Dr. Gauri Mahulikar

Upanishads, the highly philosophical text of ancient Indian literature, reflect very valuable and original information regarding the importance and influence of food in general. When nourishment is pure reflection and higher understanding automatically become pure, says Chandogya Upanishad. Discrimination between undesirable and good food, therefore, becomes necessary. According to the type of diet, one's vasanas get moulded; according to the vasanas are the activities, the deeds and in accordance to the deeds is the fruit or reward thereof. Brahaspati, therefore spoke of annashauca as one of the most important of all.

Food and mind are directly connected in a cause-effect relationship. Eating food is as holy an act as doing Agnihotra. One should always respect food, never abuse it, nor dishonour it. Food is Brahman. From food did all the beings emerge, by food are they sustained and in food alone are they absorbed, proclaims the Vedanta text.

Specific food is prescribed in the Upanishads for obtaining a particular kind of son. Thus rice cooked in milk and mixed with ghee is prescribed for a fair complexioned son, well versed in one Veda; rice cooked with meat of a young or mature bull, mixed with ghee is prescribed for obtaining a scholarly son in all the four Vedas.

Brhadaranyaka Upanishad mentions ten types of cultivated grains, some of which are of inferior quality, prohibited for the learned. But when life is at stake, acceptance of such substandard stuff is permissible. Chandogya gives an account of Usasti Cakrayana, who ate kulmasa from an elephant driver. The story of sage Vishvamitra eating dog's leg/entrails during the famine is worth noting in this context. Charaka says that body is built by food. So to maintain the body and to survive, any compromise becomes welcome.

The overall impression of dietetics in the Upanishads is "FOOD IS GOD". The Gita supplements this stand and analyses it according to the three gunas. Thus the Vedanta texts mainly bring out the psychological and ethical import of dietetics.