Great secrets from ancient scriptures and learned sages – revealed for all!

“Overeating, too much sense gratification, over dependence on another’s mercy, and artificial standards of living sap the very vitality of human energy. Therefore the duration of life is shortened.” Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.10

Let’s deep dive into the topic of eating.

Srila Prabhupada says, “There are two mistakes one can make in eating. One is to eat too much, and the other is to eat too little. If one has to make a mistake, it is better to make the mistake of eating too little.”

One should not overeat, because that is the cause of sickness, and decrease in lifespan. It stops ones spiritual advancement, generates sin, and becomes the subject of criticism for all people.In Kali yuga the duration of life is shortened not so much because of insufficient food but because of irregular habits. By keeping regular habits and eating simple food, any man can maintain his health.

Here are a few guidelines based on the book “Anatomic Therapy for Healing” with references from ancient, Ayurvedic knowledge and learned sages.

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Just by following one small guideline much of our eating problems and consequences can be resolved and also, we can get the food digested properly. This guideline is that we have to eat only when we are hungry.

What is hunger? Hunger is nothing but the signal to us from our body.  All the food that we eat without feeling hungry become waste or poison.  One very important secret in our treatment is that we should eat only when we feel hungry. People say that no disease will come if you take food as per a time schedule. This is wrong. Whoever eats food in a timely manner, they will get all the diseases. Eating when you are hungry is totally different from eating timely food.

For example, let us say that we took breakfast at 8.00 AM in the morning. Let us assume that we did not give any appreciable work to our body after breakfast. Now we see that the clock shows 2.00 PM. We think, “Oh, it is already 2.00 PM! Let us take lunch.”  But did we check whether we feel hungry? No.  If we see the time and eat lunch at 2.00 PM, when even the breakfast that we ate in the morning is not yet digested and mixed in the blood, we will get diseases.  So, the first reason for all the diseases in the world is eating without feeling hungry.

We don’t know who invented the law that everyone should eat thrice daily.  Some people may do more physical work. They can eat even five times a day. Some people will do less physical work; it may be sufficient if they eat twice a day.  Therefore, from now on, please do not see the clock for eating. We have to keep on doing our work. Only when our body creates the feeling of hunger in us, we have to think about eating food and do so.

The great sage Thiruvalluvar says in Thirukkural, “The body does not need medicine for any disease. After the food that we eat is digested, we need to eat food when we feel hungry again. If we follow this, then our body will not need any medicine for any disease.”

WHEN WE EAT, OUR ATTENTION SHOULD BE ON THE FOOD

When we eat, we should concentrate on the food. While eating, if we keep thinking that we are eating and focus on eating, the food will be digested well. While eating if we keep our attention on family, business or any other such matter, the food will not be digested properly.  We may think, ‘We are giving work to our brain. Digestion is happening only in the stomach. How can it be affected?” Our brain is connected to all our body parts and glands, through a nerve called Vagus. Whatever we think about, this Vagus nerve will make the gland concerned with that thought to secrete.

For example, we may dream while asleep. In our dream, we may see a big snake chasing us. We run fast.  Suddenly, the dream ends and we sit up in our bed we can feel our heart palpitating fast, our body breaks into perspiration. We ran only in our dream. Then why did we sweat? Why does our heart beat so fast?  This is because, in our dream when our mind (the subconsious part) thinks that we are running, our body initiates its strength to run. Then, the concerned glands are activated. What we understand from these two examples is that whatever our mind thinks about, the concerned glands in our body are activated.

Therefore, when we eat, if our focus and attention are on the thought that we are eating, all the glands concerned to digestion will secrete well. Instead, if we think about family, business, children, etc. while having food, the digestive glands do not secrete properly and we get diseases.

Some people approached a wise man and asked, “What is the reason for all the diseases in the world?” The wise man replied, “People do not eat when they eat.” They did not understand and asked the same question again. The wise man replied, “All the diseases will be cured if we eat while eating.”
What is eating while eating? When we eat we have to keep our attention on eating. Those who focus on eating while eating do not get any diseases.

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Eat only Krishna prasadam.  Honor the food in front of you, thank Krishna and say the honoring prayers before you start eating.  This way you will make yourself immune and also protect yourself from both material and spiritual infections.  Remember – this body is not eternal; but as long as we have it, we have all the facilities and means to keep it hale and healthy.

By Divya Rupa Devi dasi