Transcendental Food/Food Three Modes

[ng dasa]

Any comments on diet and spiritual life would be much appreciated.

 

 

...Bhagavad-Gita As It Is...

 

Bg17.8

TEXT 8

TRANSLATION

Foods dear to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one’s existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart.

Bg 17.9

TEXT 9

TRANSLATION

Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the mode of passion. Such foods cause distress, misery and disease.

Bg 17.10

TEXT 10

TRANSLATION

Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things is dear to those in the mode of darkness.

PURPORT

The purpose of food is to increase the duration of life, purify the mind and aid bodily strength. This is its only purpose. In the past, great authorities selected those foods that best aid health and increase life’s duration, such as milk products, sugar, rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables. These foods are very dear to those in the mode of goodness. Some other foods, such as baked corn and molasses, while not very palatable in themselves, can be made pleasant when mixed with milk or other foods. They are then in the mode of goodness. All these foods are pure by nature. They are quite distinct from untouchable things like meat and liquor. Fatty foods, as mentioned in the eighth verse, have no connection with animal fat obtained by slaughter. Animal fat is available in the form of milk, which is the most wonderful of all foods. Milk, butter, cheese and similar products give animal fat in a form which rules out any need for the killing of innocent creatures. It is only through brute mentality that this killing goes on. The civilized method of obtaining needed fat is by milk. Slaughter is the way of subhumans. Protein is amply available through split peas, däl, whole wheat, etc.

Foods in the mode of passion, which are bitter, too salty, or too hot or overly mixed with red pepper, cause misery by reducing the mucus in the stomach, leading to disease. Foods in the mode of ignorance or darkness are essentially those that are not fresh. Any food cooked more than three hours before it is eaten (except prasädam, food offered to the Lord) is considered to be in the mode of darkness. Because they are decomposing, such foods give a bad odor, which often attracts people in this mode but repulses those in the mode of goodness.

Remnants of food may be eaten only when they are part of a meal that was first offered to the Supreme Lord or first eaten by saintly persons, especially the spiritual master. Otherwise the remnants of food are considered to be in the mode of darkness, and they increase infection or disease. Such foodstuffs, although very palatable to persons in the mode of darkness, are neither liked nor even touched by those in the mode of goodness. The best food is the remnants of what is offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad-gétä the Supreme Lord says that He accepts preparations of vegetables, flour and milk when offered with devotion. Patraà puñpaà phalaà toyam. Of course, devotion and love are the chief things which the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts. But it is also mentioned that the prasädam should be prepared in a particular way. Any food prepared by the injunctions of the scripture and offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be taken even if prepared long, long ago, because such food is transcendental. Therefore to make food antiseptic, eatable and palatable for all persons, one should offer food to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

[Pankaja_Dasa]

Srila Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakura has the following verse as a 'Key' in the Bhagavad-gita:

Bg:17.9 Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the mode of passion. Such foods cause distress, misery and disease.

--

I thought about it months ago because almost everybody is in the mode of passion they may not know how they got their.

But if you look at many religions of the World they 'allow' meat-eating. So this verse explains it, if you give up meat-eating and follow Religion then you can advance into mode of goodness.

But then you have the problem of the 'mixed modes' - Goodness mixed with passion.? Srila Prabhupada says many times that people become conditoned by the modes of goodness. So in that way they can very easily become inside these 'mixed modes'. It also does mentions that those who die in those modes attain to the heavenly planets.

Eating heathly is also a religious principle then it seems.

[ng dasa]

"Srila Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakura has the following verse as a 'Key' in the Bhagavad-gita:

 

Bg:17.9 Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the mode of passion. Such foods cause distress, misery and disease."Quote from above post.

 

Could you please share a little by what you mean that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta has this verse as a key in Bhagavad Gita?

I find it interesting that we can get attached to certain modes of nature, and similarly we get attached to foods in different modes.

I also find it interesting how, what we eat affects our consciousness so much. I recall reading somewhere that a high percentage of the worlds population today is operating in the mode of passion.

Also, of all the things regarding sense control, I have found diet the most difficult to regulate. Is this common?

[Pankaja_Dasa]

Sorry by key I was saying it was a key verse in Bhagavad-gita.

 

Also, of all the things regarding sense control, I have found diet the most difficult to regulate. Is this common?

 

If you change your diet you change your entire lifestyle. Or you lifestyle changes with your diet. According to your modes you will be inclined to not change for the better. This is called 'Conditioning' by the modes of material nature in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is. So it is difficult to change for that reason because your sences will not allow you to. As they are conditioned to act a certain way. That is why Bhakti-yoga is such a perfect process.

Because the eating process is not stopped or you don't overly try to renounce certain foods. Prabhupada even said Krsna Consciousness is about 'eating!'. Prasadam. It is very very bona-fide and perfect and it is exactly according to Bhagavad-gita. As Krishna says those who offer Him Food are freed from the sins of killing though Krishna mentions what Foods should be offered to Him. And these foods are in fact beneficial for us.

[ng dasa]

"If you change your diet you change your entire lifestyle. Or you lifestyle changes with your diet. According to your modes you will be inclined to not change for the better. This is called 'Conditioning' by the modes of material nature in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is. So it is difficult to change for that reason because your sences will not allow you to. As they are conditioned to act a certain way. That is why Bhakti-yoga is such a perfect process." Quote Pankaja dasa.

 

I can see by what you are saying, that Bhakti yoga is such a bonafide, perfect process. Krsna, even though fully self satisfied, still accepts an offering made in love from His devotee. And the foods He asks us to offer Him are vegetables, fruits, grains, milk and water. These foods in themselves are wholesome, and when accepted as remnants from the Lord's plate, not only make us healthy but being tanscendental, purify and release us from the conditioning of the modes of nature.

 

I read on the internet the other day that the little cookbook, "The Higher Taste", is being re-written by Kurma Prabhu from Iskcon. I am looking forward to its release.

 

Is anyone aware of any other simple cookbooks on the market, that are very simple and handy to make simple preparations for the Lord?