Article by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa S, B.A.M.S
Ahara – meals is one among the many three upastambhas or supporting pillars of life in response to Ayurveda. Grasp Charaka explains about numerous sorts of meals and drinks that we normally take and the significance of following a disciplined meals routine. That is of utmost significance if we have to preserve an ideal steadiness of well being, be it bodily, psychological or emotional. He additional states that one must be smart and aware sufficient to decide on good meals. The standard, amount and time of consuming must be monitored to attain this. This must be executed usually and for all times and that’s not straightforward to do. This wants utmost self-discipline, dedication and involvement. One ought to comply with the principles and rules of meals consumption and comply with meals etiquettes as defined in Ayurveda treatises and eat meals meaningfully. One must have a presence of thoughts, volunteering and apply his consciousness on this facet and make it a behavior.
To make significant selections of meals in order that we preserve wholesome at all times we should always put ourselves right into a behavior of following wholesome meals regimens. To make it an element and parcel of our lives, one must be devoid of rajas and tamas qualities of the thoughts. It is because these two are thought of as doshas of the manas and when both of them dominates the thoughts, the thoughts is not going to be in a state of steadiness. We can’t do something always with such an imbalanced thoughts. We are likely to get interested in unwholesome and ‘not so good’ meals and regimens (together with way of life selections), many instances regardless of figuring out the dangerous results and drawbacks of selecting them.
So, Rajas and Tamas play an important position within the meals we select. They are going to are available the best way of constructing healthful meals selections. In consequence, we’re uncovered to a big selection of ‘meals induced’ issues and psychosomatic issues.
Subsequently, individuals whose thoughts is clouded by rajas and tamas qualities discover it troublesome to stop illnesses and fall victims for a similar, far more simply than these whose sattva high quality is in operation within the thoughts.
On this article we are going to focus on the influence of rajas and tamas qualities on our meals selections and their penalties.
Context – Charaka Samhita Sutra Sthana, Chapter 28 – Vividha Ashita Peeteeyam Adhyaya, Verses 36-40
Rajas and Tamas: Impediment for making healthful meals selections and stopping illnesses
हितमेवानुरुध्यन्ते प्रपरीक्ष्य परीक्षकाः| रजोमोहावृतात्मानः प्रियमेव तु लौकिकाः||३६||
In the case of healthful meals selections and following ideally suited regimens associated to meals and way of life practices, the smart and ignorant individuals completely differ from one another. A smart individual is realized, is aware of what is sweet and what’s dangerous and has self-control and can also be endowed with sattvika guna (of thoughts). Then again, an ignorant individual is completely reverse to the smart individual. Subsequently, these individuals are at all times wholesome as a result of they comply with significant consuming all through their life. He makes improper and unwholesome meals selections as a result of predominance of his thoughts by rajas and tamas gunas. Subsequently, these individuals are at all times vulnerable to undergo from a big selection of illnesses.
Sensible individuals with predominance of Sattva Guna
An clever one who can also be sattvik in nature, who has presence of thoughts and inquisitive nature would undoubtedly analyse each minute facet and subtlety of the meals she or he consumes. These individuals will clearly comply with a healthful and wholesome meals routine, not as soon as, however each day, all through their lives and therefore will probably be bestowed with better of psychosomatic and emotional well being. These individuals may also forestall many illnesses induced on account of improper and dangerous meals selections as a result of they’re at all times conscious and aware of what they eat and drink, being smart and properly realized.
He would do that after correct examination of the meals. He would additionally completely consider the illnesses which may very well be presumably induced on account of improper selections of meals and improper strategies of consuming them. He would additionally consider the causative components for a similar and would consciously make determination to maintain them away. He would additionally consider what is sweet and what not for his prakriti. He does all these as a result of he has management over himself and his thoughts and senses, his sattvika attribute of the thoughts is balanced and his thoughts has not been enveloped by rajas and tamas, that are the master-keys for faulty selections.
Ignorant individuals with predominance of rajas and tamas qualities
Rajo Guna Affect
Then again, an ignorant individual will act in any other case. The thoughts of those individuals is enveloped by rajas and tamas qualities. Predominant masking by rajas’ high quality will make the individual make improper selections of meals as a result of rajas is accountable for an individual being interested in unwholesome issues, the temptation issue as a result of these individuals have immense and bizarre needs in every little thing, together with meals that they eat. These individuals are extremely energetic, pushed and dynamic by nature. They’re additionally aggressive and bold, stressed workaholics. Attributable to this nature, they will choose something and every little thing with out planning and selections and eat or drink no matter they get when they’re hungry. They’re neither specific nor aware about consuming. Anger, fear, stress, restlessness, nervousness and chaos that are embedded within the nature of rajasika individuals will create immense and unclear needs in them in every little thing together with their consuming and consuming habits. They’re additionally voracious eaters. This exposes them to a big selection of illnesses, primarily these pertaining to the digestive system hampering the agni and placing it right into a extreme state of imbalance. That is the foundation explanation for many illnesses. Their immunity will get compromised over a time frame and prevention of illnesses turns into a mirage as soon as their system will get compromised. Their meals selections will additional disturb the rajas high quality and put it into imbalance and the cycle turns into obsessively vicious.
Tamo Guna Affect
When the thoughts is predominantly masked by tamas high quality, the individual will probably be in a state of phantasm about meals. This too would make her or him make faulty meals selections. These individuals will make such selections of meals which might please them with out understanding that the pleasure is momentary and the consequence of consuming dangerous meals would put them into deep and critical bother in future. They might undoubtedly be ignorant or wouldn’t wish to imagine (regardless of figuring out) that improper meals could change into troublesome in the long term. Tamasika sort of individuals are much less energetic, rest-prone, inert and torpid. They aren’t solely lazy but additionally confused. They aren’t solely grasping however are additionally ignorant and hooked up to many issues, together with meals and drinks. They get hooked up to a big selection of meals and drinks which they don’t wish to let go even when they know or are advised that they may not be conducive to well being. The greed of meals is immense and their thoughts and thought course of is uninteresting, illusional and inert. Subsequently, they don’t put a lot thought into the meals selections and associated etiquettes. They eat an excessive amount of however the conversion charge is just too much less. They’re additionally sedentary. This can result in agnimandya and a big selection of associated issues. Prevention of illnesses in these individuals additionally may be very troublesome due to deep rootedness of the illnesses and compromised metabolism. Their meals selections will additional disturb the tamas high quality and put it into imbalance and the cycle turns into obsessively vicious.
People dominated by rajas and tamas whereas following a routine that may please their thoughts and senses, wouldn’t present consideration in the direction of evaluating his or her situation, illness, prakriti, items and bads and likewise the remedy facets. Subsequently, they’re the mushy targets of many sorts of illnesses.
One may be in a damaging state of mindset when the thoughts is occupied by the lethal mixture of rajas and tamas whereby she or he could really feel torpid, confused and overwhelmed at a time. This way of thinking can result in damaging behaviours and untoward penalties. That is the rationale for the individual getting hooked up obsessively to unwholesome regimens and thus opening the gates for a lot of illnesses to enter into the system. Then again, one whose thoughts is dominated by sattva guna will make healthful selections associated to every little thing together with meals and way of life selections and would make it a behavior for lifetime and therefore change into resistant to illnesses.
One must keep away from attachments and needs to recover from the domination of his or her rajas attribute and likewise ought to cease overdoing, over exercising or overworking on something and likewise ought to keep away from rajasika meals together with spicy meals. Equally, to recover from the domination of 1’s tamas attribute, one ought to keep away from meals that are tamasic in nature together with heavy meats or processed or refined meals, and attempt to not be sedentary and to be energetic and constructive.
9 qualities of a smart individual devoid of rajas and tamas qualities which helps him in selecting healthful meals regimens and prevention of illnesses
Grasp Charaka additional mentions 9 qualities a smart and realized individual would possess or has inculcated which might assist him to make sensible meals selections and to comply with healthful meals and way of life routine for all times with out deviation from the choice and dedication to make such selections. These individuals may have the thoughts predominantly influenced by sattva guna. These individuals are resistant to meals induced illnesses and likewise numerous bodily, psychological and emotional illnesses.
The 9 qualities are –
1. Shrutam – being properly realized and educated
2. Buddhih – intelligence
3. Smritih – good reminiscence
4. Daksha – expert, experience, disciplined
5. Dhriti – dedication, firmness
6. Hita Nishevana – habituated to consuming solely good meals
7. Vak Shuddhi – readability and purity of speech
8. Shama – tranquillity, calmness, quietness, thoughts steadiness
9. Dhairya – braveness
Then again, an ignorant individual whose thoughts is predominant in rajas and tamas qualities is not going to be endowed with the above mentioned 9 qualities. Alternatively, when there’s a deficiency of the above mentioned qualities, the individual will probably be influenced by rajas and tamas qualities. On this situation, the individual is not going to have self-control and can make faulty meals selections and unwholesome regimens.
Associated Studying – 9 qualities that you must defend your self from illnesses
Additional on,
An ignorant individual, as a result of affect of his thoughts by rajas and tamas will get indulged in and will probably be obsessed to do mental errors or sins, defined in Ayurveda as Prajnaparadha i.e. doing errors or improper issues figuring out that they’re improper – mental blasphemy. As a consequence, he’ll indulge himself in unwholesome gratification of 5 senses and likewise in forcibly withholding the naturally manifested urges of the physique. He may also bask in extreme adventurous actions past his capability. This stuff would give him solely momentary pleasure. However a smart individual is not going to bask in prajnaparadha as a result of his thoughts is influenced by predominant sattva guna, he has readability of thoughts and consciousness. Subsequently, this individual will stay a cheerful and wholesome life.
Subsequently, an ideal steadiness of rajas and tamas qualities and their attributes is certainly a gamechanger so far as an individual’s selections of meals and way of life practices and following a healthful routine is worried. This is able to be the key key for one’s wholesome and completely satisfied life. One has to study methods to overcome these gunas in them and domesticate habits which nurture sattvika gunas, which can allow one to develop sattvik habits which is the inspiration for complete well being.