The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : A case for satvic food

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Friday, Oct 15, 2004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

A case for satvic food

CHENNAI, OCT. 15. How can food have any relevance to a person's ultimate goal?

According to scriptures, eating is akin to conducting a homa, and technically we are observing vaishvanara yagna when we are consuming a meal. It is in the pit of the stomach that hunger, a sensation akin to fire, is produced. This can be quenched only when we partake of food. However, the nature of the ingredients of the food is important and careful adherence to vegetarian meal is more in consonance with a seeker's spiritual journey. In the Ramayana, sage Viswamitra sought from Dasarata the assistance of Rama and Lakshmana to protect a yagna from the evil forces which were showering entrails into the sacrificial fire. Similarly, we are guilty of indulging in meaty food in our daily diet which is but a reflection of the evil forces in our spiritual life, said Sri Vidyasagara Madhva Theertha in his address at the Indian Vegetarian Congress.

One should resist the temptation of eating meat, polluting the system in the name of nutrition. Don't the Vedas sanction animal sacrifice, some ask. Saint Madhwacharya argues against superficial study of scriptures and prescribes analysis by exclusive application of "maha vyakarna," the superior grammar. It will then be found that the cow that is to be sacrificed is nothing more than a composition of flour and ghee (clarified butter). Detailed analyses are found in the works of the exponents of the Madhwa school of thought, such as Sri Vijendra Theertha and Sri Narayana Panditacharya.

Some argue that whatever is offered to God should be consumed by the seekers. Since the Vedas sanction animal sacrifice, consumption of animal flesh is considered a just course of action by some. A few others compromise when caught in a dilemma over meat — while adopting animal sacrifice at yagnas, they are strict vegetarians in their food habits. However, Sri Madhwacharya argues that there cannot be two sets of rules for yagnas. The sacrificial fires at the visible homakunda and the invisible fire pit (the stomach) are in principle the same. The Vedas are for the uplift of people and as such they will not advocate anything retrograde in a person's quest for liberation. To the evolved, there is no dichotomy.

Over eons, violent modes of worship have been replaced with more satvic methods. The scriptures have to be read and interpreted carefully in both letter and spirit, and harmful practices should be given up.

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