annam

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

" All this world is verily " annam " , Food " -- is a

famous saying from the sacred Upanishads. Most of you

know exactly what the old wisecrack, " Money makes the

world go around " is meant to convey. If one were to

paraphrase it and say instead, " Food makes the world

go around " , one would get a true, although less than

full measure of the profundity of the Upanishadic

statement.

 

" annAdvai prajA prajAyantE

yAh kAscha pruthiveem srithAh

athO annae-naiva jeevanti

athaina-dapiyan-yant-tathah:

 

annagum hi bhUtAnAm jyEshtam...

 

annAd bhUtAni jAyantE

jAtAn annEna vardantE.... "

 

(Taittiriya Upanishad: " Anandavalli " )

 

(meaning):

 

" Know this to be truth:

Everything that lives was born from Food

lives on Food

and in the end,

shall merge into Food!

Food is verily the greatest amongst all Creation! "

 

**************

 

If you take a moment to look all around you, you will

see at once that all this world runs on Energy -- from

motor-cars and airplanes to air-conditioners, toasters

and cell-phones. And all the energy needed to run the

world is generated by a precious thing called " fuel " .

Without " fuel " -- whether fossil, thermal,

hydro-electric, wind or nuclear -- without fuel, even

the best model to roll out of a Cadillac assembly-line

in Detroit is little more than gleaming metal junk.

 

Planet earth has about 6.5 billion human beings. In

much of their normal functioning, be it plain

locomotion, strenuous manual work or great creative

thinking, human beings are not unlike machines. They

need " energy " too -- " prANa " and lots of lots of it.

Humans need to guzzle energy just to be able to simply

carry on in life. What generates this " prANic energy " ,

the Upanishad says, is " annam " , Food. A human being

with no " prAni-c " fuel inside to energize him/her is

just about as worthless as a Cadillac with no fuel in

the tank. One is just beautifully engineered junk

while the other is biologically evolved junk.

 

Since " annam " , Food, is recognized to be the ultimate

source of all Energy, the Upanishad exhorts us to take

great care in conserving and using it wisely. There

are 3 great commandments that have been issued in this

regard:

 

(1) " annam na nindhyAth! "

 

(2) " annam na pari-chaksheeta! "

 

(3) " annam bahu kurveeta! "

 

(Taittiriya Upanishad: " brghuvalli " )

(meaning):

 

" Thou shalt not abuse Food! "

" Thou shalt not discard Food! "

" Thou shalt grow Food in abundance! "

 

Tragically, we live today in a world where all 3

Upanishadic commandments are observed more in the

breach than in obedience.

 

The clearest example of large-scale abuse of Food one

can find is in the industrial rearing of cows, sheep

and goats meant for slaughter far more than for dairy.

Cows are reared on modern, " scientific " methods of

dairy-farming. Instead of letting cows to natural

pasture, they are fed with artificial steroidal diet

to boost tissue-growth and body-weight. Way back in

1995, there was a worldwide disaster called the " mad

cow disease " which was a direct result of industrial

dairy-farming. Thousands of cattle afflicted with the

" mad-cow " disease were forthwith slaughtered and

destroyed... It was Man who had mindlessly abused an

important Food-source of the world but blamed the

insanity of it all on poor cows. It was a brutal

violation of " annam na nindhyAth! " .

 

Early this year in 2004, close to 2 million chickens

raised in poultry-farms across countries such as

China, Thailand and Taiwan, and meant for sale to

worldwide fast-food retail franchisees like

MacDonald's and KFC, were all thrown into incinerators

and destroyed whole-sale. Reason? Because they were

found to have contracted a deadly epidemic called

" bird-flu " . Once again, this was a direct result of

greedy, profit-driven, industrial approach to

poultry-farming. Two million poultry were farmed

mindlessly and then slaughtered equally mindlessly...

This in a world where 2 million children are known to

suffer from severe malnutrition every year! There

cannot be a more glaring example of " annam na

pari-chaksheeta! " in this world!

 

In the late 1980s and early-1990s, in the coastal

districts of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala,

Karnataka and Mahrashtra, there was a craze amongst

farmers to switch from cultivating paddy to prawns.

They saw there was far more profit to be made from

intensive-farming of prawns on their fields and

exporting them to US, Europe and Japan than in growing

rice and selling it to the Government of India. The

result was a dangerous decline in food-stocks in the

country's warehouses not to mention environmental

degradation of some of the most fertile coastal-belts

of rural India. This was a case of farmers getting

more excited about " greenbacks " than about " green

revolution " ... and it was a grim reminder of what

happens when Man does not abide by the Upanishad

dictum: " annam bahu kurveeta! " .

 

The machines and inventions we see in Man's mechanical

world are countless in number but it is very

significant to see that they do not all run on a

single kind of fuel.

 

Simple machines like kitchen stoves or petromax

lanterns can run on the crudest of fuel even -- like

kerosene or paraffin. Motor-cars however need

processed fuel like hi-octane gasoline, while

heavy-duty trailer-trucks with big engines, and

massive sea-going ships with giant turbines powering

them, all need superior grade diesel. Supersonic

air-craft are the ultimate in mechanical

sophistication. They can run on nothing but the most

refined of fuels called " aviation-grade " fuel.

 

Hence, we must appreciate how different classes of

machines, depending upon how sophisticated, advanced

or superior they are in design, construction or

functioning, require entirely different types of

fuels. There is only one fuel-type most appropriate

for the functioning of every machine in the world. If

a machine must function as it must, efficiently and

purposefully, then it has to be fed exactly the type

of fuel it deserves -- no less, no more. An F-16

fighter-jet can run on kerosene no more than a woman's

hair-dryer can run on nuclear-power.

 

Now, as with machines so is it with humans, says the

Bhagavath-Gita. Every man must consume the food most

appropriate to his inner nature ( " gUNa " ). The type and

quality of Food he consumes generates for Man the

" energy " ( " prANa " ) of requisite intensity which in

turn enables him to function best in life. But then it

is Man alone who can and must take full responsibility

for the quality of Food he consumes. It is a very

grave responsibility of life and in the Vedantic

" mArga " , or way of life, it is called " anna shuddhi " .

 

It must be clearly understood that " annam " , the

principal fuel or energy-source for Man, comes too in

different grades of quality. Just as, say, automotive

fuel comes in many retail grades (leaded, unleaded,

premium, super etc) human fuel i.e. " annam " , too comes

in 3 distinct grades each meant specifically for 3

types of human beings -- the " sAttvi-c " , " rajasi-c "

and " tamasi-c " individual.

 

The " sAttvic " Man is like the sophisticated F-16

jet-fighter designed to perform extraordinary

functions -- flying supersonic speeds at

near-stratospheric altitudes. The " sAttvic " Man too is

similarly born to strive for the higher things of life

such as Knowledge, Illumination, Goodness and Selfless

Work. He is different from lesser men of the world.

Such a man deserves the highest grade of fuel, the

highest of " anna shuddhi " . If he must function in life

as he really must -- in accordance with the innate

nobility and superiority of his inner aspirations --

he must feed upon an essentially " sAttvic " diet.

 

The Bhagavath-Gita prescribes for such a man only such

varieties of diet ( " aahAram " ) that can promote robust

bodily growth, mental alertness, well-being,

longevity, intellectual vigor, health, affability and

happiness. Such Food or " aahaara " is said to be full

of sweetness, oleogenous in character and wholly

nutritious. It is well described in Chapter XVII.8 in

the Bhagavath-Gita. Examples of " sattva aahAra " are

fresh fruits and vegetables, milk and milk-products,

rice, and wholesome grains and cereals etc. Generally

speaking, vegetarian food tends to be " sAttvic " in

nature.

 

It is this type of Food particularly which, in its 3rd

Commandment, the Upanishad says should be grown

abundantly in the world --- " annam bahu kurveeta! "

Then there is Food that is fit only for the Man of

" rajas " -- i.e. for him who is of Dionysian character,

who is filled with restless energy, constantly being

driven to action by powerful passions and impatient

inner drives, who wants to conquer the world or change

it, be a leader of men and of the times...

 

Such men, says the Bhagavath-Gita, will need a dietary

regime that will keep the inner engines of their

" rajasic " personality running full steam on all

cylinders. The general diet of such men will tend to

consist of Food that is bitter, sour, very salty,

exceedingly spicy and pungent, dry and burning

(Chapter XVII.9).

 

Judging by the standards of the Bhagavath-Gita, much

of what the modern world of today eats is essentially

of the " rajasic " grade. It is meaty, greasy, spicy,

rich, palate-tingling, tangy, aromatic, irresistibly

tasty... In a word, it is all that the popular

expression " yummy, yummy! " might suggest to us!

" Rajasic " cuisine is essentially meant to titillate

and satiate deep-seated instincts of the gourmet and

it is the reason hence why it is extremely tempting.

It is very easy in fact to over-eat and over-indulge

in the full range of " rajasic " foods available in the

world today -- hamburgers, sausages, steak, pizzas,

pasta, enchilladas, biriyAni, exotic chocolates,

caramel, creamy pastries and so on and so forth...

 

If we understood well the nature of " rajasic " foods

we would not fail to also understand why millions of

children and teenagers in the world quickly fall in

love with and become slaves to all kinds of " junk

food " pedalled by any number and all manner of

" fast-food " chains and restaurants. If over-eating and

obesity are fast assuming alarming proportions as

health-hazards throughout the world, it is mainly

because of the enormous content of " rajas " in the Food

the people eat.

 

The amount of " rajasic " food that is over-eaten and

over-indulged in the world is exceeded only by the

huge amounts of it that is also criminally wasted. If

one were to take a census of all the " fast-food "

chains in the world and of all the hotels, restaurants

and eating-joints, and then actual stock is taken of

the heaps of " left-overs " , " throw-aways " and discarded

foodstuff which all ultimately find their way into

millions of trash-cans and garbage-dumps in the

world... If one could visualize all that, it would not

be difficult at all to imagine the colossal amounts of

food being wasted away daily in our own lifetime. If

one were to impute an economic value to all the food

so discarded in the world today, it would be quite

enough indeed to set up yet another UN Food and

Agriculture Organization, another FAO!

 

It was keeping in mind the mammoth potential for Food

wastage on a global-scale, especially of the " rajasic "

variety, that the Upanishad warned -- " annam na

pari-chaksheeta! "

Next, says the Bhagavath-Gita, there is Food that

generates " tamas " -- energy which is actually all

" anti-energy " .

 

" Tamasic " food is fit for the Man who conforms to the

mould of the Hedonist. He is the quintessential

Degenerate. He is so full of sloth, lust and

ignorance. He wallows in the many follies he himself

authors in life and of which he ultimately becomes

victim. Such a man's dinner plate, says the Gita, is

generally heaped with all manner of stale, putrid,

fermented, intoxicating and stimulating foods. " Tamas "

in food degrades and destroys everything fine and

noble within the human body -- virility, good cheer,

moral integrity and intellectual vigour. (Chapter

XVII.10)

 

The most common examples of " tamasic " Food is what the

Gita calls " yAta-yAmam " i.e. foodstuff that has been

unnaturally preserved for unnaturally long periods of

time. Under this category would fall all manner of

foods kept " preserved " throughout a period of

so-called " shelf-life " through methods of innovative

packaging, refrigeration, cold-storage and micro-wave

as well as by the use of chemical additives and

preservatives.

 

All " packaged " , " ready-to-cook " , " ready-to-eat " ,

" frozen-fresh " , " instant-food " , " ready-to-microwave "

foodstuffs that one might see while strolling along

the long shelves and aisles of any large super-market

or department-store anywhere in the world, might

eminently qualify indeed to be called " yAta-yAmam " .

They are all essentially " tamasic " Food in nature.

Consumption of liquor, wines, tobacco, soporifics and

many of the carbonated, tinned and canned foods of the

world would also, going by the standards of the Gita,

be wholly 'tAmAsic' in nature. The advent of the

" packaging industry " and the mass-proliferation of its

ingenious products -- viz. tetrapacks, aluminium-foil,

plastic-cartons etc. -- has done much indeed to

promote and purvey " tamasic " foodstuff in the modern

consumerist world. Thanks to modern packaging methods,

even " sAttvic " foods can now be turned into the

" tamasic " kind.

 

The refrigerator and the microwave are both excellent

kitchen conveniences of the modern-day. As long as

they are used to keep home-food or foodstuffs fresh

and unspoilt over limited periods of time, they have

enormous utility. But unfortunately, both appliances

in recent times have come to be over-exploited. Like

industrial packaging, they too now have become tools

of " abuse through preservation " .

 

Prolonged preservation, not temporary refreshment, has

become the sole purpose of these two appliances. One

merely has to inspect a sample of home refrigerators

anywhere in the world today and the inventory will

almost certainly reveal half the food-items therein to

be a week or more old, if not months. In other words,

do not be surprised to find a lot of " yAta-yAmam "

inside your refrigerator at home...

 

The purpose of the household refrigerator lies

increasingly today only in " preserving " rotten

packaged, ready-to-cook food. And the microwave, that

wonder-tool of modern invention, the pride and envy of

housewives all over the world, too only serves in

turning rotten, stale " tamasic " food into " piping hot "

" rajasic " condition.

 

Between the three of them -- modern packaging, the

refrigerator and microwave -- they seem to have

somehow succeeded world-wide in perpetrating precisely

that sort of " abuse of Food " which the Upanishad

warned against through that famous commandment

-- " annam na nindhyAth! " -- " Thous shalt not abuse

Food " .

In the 6th chapter of the Bhagavath-Gita there is a

line which finally sums up the Vedantic view of " anna

shuddhi " .

 

" nAth-yashna-tatsu yOgOsti

na chykAnta-mashnataha: I "

(Bhagavath-Gita. Ch.VI.16)

 

 

" The path taken by the Wise-Ones (Yogi) in the journey

of life " , says the Gita, " is not for he who eats too

much or too little. "

 

Too much or too little of any type of Food -- whether

" sAttvic " , " rajasic " or " tAmasic " is bad. The wise

human -- the " yOgi " -- is he who knows exactly what

should constitute his diet. It is that diet ( " aahAra " )

which is just right for him ( " shuddhi " ), that which is

in absolute consonance with his inner nature ( " gUNa " )

and that which shall promote his all-round well-being

in life.

 

The Gita line above is not merely a call for men to

observe moderation in the consumption of Food. There

is a far greater lesson implicit in it. It tells us

that we can learn a great deal about what we should

eat, what diet is right for us, and what food we must

avoid by simply following the precept and example of

the 'yOgi-s' of the world.

 

In the long Vedantic tradition of India, many indeed

are the great Masters of past and present, " achAryA-s "

and " guru-s " who in their own lifetimes observed

strict rules of diet i.e. " anna shuddhi " . They knew in

their wisdom what balance of 'sattva', 'rajas' and

'tamas' should go into their diet. (The SriVaishnava

'AchArya', Swami Venkatanathan (13th century CE), even

wrote a useful treatise on " anna shuddi " , called

" aahAra-niyamam " , which is even today a useful manual

for good dietary practices). The example of such

'yOgi-s' shows us clearly how to we must carry out an

important responsibility towards ourselves viz.

ensuring our " atma-shuddhi " through " anna shuddi " .

 

Human life is a rather long and hectic journey. One

needs the highest and most refined form of Energy

( " prANa " ) to undertake it. And it is Food, " annam " ,

that is the basic fuel needed for travel. Good Food,

like good fuel, determines to a large extent what the

quality of the journey-experience shall be.