23 August 2025
Saturday
A heart that is full of love for God is truly the heart of a human being. Those who wish to develop such a heart of love should be careful with regard to their food and drink. Of the food you consume, the gross part is excreted; the part which is intermediate in nature (between gross and subtle) becomes bones, muscles, and blood; and the subtlest part of food becomes the mind. Therefore, food is responsible for the good and bad nature of the mind. As is the food, so is the mind. Hence, it is necessary to eat satwic, sacred, and good food in moderation. In days of yore, sages and saints, giving up the villages and towns, lived peacefully in forests, eating only fruits and tubers to sustain themselves. You may not be aware how beneficial such satwic food can be. How blissful were Sita, Rama and Lakshmana living in the forest and eating fruits and tubers during their exile! Happiness lies in proper food and habits. Not only food, but also drinking water should be pure.
From Swami’s discourse of 2 September 1996
A heart that is full of love for God is truly the heart of a human being. Those who wish to develop such a heart of love should be careful with regard to their food and drink. Of the food you consume, the gross part is excreted; the part which is intermediate in nature (between gross and subtle) becomes bones, muscles, and blood; and the subtlest part of food becomes the mind. Therefore, food is responsible for the good and bad nature of the mind. As is the food, so is the mind. Hence, it is necessary to eat satwic, sacred, and good food in moderation. In days of yore, sages and saints, giving up the villages and towns, lived peacefully in forests, eating only fruits and tubers to sustain themselves. You may not be aware how beneficial such satwic food can be. How blissful were Sita, Rama and Lakshmana living in the forest and eating fruits and tubers during their exile! Happiness lies in proper food and habits. Not only food, but also drinking water should be pure.