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 accordance with Ayurveda. Grasp Charaka explains about varied 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 hold an ideal steadiness of well being, be it bodily, psychological or emotional. He additional states that one needs to be sensible and acutely aware sufficient to decide on good meals. The standard, amount and time of consuming needs to be monitored to attain this. This needs to be accomplished frequently and for all times and that’s not simple to do. This wants utmost self-discipline, dedication and involvement. One ought to observe the principles and rules of meals consumption and observe 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 hold wholesome at all times we should always put ourselves right into a behavior of following wholesome meals regimens. To make it a component and parcel of our lives, one needs to be devoid of rajas and tamas qualities of the thoughts. It’s because these two are thought of as doshas of the manas and when both of them dominates the thoughts, the thoughts won’t be in a state of steadiness. We can not do something continually with such an imbalanced thoughts. We are likely to get drawn to unwholesome and ‘not so good’ meals and regimens (together with way of life selections), many instances despite figuring out the dangerous results and drawbacks of selecting them.
So, Rajas and Tamas play a significant position within the meals we select. They are going to are available the best way of constructing healthful meals selections. Consequently, we’re uncovered to a wide selection of ‘food induced’ problems and psychosomatic problems.
Due to this fact, folks whose thoughts is clouded by rajas and tamas qualities discover it tough to forestall ailments and fall victims for a similar, rather more simply than these whose sattva high quality is in operation within the thoughts.
On this article we’ll focus on the affect 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 ailments
हितमेवानुरुध्यन्ते प्रपरीक्ष्य परीक्षकाः| रजोमोहावृतात्मानः प्रियमेव तु लौकिकाः||३६||
In relation to healthful meals selections and following best regimens associated to meals and way of life practices, the sensible and ignorant individuals completely differ from one another. A sensible individual is realized, is aware of what is sweet and what’s unhealthy and has self-control and can also be endowed with sattvika guna (of thoughts). However, an ignorant individual is completely reverse to the sensible individual. Due to this fact, these individuals are at all times wholesome as a result of they observe significant consuming all through their life. He makes fallacious and unwholesome meals selections because of the predominance of his thoughts by rajas and tamas gunas. Due to this fact, these individuals are at all times inclined to undergo from a wide selection of ailments.
Sensible folks with predominance of Sattva Guna
An clever one that can also be sattvik in nature, who has presence of thoughts and inquisitive nature would positively analyse each minute facet and subtlety of the meals she or he consumes. These folks will clearly observe a healthful and wholesome meals routine, not as soon as, however each day, all through their lives and therefore will likely be bestowed with better of psychosomatic and emotional well being. These folks may forestall many ailments precipitated as a result of fallacious and unhealthy meals selections as a result of they’re at all times conscious and acutely aware of what they eat and drink, being sensible and properly realized.
He would do that after correct examination of the meals. He would additionally completely consider the ailments which might be presumably precipitated as a result of fallacious selections of meals and fallacious strategies of consuming them. He would additionally consider the causative elements 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 misguided selections.
Ignorant folks with predominance of rajas and tamas qualities
Rajo Guna Affect
However, an ignorant individual will act in any other case. The thoughts of those folks is enveloped by rajas and tamas qualities. Predominant masking by rajas’ high quality will make the individual make fallacious selections of meals as a result of rajas is liable for an individual being drawn to unwholesome issues, the temptation issue as a result of these folks have immense and peculiar needs in all the things, together with meals that they eat. These individuals are extremely lively, pushed and dynamic by nature. They’re additionally aggressive and bold, stressed workaholics. As a result of this nature, they will choose something and all the things with out planning and selections and eat or drink no matter they get when they’re hungry. They’re neither specific nor acutely 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 all the things together with their consuming and consuming habits. They’re additionally voracious eaters. This exposes them to a wide selection of ailments, primarily these pertaining to the digestive system hampering the agni and placing it right into a extreme state of imbalance. That is the foundation reason behind many ailments. Their immunity will get compromised over a time frame and prevention of ailments 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 likely be in a state of phantasm about meals. This too would make her or him make misguided meals selections. These folks will make such selections of meals which might please them with out understanding that the pleasure is momentary and the consequence of consuming unhealthy meals would put them into deep and critical hassle in future. They might positively be ignorant or wouldn’t wish to imagine (despite figuring out) that fallacious meals might turn into troublesome in the long term. Tamasika kind of individuals are much less lively, rest-prone, inert and torpid. They don’t seem to be solely lazy but in addition confused. They don’t seem to be solely grasping however are additionally ignorant and connected to many issues, together with meals and drinks. They get connected to a wide 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. Due to this fact, 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 simply too much less. They’re additionally sedentary. This can result in agnimandya and a wide selection of associated problems. Prevention of ailments in these folks additionally may be very tough due to deep rootedness of the ailments 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 might please their thoughts and senses, wouldn’t present consideration in direction of evaluating his or her situation, illness, prakriti, items and bads and likewise the therapy elements. Due to this fact, they’re the comfortable targets of many sorts of ailments.
One might be in a adverse state of mindset when the thoughts is occupied by the lethal mixture of rajas and tamas whereby she or he might really feel torpid, confused and overwhelmed at a time. This way of thinking can result in adverse behaviours and untoward penalties. That is the rationale for the individual getting connected obsessively to unwholesome regimens and thus opening the gates for a lot of ailments to enter into the system. However, one whose thoughts is dominated by sattva guna will make healthful selections associated to all the things together with meals and way of life selections and would make it a behavior for lifetime and therefore turn into proof against ailments.
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 lively and optimistic.
9 qualities of a sensible individual devoid of rajas and tamas qualities which helps him in selecting healthful meals regimens and prevention of ailments
Grasp Charaka additional mentions 9 qualities a sensible and realized individual would possess or has inculcated which might assist him to make sensible meals selections and to observe healthful meals and way of life routine for all times with out deviation from the choice and willpower to make such selections. These individuals may have the thoughts predominantly influenced by sattva guna. These individuals are proof against meals induced ailments and likewise varied bodily, psychological and emotional ailments.
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 – willpower, 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
However, an ignorant individual whose thoughts is predominant in rajas and tamas qualities won’t be endowed with the above stated 9 qualities. Alternatively, when there’s a deficiency of the above stated qualities, the individual will likely be influenced by rajas and tamas qualities. On this situation, the individual won’t have self-control and can make misguided meals selections and unwholesome regimens.
Associated Studying – 9 qualities it’s essential protect your self from ailments
Additional on,
An ignorant individual, because of the affect of his thoughts by rajas and tamas will get indulged in and will likely be obsessed to do mental errors or sins, defined in Ayurveda as Prajnaparadha i.e. doing errors or fallacious issues figuring out that they’re fallacious – 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 can even bask in extreme adventurous actions past his capability. This stuff would give him solely momentary pleasure. However a sensible individual won’t bask in prajnaparadha as a result of his thoughts is influenced by predominant sattva guna, he has readability of thoughts and consciousness. Due to this fact, this individual will reside a contented and wholesome life.
Due to this fact, 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 could be the key key for one’s wholesome and completely happy life. One has to be taught methods to overcome these gunas in them and domesticate habits which nurture sattvika gunas, which is able to allow one to develop sattvik habits which is the muse for complete well being.
