MIND : ITS MYSTERIES AND CONTROL :4. (a).

Chapter-4. MIND AND FOOD


“Aharasuddhau Sattvasuddhih Sattvasuddhau Dhruva Smritih

Smritilabhe Sarvagrantheenam Vipramokshah.”

“When the food is pure, the whole nature becomes pure; when the nature becomes pure, the memory becomes firm; and when a man is in possession of a firm memory, all the ties are severed.”

(Chhandogya Upanishad, VII—xxvi-2)



(a). MIND IS MADE OF FOOD


Mind is manufactured out of the food that we take.

Subtlest part of food reaches upward to the heart and thence entering the arteries called the ‘Hita’, and thereby bringing into existence the aggregate of the organs of speech and being changed into the form of the mind, it increases the mind.

And thus, the mind, being increased by food, is material and not eternal as held by the Vaiseshikas.


The Upanishadic philosophers believed that the mind depends upon the food for its formation. “

The food that we take is transformed in three different ways : the gross or the heaviest part of it becomes the excrement; that of medium density is transformed into flesh and the finest part goes to form the mind-” (Chhandogya Upanishad, VI-v-1). “

Just as in the churning of curd, its fine particles rise up and are transformed into butter, so when food is consumed, the subtlest part rises up and is transformed into mind-” (Chhandogya Upanishad, VI-vi-1 & 2).

Later, even in the days of the Bhagavad-Gita, we find that the three different mental temperaments—the Sattvic, the Rajasic and the Tamasic—were supposed to be due to the three different kinds of food what we eat.

(Bhagavad-Gita, XVII-8 & 10).

Next : (b). QUALITY OF MIND DEPENDS UPON QUALITY OF FOOD


Swami Sivananda

To be continued  ...