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 based on Ayurveda. Grasp Charaka explains about varied sorts of meals and drinks that we often 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 performed often and for all times and that isn’t simple to do. This wants utmost self-discipline, dedication and involvement. One ought to observe the foundations 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 decisions of meals in order that we maintain wholesome at all times we must always put ourselves right into a behavior of following wholesome meals regimens. To make it a component 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-about as doshas of the manas and when both of them dominates the thoughts, the thoughts is not going to be in a state of stability. We can’t do something consistently 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 drawbacks of selecting them.
So, Rajas and Tamas play a significant function within the meals we select. They are going to are available in the best way of constructing healthful meals decisions. In consequence, we’re uncovered to a big selection of ‘meals induced’ problems and psychosomatic problems.
Due to this fact, folks whose thoughts is clouded by rajas and tamas qualities discover it troublesome to forestall ailments and fall victims for a similar, far more simply than these whose sattva high quality is in operation within the thoughts.
On this article we’ll focus on the impression 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||
On the subject of healthful meals decisions and following splendid regimens associated to meals and life-style practices, the clever and ignorant individuals completely differ from one another. A clever individual is discovered, is aware of what is sweet and what’s unhealthy and has self-control and can also be endowed with sattvika guna (of thoughts). Alternatively, an ignorant individual is completely reverse to the clever individual. Due to this fact, these persons are at all times wholesome as a result of they observe significant consuming all through their life. He makes flawed and unwholesome meals decisions as a result of predominance of his thoughts by rajas and tamas gunas. Due to this fact, these persons are at all times prone to endure from a big selection of ailments.
Clever folks with predominance of Sattva Guna
An clever one who 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 probably be bestowed with better of psychosomatic and emotional well being. These folks also can stop many ailments brought on as a result of flawed and unhealthy meals decisions as a result of they’re at all times conscious and aware of what they eat and drink, being clever and effectively discovered.
He would do that after correct examination of the meals. He would additionally completely consider the ailments which might be probably brought on as a result of flawed decisions of meals and flawed strategies of consuming them. He would additionally consider the causative elements for a similar and would consciously make choice 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 folks with predominance of rajas and tamas qualities
Rajo Guna Affect
Alternatively, 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 flawed decisions of meals as a result of rajas is accountable for an individual being interested in unwholesome issues, the temptation issue as a result of these folks have immense and bizarre 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 impressive, stressed workaholics. As a result of this nature, they’ll 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 specific nor aware about consuming. Anger, fear, stress, restlessness, anxiousness 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 big 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 frame 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 Affect
When the thoughts is predominantly masked by tamas high quality, the individual will probably be in a state of phantasm about meals. This too would make her or him make faulty meals decisions. These folks will make such decisions 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’d positively be ignorant or wouldn’t need to imagine (regardless of figuring out) that flawed meals could turn into troublesome in the long term. Tamasika sort of persons are much less energetic, rest-prone, inert and torpid. They aren’t solely lazy but in addition confused. They aren’t solely grasping however are additionally ignorant and connected to many issues, together with meals and drinks. They get connected to a big selection of meals and drinks which they don’t need to let go even when they know or are informed 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. Due to this fact, they don’t put a lot thought into the meals decisions and associated etiquettes. They eat an excessive amount of however the conversion fee is simply too much less. They’re additionally sedentary. This can result in agnimandya and a big selection of associated problems. Prevention of ailments in these folks additionally may be very troublesome 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 direction of evaluating his or her situation, illness, prakriti, items and bads and likewise the therapy features. Due to this fact, they’re the mushy targets of many sorts of ailments.
One will be in a destructive state of mindset when the thoughts is occupied by the lethal mixture of rajas and tamas whereby she or he could really feel torpid, confused and overwhelmed at a time. This way of thinking can result in destructive 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. 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 turn into resistant to 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 energetic and constructive.
9 qualities of a clever 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 clever and discovered individual 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 dedication to make such decisions. These individuals can have the thoughts predominantly influenced by sattva guna. These persons are resistant to meals induced ailments and likewise varied bodily, psychological and emotional ailments.
The 9 qualities are –
1. Shrutam – being effectively discovered and educated
2. Buddhih – intelligence
3. Smritih – good reminiscence
4. Daksha – expert, experience, disciplined
5. Dhriti – dedication, 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 individual whose thoughts is predominant in rajas and tamas qualities is not going to be endowed with the above stated 9 qualities. Alternatively, when there’s a deficiency of the above stated qualities, the individual will probably be influenced by rajas and tamas qualities. On this situation, the individual is not going to have self-control and can make faulty meals decisions and unwholesome regimens.
Associated Studying – 9 qualities that you must protect your self from ailments
Additional on,
An ignorant individual, as a result of affect of his thoughts by rajas and tamas will get indulged in and will probably be obsessed to do mental errors or sins, defined in Ayurveda as Prajnaparadha i.e. doing errors or flawed issues figuring out that they’re flawed – 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 will even take pleasure in extreme adventurous actions past his capability. This stuff would give him solely momentary pleasure. However a clever individual is not going to take pleasure 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 cheerful and wholesome life.
Due to this fact, an ideal stability of rajas and tamas qualities and their attributes is certainly a gamechanger so far as an individual’s decisions of meals and life-style practices and following a healthful routine is anxious. This is able to be the key key for one’s wholesome and joyful 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.
