Gyaneshwari -Sant Gyaneshwar
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Chapter-17
Three Kinds of Faith
7. Food also preferred by all, is of three kinds; so are sacrifice, austerity and charity; Listen to this distinction of them. Now I shall explain to you clearly how the same food comes to be of three kinds (116-120). The food has to be prepared according to the taste of one eating it and the eater of the food is the servant of the gunas. The embodied Self who is the doer and the experiencer, acts according to three kinds of his mental disposition formed by the three gunas. So food is of three kinds and so are sacrifice, charity and austerities. Now I shall proceed to describe to you, the characteristics of food first. 8. Food that promotes long life, energy vigour, as also health, comfort and pleasure, are tasty, oily, wholesome and agreeable; they are preferred by the sattva-type. If a person is luckily disposed towards sattvic type of food, he becomes inclined to eat sweet things (121-125). The sattvic articles of food are naturally savoury, sweet, oily and well cooked. They are well shaped, soft to touch, succulent and tasty. They are juicy and soft and their liquidity is reduced by heating. Just as even a few words from the lips of the preceptor brings about a great transformation of the mind, so the sattvic food taken in small quantities gives immense satisfaction. Such food tastes good at the time of eating it, and it also produces good effects. The sattvic person has a special liking for such food (126-130). Such are the characteristics and effects of sattvic food, which promotes long life. When the cloud in the form of sattvic food floods the body, the river in the form of longevity becomes swollen day by day. Just as the sun is the cause of the advance of the day, this kind of food is suitable to nourish the quality of sattva. Physical and mental strength is also promoted by this food; then how can ailments affect such a body? If a person takes such sattvic food, he enjoys sound health (131-135) and as a result, he becomes happy and makes others happy. So his activities bring happiness to all and joy to him. In this way, the sattvic food produces good results and proves beneficial to the body both internally and externally. Now I shall tell you, as the occasion demands, what kind of food is dear to the rajas-type. |
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