruits and vegetables

 

17. Food prepared or purchased with illegitimate earnings

 

18. Food items bought from the store but cooked unwashed and uncleaned

 

19. Food contaminated by excreta

 

20. Food cooked by people without the basic ideas of hygiene

 

21. Food offered to deities other than Sriman Narayana

 

22. Food that is unbearably hot, sour, etc.

 

23. Food consisting of unidentifiable components

 

24. Food which is not pleasant or acceptable to one’s mind

 

25. Salt with dirt

 

26. Food that is avoided by elders and good people

 

27. Food offered before one has completed Sandhyavandanam, Japam, etc.

 

 

 

Quite a long list, isn’t it?

 

 

 

 Even in the case of milk, which is accepted for consumption even on days

of fasting, certain types are to be avoided, says Swami Desikan—

 

 

 

1. Camel’s milk

 

2. Milk mixed with salt

 

3. Milk of a pregnant cow

 

4. Milk bought for a price from Brahmins

 

5. Milk from mothers’ breasts (except for consumption by babies)

 

6. Milk of horses and donkeys with a single hoof

 

7. Spoilt milk

 

8. Milk of a cow which has lost its calf

 

9. Milk of a cow which has been milked by deceit, substituting its lost

calf by another

 

10. Milk kept in copper vessels

 

11. Milk which has been overheated

 

12. Milk from a cow which has two calves, etc.

 

 

 

The sense of hygiene which pervaded each and every action of our elders is

abundantly evident in Swami Desikan’s prescriptions for water fit for

consumption. “Aachaaramâ€, on which our forefathers laid considerable

premium, is nothing but hygiene and principles of cleanliness,

strengthened by spirituality. The Acharya advises us to avoid the following

types of water:

 

 

 

1. Water stored for a second day (This does not apply to the holy water of

the Ganga)

 

2. Water left over after washing feet

 

3. Muddy water

 

4. Water given during festivals at public places

 

5. Water of the tender coconut, which has been boiled

 

6. Wayside water

 

7. Water stagnating in holes and pits

 

8. Water of dubious origins

 

9. Water in the washermen’s place (Dhobi khaana)

 

10. Rain water before it touches earth

 

11. Water drunk with a conch as vessel, etc.

 

 

 

Going on to the Vaartthaa Maalai, we find good and bad food classified

into three categories each, with Sri Nampillai expanding on the same. Good

food consists of:

 

 

 

1. Food offered with love and affection by Sri Vaishnavas

 

2. Food submitted by a disciple to his Acharya, with genuine regret that

only so much could be given and not more

 

3. A fistful of rice obtained through “Uncchavritti†or bhikshaa

 

 

 

Of these, the food offered with love by Sri Vaishnavas is akin to that

given by Emperuman to His devotees with maternal concern and love. Food

offered by the Sishya is akin to the grant from the royal treasury. The

fistful of rice obtained through Bhikshaa represents the philosophy of

earning the minimum required for keeping body and soul together, without

being excessively concerned with physical welfare.

 

 

 

What then are the three types of forbidden food according to the Vaartthaa

Maalai?

 

 

 

1. Food earned with funds obtained by inconveniencing or troubling Sri

Vaishnavas in

 

    any manner

 

2. Food obtained with earnings from service to non-Sri Vaishnavas

 

3. Food obtained with earnings from service to the Lord, considering the

same as an

 

    occupation or profession.

 

 

 

What makes the offered food unworthy of consumption? Three other don’t s

are prescribed in the aforesaid context:

 

 

 

1. When a Sri Vaishnava offers us food with concern, we are not to take a

critical view of the food on account of taste, nutritiousness, etc.

 

2. The host should not offer food after weighing the qualifications of the

guest, nor with

 

    the calculation, “This would do for this fellowâ€.

 

3. The host should not consider the quantity of food offered to the guest

or the frequency

 

    thereof.

 

 

 

The ideal host is one who offers food to guests

 

 

 

1. without the expectation of commendation from society that he is a

generous feeder

 

2. without the anticipation of praise from those who are fed, and

 

3. without any ahankaaram or mamakaaram-- without thinking, “This is my

food. I am

 

    offering it to othersâ€. The host should always consider himself

fortunate that the Lord

 

    has placed him in a position of feeding others and should deem himself

to be an

 

    instrument for implementation of Emperuman’s will.

 

 

 

Sri Aacchaan Pillai is said to have remarked that when one Sri Vaishnava

plays host to another, he should experience the following emotions:

 

 

 

1. Inadequacy: the host should feel regret that he is unable to submit a

feast

 

    commensurate with the greatness of the Srivaishnava who has come as

guest

 

2. Humility: the host should not deem to have conferred a favour on the

Srivaishnava

 

    guest by feeding him, but should consider himself to have been

favoured by the guest,

 

    hoping for the event occurring often.

 

3. Fear-- that the food offered to the Srivaishnava should have been

adequate, tasty and

 

    that no offence should have occurred during the serving thereof.

 

4. Pride-- that he has the great good fortune of having a Srivaishnava

consume food at his

 

     house.

 

5. Sorrow- at having missed the privilege of feeding Srivaishnavas so far

 

6. Satisfaction—the host should consider his day and life to have been

made

 

    extremely fruitful by the act of feeding the Srivaishnava.

 

 

 

Sri Teertthankudi Jeeyar is said to have indicated that six types of food

are taboo:

 

 

 

1. Food offered at a house where a death has taken place

 

2. Food offered at a marriage—because the normal standards of hygiene and

aachaaram

 

    are absent at marriage hall kitchens.

 

3. Food which is sold at a price—since it is a commercial venture, one

cannot hope for

 

    either cleanliness or nutritiousness in such food

 

4. Food that is offered to others for earning name and fame (that the host

is a great

 

    philanthropist, etc.)

 

5. Food that is offered to the guest, to curry favour with the latter or

with the specific

 

    object of achieving something

 

6. Left overs—food that has first been offered to deities other than

Sriman Narayana or

 

   His devotees.

 

 

 

 Sri Pillai Lokacharya indicates another type of feeding in Srivachana

Bhooshanam—

 

“Madi tadavaada soruâ€. The host feeds the Srivaishnava guest with all due

respect and regard. However, after the meal is over, he develops a feeling

of regret that he has provided the meal free. To salvage what he can from

the affair, he checks the midriff (“Madiâ€) of the guest to see whether the

latter is carrying any cash, which can be appropriated towards the cost of

the meal.  This makes the guest feel extremely bad for having partaken of

the meal. Food offered to the guest, says the Acharya, should be without

absolutely any expectation whatsoever and with the feeling that the act of

feeding is a great end in itself. This attitude is what made Sri Krishna

bypass those of high status and birth and choose to honour Sri Vidura by

partaking food at the latter’s house, during His visit to Hastinaapuram.

Despite his low birth, the food offered to Krishnaby Vidura is praised as

“Sucheeni gunavanti cha†(pure, tasteful and wholesome), solely due to the

attitude of the host and not so much due to the actual contents of the

meal.

 

 

 

After my researches took me through all the aforesaid dicta of Acharyas, I

felt that there was nothing wrong in our sampradaayam being called

“religion of the cooking potâ€â€”for, it is the cooking pot which is often

the origin of epidemics and infections. Once we take good care of the

cooking pot, both our physical and spiritual health would automatically be

taken care of. At Srivaishnavite homes, cooking pots are put to use to

prepare food not for mere mortals, but for the Emperuman who resides at

various homes in different forms, to whom the meal is offered first and

foremost, before consumption by human inhabitants. Thus, it is not for

nothing that our Sampradaayam is known as the “Madaippalli Sampradaayamâ€

or the “Yatiraaja Maahaanasika sampradaayam†by someone of the calibre of

Swami Desikan.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri Lakshminrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri

Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

dasan, sadagopan

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