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Respected Sir,

Very interesting posting.  Though some of these injunctions may not be
practicable given today's life on the fast lane, this writer would like to
add some points :

1. purchase of basic raw materials. Even taking the simplest of food, the
humble curd rice or idli, one has to depend on the grocer (who stores the
rice; OOlundu in a careless manner and there is no denying that a grocert's
shop,  at least in India, has rats, lizards, mice, ants,spiders, and all
types of small insects, creatures etc.which have a gala time in the night
when the shop is shut.  The grocer himself is invariably a man who is in
business to make a profit and does cut corners by resorting to shorting the
weighing machine/balance etc. Even so called cleaned,sorted and packaged
food, graded by the 'Standards Organization" - eg. Agmark gives the quality
stamping for Honey manufactured by village self-help groups who in turn do
not bother much about hygine etc.and involves lots of manual intervention
including handling the product by raw hands.   The milk comes from the big
state-owned dairies
where at times condition of the animals may leave lot to be desired. For
instances, some of the big dairies in Maharastra are manned by illiterate
workers who have no clue or bother about the sacredness of the cow and
there is ill treatment, without doubt.

The big supermarkets,selling the top brands too are guilty of this casual
approach. They hire manual workers from the nearby slums on a per-day basis
to sit a big hall and use the sieve and sort out the stones etc. from the
grocery items by bare hands. In many cases, these 'sorting' army does not
take bath, gossip, smoke and mechanically do the sorting.

Carrots and ginger in the market is first put in a big tub of water into
which the wholesale vendor jumps in barefoot upto his waist and starts
stomping vigorously to dislodge the dirt,mud and grime. The carrots /ginger
are then  manually sorted and displayed on the stores or with the retailer
at the market and which we buy and eat.

Of course we do wash, clean and perform the basic hygine operation before
adding it to the cooking pot, but if you look at the entire process from
start to end, then it is these intermediaries who literally 'contaminate'
the raw material.

The other solution, rather the only solution would be for the householder
to have a small patch of garden around his house where basic vegetables eg.
gourds, bitter groud, beans etc. are cultivated and consumed directly. Of
course this is not feasible these days,except in some villages or ancestral
homes where elders choose to stay.

2. Then we have cases of going to houses of third parties (relations,
friends etc.) for various occasions, even a casual visit; parties; events
like marriage, etc.  In all such cases, food forms the main subject and
here too there is unavoidable / unconscious /invisible 'contamination'.
Not each and every individual offering /serving the food does with
devotional affection and sincere inner feeling but a certain amount of
carelessness, casual approach exists.

3. Water : Water in most cities is run thru filters, chrlorinated and in
certain places, like Chennai for instance, there is considerable hardness
and one cannot easily assume that there is no 'contimation'. Similarly,
while travelling most of us resort to the ubiquotious branded bottled
mineral water

4. Hotel food : at least in the big cities,in India, every 4th
establishment displays a host of packaged or cooked or so-called fast food,
not to speak of the hotels and Pizza joints. Most hotels now have the
standard 'free home delivery' option which means further laziness for the
family as they do not have to stir out of the house.  Then there are joints
which specialize in 'health food' where they supply 'fat free' fried items;
sprouts; whole wheat bread; organic food and what not.

5. Postings in remote lands eg. Iceland, antartica, Mongolio, deep inside
the Amazons etc. where one cannot the typical food one is used to and
survival is often highly dependent on having to perforce partake some
non-veg food.

In all these instances considerable difficult arises for the individual to
manage the food part of his/her life.  Food must be consumed two time at
least and one has to have adequate energy.  The choice seems quite narrow
and inevitable and once is literally forced to opt for the easiest way out
and indulge

The broader question is : in the light of the strictly orthodox strictures
laid down by our Acharyas and Sages as outlined in your mail, what is the
way out for an ordinary mortal struggling to make ends meet engaged in 10
hours of vocation and 2 hrs of commuting x 5 days a week.   Offering the
food to the Lord before partaking is assumed, but then one is knowingly
offering that which has a very high probability of a mix of the various
subtle 'contaminations' indicated by you.

On the flip side, are we to take it for granted that irrespective of the
contamination, given the practical problems, would a sincere offering to
the Lord before consuming serve as a mitigant?


Om tat Sat
Tat tvam ai



                                                                                
                                                       
                      sadagopaniyengar                                          
                                                       
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                                               sadagopaniyengar@xxxxxxxx        
                                                       
                                               Subject: [Oppiliappan] The 
Forbidden Food                                               
                      01/01/07 08:14                                            
                                                       
                      PM                                                        
                                                       
                      Please respond                                            
                                                       
                      to Oppiliappan                                            
                                                       
                                                                                
                                                       
                                                                                
                                                       







Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra  Mahadesikaya nama:



Paramakanti practice

Satvika and Tamasa ahaaram—Gita  bhashyam



The Forbidden Food



A friend of mine, quoting someone, told me that  ours (the Sri Vaishnava
sampradaayam) was a “religion of the cooking pot”,  because we were
obsessed with what, where and with whom we ate. We appeared to  be bothered
more about what was essentially a minor function meant for keeping  body
and soul together, similar to bathing and cleaning one’s teeth. According
to him, our excessive concentration on the specifics of food robbed us of
our  focus on the Lord and the means to attain Him. If only we took to
consuming what  was available, without entertaining taboos, if only we ate
wherever  convenient—hotel, choultry or home—instead of being finicky about
consuming only  home-made food, we would have much more time for
concentrating on the things  that really mattered, like Bhagavat  chintanam
, according to this friend. Though I didn’t enter into an argument  with
him, what he said kept rankling in my mind. As a first step, I tried to
catalogue what exactly was forbidden food and to my surprise, came up with
quite  a substantial list.



Before finding out about food that is not to be  consumed, fragments from
the Divya Prabandam came to my mind. For instance, in  Tiruppallaandu, Sri
Periazhwar talks  about good food—“nallador soru”.  Commenting on these
words, Sri Periyavaacchaan Pillai tells us that food becomes  good when the
host feeds the guest without any sense of having done a favour and  the
guest thinks not about how to repay the favour of being fed. It is food
similar to that offered with love and affection by a doting mother to her
beloved child—“Ittavan ittom endru  irutthal, undavan “idarkku en seivom”
endru irutthal seyyaada soru”  This, then, is “good food”, as defined by
Azhwar. The Upanishad Bhaashyakara defines such food as “Sameecheenam,
vilakshanam, Saatvikam  annam”—comprised of items that induce all the
nobler instincts in man, not  only tasty to the palate, but also prepared
and offered with love and affection  by those whose minds are occupied by
the Lord and His auspicious attributes. Sri  Periya Parakaala Swamy cites
as example for such “good” food, that offered by  Sri Vidura to Sri Krishna
with devotion. Purity of thought on the part of the  host while preparing
and serving, is an indispensable qualification for food  becoming “good”—“
Bhaava shuddhi  samskritatvam vivakshitam”.



If such is the food that we must consume, there  are types and items of
food that we should not favour. We find quite a wealth of  information
about such forbidden food, in Swami Desikan’s “Aahaara Niyamam” as well as
in quotes  from Poorvacharyas reproduced in the “Vaartthaa Maalai”.



Referring to the Aahaara Niyamam, we find that the  following types of food
are not fit for consumption. It is remarkable as to how  some of these
injunctions are based on pure hygiene and on a desire to avoid
contamination and adulteration.





1. Food that has been smelt by men and  animals

2. Food that has come into contact with cloth,  saliva or mucus (from
sneezing)

3. Food touched by sick persons

4. Food that has come into contact with flies,  worms, thread, hair, nails,
etc.

5. Food tasted by men, rats, hens, crows and  cats

6. Food which has been over-fried or  overcooked

7. Food which has been seen, smelt or touched by  dogs

8. Food prepared on days of upavaasam like Ekadasi

9. Food offered by a Sanyaasi

10.Food offered without love and  affection

11.Food grown/prepared on dirty land and under  unsanitary conditions

12. Items taken from the gardens of others without  their permission

13. Extremely bitter, excessively salty and hot  food

14. Food that is not first offered to  Emperuman

15. Food partaken before being offered to  guests

16. Unseasonal fruits and vegetables

17. Food prepared or purchased with illegitimate  earnings

18. Food items bought from the store but cooked  unwashed and uncleaned

19. Food contaminated by excreta

20. Food cooked by people without the basic ideas  of hygiene

21. Food offered to deities other than Sriman  Narayana

22. Food that is unbearably hot, sour,  etc.

23. Food consisting of unidentifiable  components

24. Food which is not pleasant or acceptable to  one’s mind

25. Salt with dirt

26. Food that is avoided by elders and good  people

27. Food offered before one has completed Sandhyavandanam, Japam, etc.



Quite a long list, isn’t it?



 Even in the case of milk, which is  accepted for consumption even on days
of fasting, certain types are to be  avoided, says Swami Desikan—



1. Camel’s milk

2. Milk mixed with salt

3. Milk of a pregnant cow

4. Milk bought for a price from  Brahmins

5. Milk from mothers’ breasts (except for  consumption by babies)

6. Milk of horses and donkeys with a single  hoof

7. Spoilt milk

8. Milk of a cow which has lost its  calf

9. Milk of a cow which has been milked by deceit,  substituting its lost
calf by another

10. Milk kept in copper vessels

11. Milk which has been overheated

12. Milk from a cow which has two calves,  etc.



The sense of hygiene which pervaded each and every  action of our elders is
abundantly evident in Swami Desikan’s prescriptions for  water fit for
consumption. “Aachaaram”, on which our forefathers  laid considerable
premium, is nothing but hygiene and principles of cleanliness,
strengthened by spirituality. The Acharya advises us to avoid the following
types of water:



1. Water stored for a second day (This does not  apply to the holy water of
the Ganga)

2. Water left over after washing feet

3. Muddy water

4. Water given during festivals at public  places

5. Water of the tender coconut, which has been  boiled

6. Wayside water

7. Water stagnating in holes and pits

8. Water of dubious origins

9. Water in the washermen’s place (Dhobi khaana)

10. Rain water before it touches earth

11. Water drunk with a conch as vessel,  etc.



Going on to the Vaartthaa Maalai, we find good and bad  food classified
into three categories each, with Sri Nampillai expanding on the  same. Good
food consists of:



1. Food offered with love and affection by Sri  Vaishnavas

2. Food submitted by a disciple to his Acharya,  with genuine regret that
only so much could be given and not more

3. A fistful of rice obtained through “Uncchavritti” or bhikshaa



Of these, the food offered with love by Sri  Vaishnavas is akin to that
given by Emperuman to His devotees with maternal  concern and love. Food
offered by the Sishya is akin to the grant from the royal  treasury. The
fistful of rice obtained through Bhikshaa represents the philosophy of
earning the minimum required for keeping body and soul together, without
being  excessively concerned with physical welfare.



What then are the three types of forbidden food  according to the Vaartthaa
Maalai?



1. Food earned with funds obtained by  inconveniencing or troubling Sri
Vaishnavas in

    any manner

2. Food obtained with earnings from service to  non-Sri Vaishnavas

3. Food obtained with earnings from service  to the Lord, considering the
same as an

    occupation or  profession.



What makes the offered food unworthy of  consumption? Three other don’t s
are prescribed in the aforesaid  context:



1. When a Sri Vaishnava offers us food with  concern, we are not to take a
critical view of the food on account of taste,  nutritiousness, etc.

2. The host should not offer food after weighing  the qualifications of the
guest, nor with

    the calculation, “This would  do for this fellow”.

3. The host should not consider the quantity  of food offered to the guest
or the frequency

    thereof.



The ideal host is one who offers food to  guests



1. without the expectation of commendation from  society that he is a
generous feeder

2. without the anticipation of praise from those  who are fed, and

3. without any ahankaaram or mamakaaram-- without thinking, “This is  my
food. I am

    offering it to others”. The  host should always consider himself
fortunate that the Lord

    has placed him in a position  of feeding others and should deem himself
to be an

    instrument for  implementation of Emperuman’s will.



Sri Aacchaan Pillai is said to have remarked that  when one Sri Vaishnava
plays host to another, he should experience the following  emotions:



1. Inadequacy: the host should feel regret  that he is unable to submit a
feast

    commensurate with the  greatness of the Srivaishnava who has come as
guest

2. Humility: the host should not deem to  have conferred a favour on the
Srivaishnava

    guest by feeding him, but  should consider himself to have been
favoured by the guest,

    hoping for the event  occurring often.

3. Fear-- that the food offered to the  Srivaishnava should have been
adequate, tasty and

    that no offence should have  occurred during the serving thereof.

4. Pride-- that he has the great good fortune of  having a Srivaishnava
consume food at his

      house.

5. Sorrow- at having missed the privilege of  feeding Srivaishnavas so far

6. Satisfaction—the host should consider his day  and life to have been
made

    extremely fruitful by the  act of feeding the Srivaishnava.



Sri Teertthankudi Jeeyar is said to have indicated  that six types of food
are taboo:



1. Food offered at a house where a death has taken  place

2. Food offered at a marriage—because the  normal standards of hygiene and
aachaaram

    are absent at marriage hall  kitchens.

3. Food which is sold at a price—since it is a  commercial venture, one
cannot hope for

    either cleanliness or  nutritiousness in such food

4. Food that is offered to others for earning name  and fame (that the host
is a great

    philanthropist,  etc.)

5. Food that is offered to the guest, to curry  favour with the latter or
with the specific

    object of achieving  something

6. Left overs—food that has first been offered to  deities other than
Sriman Narayana or

    His devotees.



 Sri Pillai Lokacharya indicates another  type of feeding in Srivachana
Bhooshanam—

“Madi  tadavaada soru”. The host feeds the Srivaishnava guest with all due
respect  and regard. However, after the meal is over, he develops a feeling
of regret  that he has provided the meal free. To salvage what he can from
the affair, he  checks the midriff (“Madi”) of the guest to see whether the
latter is carrying  any cash, which can be appropriated towards the cost of
the meal.  This makes the guest feel extremely bad  for having partaken of
the meal. Food offered to the guest, says the Acharya,  should be without
absolutely any expectation whatsoever and with the feeling  that the act of
feeding is a great end in itself. This attitude is what made Sri  Krishna
bypass those of high status and birth and choose to honour Sri Vidura by
partaking food at the latter’s house, during His visit to Hastinaapuram.
Despite his low birth,  the food offered to Krishnaby Vidura is praised as
“Sucheeni gunavanti cha” (pure, tasteful  and wholesome), solely due to the
attitude of the host and not so much due to  the actual contents of the
meal.



After my researches took me through all the  aforesaid dicta of Acharyas, I
felt that there was nothing wrong in our sampradaayam being called
“religion of  the cooking pot”—for, it is the cooking pot which is often
the origin of  epidemics and infections. Once we take good care of the
cooking pot, both our  physical and spiritual health would automatically be
taken care of. At  Srivaishnavite homes, cooking pots are put to use to
prepare food not for mere  mortals, but for the Emperuman who resides at
various homes in different forms,  to whom the meal is offered first and
foremost, before consumption by human  inhabitants. Thus, it is not for
nothing that our Sampradaayam is known as the  “Madaippalli Sampradaayam”
or the “Yatiraaja Maahaanasika sampradaayam” by  someone of the calibre of
Swami Desikan.



Srimate Sri Lakshminrisimha divya paduka sevaka  SrivanSatakopa Sri
Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

dasan, sadagopan










 
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