|| ayuh-sattva-balarogya-sukha-priti-vivardhanah ||
|| rasyah snigdhah sthira hrdya aharah sattvika-priyah ||
– Bhagavad Gita 17.8 –
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.
Food (Aahar) plays a very vital role in life. The type of food we eat has a direct correlation with mental behavior, outlook, and thought process. It has been experienced through many generations that saatvik (energetic) food increases lifespan, overall strength, and vitality. As the Divine Energy tells us through verse 17.8 of Bhagavad Gita,
Saatvik foods have the following qualities:
- Provides Longevity of Life
- Provides Strength
- Provides Vitality
- Provides increasing Happiness and Satisfaction
- Is juicy and smooth and pleasing to the heart
Sattvic foods are the food that promote life force and brings serenity at the soul level while healing all internal cells and affectionately encapsulate them with love and care.
Ayur-Veda is one of the Vedas known to mankind dedicated towards uplifting physical body and overcoming illness. It’s sole purpose is to assist humankind to achieve Bliss. It was revealed thousands of years ago by Sri Dhanvantari. The human avatar is a divine gift, and the human body a yantra (energy container) to basically provide a chance for the imprisoned soul to escape from the cycle of birth and death. There are many resources that talks about healthful living to achieve a successful spiritual life. In the Bhagavad-gita (6.16-17), God Krishna said- “There is no possibility of becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough. One who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working, and recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.”
Proper eating has a double importance. Besides its role in bodily health-over-eating, eating in a disturbed or anxious state of mind, or eating unclean foods causes indigestion, “the parent of all diseases”- proper eating can help the aspiring transcendentalist attain mastery over his senses. “Of all the senses, the tongue is the most difficult to control,” says the prasada-sevaya, a song composed by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, one of the spiritual predecessors of Srila Prabhupada, “but Krishna has kindly given us this nice prasada to help us control the tongue.”
