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 keeping 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 maintain an ideal stability of well being, be it bodily, psychological or emotional. He additional states that one ought to be clever and aware sufficient to decide on good meals. The standard, amount and time of consuming ought to be monitored to realize this. This ought to be completed often 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 side and make it a behavior.
To make significant decisions of meals in order that we maintain 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 ought to 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 won’t be in a state of stability. We can not do something continuously with such an imbalanced thoughts. We are inclined to get interested in unwholesome and ‘not so good’ meals and regimens (together with life-style decisions), many occasions regardless of figuring out the dangerous results and downsides of selecting them.
So, Rajas and Tamas play a significant function within the meals we select. They are going to are available in the way in which of constructing healthful meals decisions. Consequently, we’re uncovered to a wide selection of ‘meals induced’ issues and psychosomatic issues.
Subsequently, individuals whose thoughts is clouded by rajas and tamas qualities discover it tough to stop ailments and fall victims for a similar, way more simply than these whose sattva high quality is in operation within the thoughts.
On this article we are going to talk about the affect of rajas and tamas qualities on our meals decisions 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 decisions and stopping ailments
हितमेवानुरुध्यन्ते प्रपरीक्ष्य परीक्षकाः| रजोमोहावृतात्मानः प्रियमेव तु लौकिकाः||३६||
In terms of healthful meals decisions and following very best regimens associated to meals and life-style practices, the clever and ignorant individuals completely differ from one another. A clever particular person is realized, is aware of what is sweet and what’s dangerous and has self-control and can be endowed with sattvika guna (of thoughts). Alternatively, an ignorant particular person is completely reverse to the clever particular person. Subsequently, these persons are at all times wholesome as a result of they observe significant consuming all through their life. He makes incorrect and unwholesome meals decisions because of the predominance of his thoughts by rajas and tamas gunas. Subsequently, these persons are at all times inclined to endure from a wide selection of ailments.
Sensible individuals with predominance of Sattva Guna
An clever one who can be sattvik in nature, who has presence of thoughts and inquisitive nature would undoubtedly analyse each minute side and subtlety of the meals she or he consumes. These individuals will clearly observe a healthful and wholesome meals routine, not as soon as, however every day, all through their lives and therefore shall be bestowed with better of psychosomatic and emotional well being. These individuals may also forestall many ailments triggered attributable to incorrect and dangerous meals decisions as a result of they’re at all times conscious and aware of what they eat and drink, being clever and properly realized.
He would do that after correct examination of the meals. He would additionally completely consider the ailments which may very well be presumably triggered attributable to incorrect decisions of meals and incorrect strategies of consuming them. He would additionally consider the causative elements for a similar and would consciously make resolution 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 decisions.
Ignorant individuals with predominance of rajas and tamas qualities
Rajo Guna Impression
Alternatively, an ignorant particular person 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 particular person make incorrect decisions of meals as a result of rajas is liable for an individual being interested in unwholesome issues, the temptation issue as a result of these individuals have immense and peculiar needs in every thing, together with meals that they eat. These persons are extremely energetic, pushed and dynamic by nature. They’re additionally aggressive and bold, stressed workaholics. On account of this nature, they will choose something and every thing with out planning and decisions and eat or drink no matter they get when they’re hungry. They’re neither explicit 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 thing 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 explanation for many ailments. Their immunity will get compromised over a time period and prevention of ailments turns into a mirage as soon as their system will get compromised. Their meals decisions will additional disturb the rajas high quality and put it into imbalance and the cycle turns into obsessively vicious.
Tamo Guna Impression
When the thoughts is predominantly masked by tamas high quality, the particular person shall be in a state of phantasm about meals. This too would make her or him make faulty meals decisions. These individuals will make such decisions of meals which might please them with out understanding that the pleasure is non permanent and the consequence of consuming dangerous meals would put them into deep and severe hassle in future. They’d undoubtedly be ignorant or wouldn’t wish to imagine (regardless of figuring out) that incorrect meals might develop into troublesome in the long term. Tamasika kind of persons are much less energetic, rest-prone, inert and torpid. They don’t seem to be solely lazy but additionally 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 boring, illusional and inert. Subsequently, they don’t put a lot thought into the meals decisions and associated etiquettes. They eat an excessive amount of however the conversion price is just too much less. They’re additionally sedentary. This may result in agnimandya and a wide selection of associated issues. Prevention of ailments in these individuals additionally may be very tough due to deep rootedness of the ailments and compromised metabolism. Their meals decisions 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 will please their thoughts and senses, wouldn’t present consideration in the direction of evaluating his or her situation, illness, prakriti, items and bads and in addition the remedy points. Subsequently, they’re the delicate targets of many sorts of ailments.
One may be in a detrimental 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 frame of mind can result in detrimental behaviours and untoward penalties. That is the explanation for the particular person getting connected obsessively to unwholesome regimens and thus opening the gates for a lot of ailments to enter into the system. Alternatively, one whose thoughts is dominated by sattva guna will make healthful decisions associated to every thing together with meals and life-style decisions and would make it a behavior for lifetime and therefore develop into proof against ailments.
One must keep away from attachments and needs to recover from the domination of his or her rajas attribute and in addition ought to cease overdoing, over exercising or overworking on something and in addition 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 clever particular person 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 clever and realized particular person would possess or has inculcated which might assist him to make good meals decisions and to observe healthful meals and life-style routine for all times with out deviation from the choice and willpower to make such decisions. These individuals can have the thoughts predominantly influenced by sattva guna. These persons are proof against meals induced ailments and in addition 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 stability
9. Dhairya – braveness
Alternatively, an ignorant particular person 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 particular person shall be influenced by rajas and tamas qualities. On this situation, the particular person won’t have self-control and can make faulty meals decisions and unwholesome regimens.
Associated Studying – 9 qualities you must defend your self from ailments
Additional on,
An ignorant particular person, because of the affect of his thoughts by rajas and tamas will get indulged in and shall be obsessed to do mental errors or sins, defined in Ayurveda as Prajnaparadha i.e. doing errors or incorrect issues figuring out that they’re incorrect – mental blasphemy. As a consequence, he’ll indulge himself in unwholesome gratification of 5 senses and in addition in forcibly withholding the naturally manifested urges of the physique. He may also take pleasure in extreme adventurous actions past his capability. This stuff would give him solely non permanent pleasure. However a clever particular person won’t take pleasure in prajnaparadha as a result of his thoughts is influenced by predominant sattva guna, he has readability of thoughts and consciousness. Subsequently, this particular person will reside a contented and wholesome life.
Subsequently, an ideal stability of rajas and tamas qualities and their attributes is unquestionably a gamechanger so far as an individual’s decisions of meals and life-style practices and following a healthful routine is anxious. This may be the key key for one’s wholesome and blissful life. One has to study 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 inspiration for complete well being.