01 october 2021
Mental health is the key for overall health. Saatvic food will provide you peaceful mind,strong health,longevity and pleasant mood all the time.The reason behind the supremacy of Saatvic food is that ,it is easy to digest ,and when you intake the food it will keep your mood and body idle.It wont change the state of your body,because the food is smooth and juicy without any odour.
To live a happy and peaceful life mental health is more important.For a healthy mind, choice of food reflects your inner state.Foods in the mode of goodness are pure, and create a sense of happiness without changing the state of your mood.This can be felt practically just start taking Saatvic food and feel the essence of the natural food.
God has created nector like foods but human made it poisonous by adding their ingredients.You will read everywhere about Intake of Saatvic food will help you spiritually, but actually it is not .One have to be very selective about the types of food he is going to add in their daily routine.
Now there will be an argument that we have seen even people used to have Saatvic food they behave like people with the quality of Tama guna.So here is the explanation shared below with some of the verses of Chapters 16 & 17.
SUMMARY(Chapter:17)
Every human being is born with natural faith, which can be of three kinds—Sāttvic (mode of goodness), Rājasic(mode of passion), or Tamasic(mode of ignorance).Lord Krishna explains about the qualities of food and its effect on our lifestyle.
At the midst of the battle Arjuna was asking Lord Krishna,
VERSE.1:
Arjuna asked:
“What is the mode of devotion of those who perform spiritual practices with faith but without following the scriptural injunctions, O Krishna? Is it in the mode of goodness, passion, or ignorance?” ( Bhagavad Gita:17.01)
अर्जुन उवाच |
ये शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विता: |
तेषां निष्ठा तु का कृष्ण सत्त्वमाहो रजस्तम: ||17. 1||
arjuna uvācha
ye śhāstra-vidhim utsṛijya yajante śhraddhayānvitāḥ
teṣhāṁ niṣhṭhā tu kā kṛiṣhṇa sattvam āho rajas tamaḥ
Meaning:
Arjun said; ye—who; śhāstra-vidhim—scriptural injunctions; utsṛijya—disregard; yajante—worship; śhraddhayānvitāḥ—with faith; teṣhāṁ —their; niṣhṭhā —faith; tu —indeed; kā —what; kṛiṣhṇa —Krishna; sattvam—mode of goodness; āho—or; rajah —mode of passion; tamaḥ —mode of ignorance
VERSE.2:
Lord Krishna replied: “The natural faith of embodied beings is of three kinds: Goodness, Passion, and Ignorance. Now hear about these from Me.” ( Bhagavad Gita:17.02)
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा |
सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां शृणु ||17. 2||
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha
tri-vidhā bhavati śhraddhā dehināṁ sā svabhāva-jā
sāttvikī rājasī chaiva tāmasī cheti tāṁ śhṛiṇu
Meaning:
—the Supreme Personality said;
tri-vidhā—of three kinds; bhavati—is; śhraddhā—faith; dehināṁ —embodied beings; sā —which; svabhāva-jā—born of one’s innate nature; sāttvikī —of the mode of goodness; rājasī —of the mode of passion; cha—and; eva —certainly; tāmasī —of the mode of ignorance; cha—and; iti —thus; tāṁ —about this; śhṛiṇu—hear
VERSE.4:
Persons in the mode of goodness (Sāttvic) worship celestial controllers; those in the mode of passion (Rājasic) worship supernatural rulers and demons; and those in the mode of ignorance (Tamasic)worship ghosts and spirits. (Bhagavad Gita:17.04)
यजन्ते सात्त्विका देवान्यक्षरक्षांसि राजसा: |
प्रेतान्भूतगणांश्चान्ये यजन्ते तामसा जना: || 17.4||
yajante sāttvikā devān yakṣha-rakṣhānsi rājasāḥ
pretān bhūta-gaṇānśh chānye yajante tāmasā janāḥ
Meaning:
yajante _worship; sāttvikā —those in the mode of goodness; devān —celestial gods; yakṣha —semi-celestial beings who exude power and wealth; rakṣhānsi —powerful beings who embody sensual enjoyment, revenge, and wrath; rājasāḥ —those in the mode of passion; pretān bhūta-gaṇān—ghosts and spirits; chā—and; ānye—others; yajante —worship; tāmasā —those in the mode of ignorance; janāḥ —persons
Types of Food (Bhagavad Gita Verses)
Satvic Food:
VERSE.8:
Lord Krishna says; The foods that promote longevity, virtue, strength, health, happiness, and joy are juicy, smooth, substantial, and nutritious. Persons in the mode of goodness like such foods. (Bhagavad Gita 17:8)
आयु:सत्त्वबलारोग्यसुखप्रीतिविवर्धना: |
रस्या: स्निग्धा: स्थिरा हृद्या आहारा: सात्त्विकप्रिया: ||17. 8||
āyuḥ-sattva-balārogya-sukha-prīti-vivardhanāḥ
rasyāḥ snigdhāḥ sthirā hṛidyā āhārāḥ sāttvika-priyāḥ
Meaning:
āyuḥ-sattva—which promote longevity; balā —strength; ārogya-—health; sukha —happiness; -prīti—satisfaction; -vivardhanāḥ
—increase; rasyāḥ —juicy; snigdhāḥ —nourishing;sthirāh—succulent; hṛidyāh—pleasing to the heart; āhārāḥ—food; sāttvika-priyāḥ—dear to those in the mode of goodness
Rajasic Food🙁VERSE.9)
Bhagavad Gita says about Rājasic food as People in the mode of passion like foods that are very bitter, sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry, and burning, and cause pain, grief, and disease.(Bhagavad Gita 17:9)
Food that is bitter, sour, salty, excessively hot, pungent, dry and burning, are dear to the raajasic person, causing pain, sorrow and disease.
कट्वम्ललवणात्युष्णतीक्ष्णरूक्षविदाहिन: |
आहारा राजसस्येष्टा दु:खशोकामयप्रदा: || 17.9||
kaṭv-amla-lavaṇāty-uṣhṇa- tīkṣhṇa-rūkṣha-vidāhinaḥ
āhārā rājasasyeṣhṭā duḥkha-śhokāmaya-pradāḥ
Meaning:
kaṭu- bitter; amla —sour; lavaṇā —salty; āti-uṣhṇa —very hot; tīkṣhṇa —pungent; rūkṣha —dry; vidāhinaḥ —chiliful; āhārāh —food; rājasasya —to persons in the mode of passion; iṣhṭāh —dear; duḥkha —pain; śhokā —grief; āmaya —disease; pradāḥ —produce
Tamasic Food(VERSE.10)
Bhagavad Gita says about Tamasic food as People in the mode of ignorance like foods that are stale, tasteless, putrid, rotten, refuses, and impure (such as meat and alcohol).(Bhagavad Gita 17:10)
यातयामं गतरसं पूति पर्युषितं च यत् |
उच्छिष्टमपि चामेध्यं भोजनं तामसप्रियम् ||17. 10||
yāta-yāmaṁ gata-rasaṁ pūti paryuṣhitaṁ cha yat
uchchhiṣhṭam api chāmedhyaṁ bhojanaṁ tāmasa-priyam
Meaning:
yāta-yāmaṁ —stale foods; gata-rasaṁ —tasteless; pūti —putrid; paryushitaṁ —polluted; cha —and; yat —which; uchchhiṣhṭam —left over; api —also; chā—and; āmedhyaṁ—impure; bhojanaṁ —foods; tāmasa—to persons in the mode of ignorance; priyam—dear
Bhagavad Gita 16:23
य: शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारत: |
न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम् ||16. 23||
yaḥ śhāstra-vidhim utsṛijya vartate kāma-kārataḥ
na sa siddhim avāpnoti na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim
One who acts under the influence of desires, disobeying scriptural injunctions, neither attains perfection nor happiness, nor the Supreme Abode.
Bhagavad Gita 16:24:
तस्माच्छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्यव्यवस्थितौ |
ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुमिहार्हसि ||16. 24||
tasmāch chhāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ te kāryākārya-vyavasthitau
jñātvā śhāstra-vidhānoktaṁ karma kartum ihārhasi
Therefore, let the scripture be your guide in determining what should be done and what should not be done.You should perform your duty following the scriptural injunction.
As Lord krishna said we have to follow all the teachings of the scriptures in order to have better outcome.
So Satvic food will help you to calm your body and mind so that you get the maximum advantage of the food as compared to Rajasic and Tamasic food. Where as Rajasic and Tamasic food generates a intoxicates vibe in the body which makes difficult to focus on spiritual things.
