This chapter describes the bad effects of taste and means to overcome them. Nihswadi Vartman of Tyagi Sadhu.
This chapter describes the bad effects of taste and means to overcome them. Nihswadi Vartman of Tyagi Sadhu.
Sri Narayan muni said:-
‘O Gopalanand muni, of all the sensory organs, the most angerprovoking is the tongue. Because of this, all faults and defects are generated in us, which lead to sinful acts. 1.
Due to extreme desire of satisfying the taste buds, we end up being trapped in lust. This is well-known. 2.
Great men, kings, Brahmins, and religious people wish to eat non-vegetarian food due to the uncontrollable desire of satisfying their taste buds. 3.
Even gods and kings yield to the temptation of taste and claim that Yajna is violence-oriented, which is not true. 4.
The perverted attitude of Brahmins about non-violence and Yajna has changed due to their uncontrollable desire of eating flesh. 5.
At present, the Brahmins are more addicted to eat nonvegetarian food because of their uncontrollable desire for eating the same They justify and claim this as their way of worshipping God. 6.
Vedic religion becomes a mixed breed when people belonging to all four castes (Varnas) become victims of tasty food. 7.
Even the great people commit the sin of killing animals and birds due to wicked, horrid desire-fulfilling taste. It also leads to theft. 8.
Learned people also differentiate themselves among others in the urge to satisfy their extreme, utmost desire of taste. 9.
Learned people and great people fall victim to eating meat and drinking wine due to an extreme, uncontrollable desire for eating non-vegetarian food and drinking wine. 10.
Learned people should note that the desire of taste is not worth and they must worship Shri Hariand praise Him through kirtans to get out of worldly bondage. 11.
Moreover, a man yields to his enemies, falls in the grip of diseases and meets death in the end consuming, eating and drinking more than necessary. 12.
Anger, greed ego etc. are the enemies of man. They all lead to great sins. 13.
Remedies to win over Rasdosh.
All these are the defects or disadvantages of taste, now I’ll narrate the ways to overcome or get rid of them. 14.
A man expecting liberation should never wish for a delicious, spicy and tasty food. If men get it due to yoga Siddhi, they should not accept it like dogs. 15.
A man who does not desire such tasty food should only eat or accept food that is just essential for living by asking- (seeking alms from) others. 16.
He should not ask for a full meal at one house, but should go door to door and gather food like a honey bee goes from flower to flower and collects honey without harming the flower. 17.
While moving for alms, he must go to people of all four castes and ask for uncooked food. 18.
If he gets tasty, delicious food at one house and is enough for him, he must never repeatedly go to the same house to satisfy his taste buds. 19.
He should go to the door and say loudly Narayan hare, Sachidanand prabho, stand in the courtyard and then ask for alms. 20.
Whatever he gets — rice, flour or fruit; he should cook it himself in holy state and then offer it to the God. Then, he should add Vishnu’s sacred water (water used to wash the idol) and a holy basil leaf in it and then only should eat. 21-22.
If at the time of eating food, there appears a beggar, he with sympathy should give food to him. 23.
Method of going to the house of Grihasth by Tyagi Sadhus to accept meals.
If a Vaisnava man with family and religious in attitude, who is free from folk criticism, and is not in mourning state invites a liberation-seeker, the latter should accept the invitation. He should offer Naivedya of the given food and then take his meal. 24 - 25.
If there is no idol of Vishnu in that house, he should take his own idol with him and offer Naivedya. 26.
If there is as idol in the house, he should come to his own house, cook food himself and then should offer Naivedya and narrate process to the God. 27.
Then he (mumuksu) should collect others and go to that house and take meals. If he avoids it, it will be degrading the obligations of service. 28.
If a Vaisnava Brahmin is unable to cook food, the Sadhus - hermits should invite him for meals. 29.
They should bring uncooked food to their own house and cook themselves or get it cooked by other Brahmins. 30.
When he has to go to a house either for alms or eat meals, he should never go alone but take at least five men like him. 31.
When a faithful devotee invites him to his richly house, he should go and take meals but must never disturb anyone by finding fault and talking about his poverty. 32.
If a householder invites to his house for dinner and serves food according to his region system, a renouncer must never question him. 33.
He should accept food from the same house and not anywhere else. There is no harm in accepting the food a person who is in difficulty or weak due to disease. 34.
If on certain occasions somebody serves good food, there is no fault or sin in accepting that food. 35.
If there is only a man in any house, he should go to take food in his house and never at other place. 36.
A liberation-seeker who observes Bhramcharya vrat after offering sandalwood flowers to Bhagavan should accept food as ‘Prasad’. 37.
He should not accept perfumed oil, betel leaf, betel nut and cardamom even if it is given as ‘Prasad’. 38.
On Ekadashi (the eleventh holy day) or during any Vrata, the mumuksu, if given fruits, should only offer them to God as Naivedya but not eat them. 39.
On certain occasions, during festivals or observance of certain Vratas, he (mumuksu) should offer the food he gets as Naivedya but must not eat. 40.
When many renouncers assemble together on certain occasion like festivals, Naivedya should be prepared according to time, place and availability of matter. 41.
Learned Sadhus should protect their ‘Ekantika Dharma by cooking one or two Naivedyas as per necessary according to time and place. 42.
If the place is clean and big, food of four kinds should be prepared, it should then be offered to Lord Vishnu like ‘Annakoota’. 43.
If the place is small and pots are also small, food should be prepared, accordingly and then be offered to Lord Vishnu afterwards it should be mixed in large quantity with other food. 44.
Someone when offers food that he doesn’t want should not be eaten by the renouncer to satisfy his taste buds. 45.
The prepared food which is served without adding the sacred water of Lord Vishnu’s feet to it should not be accepted. 46.
Purity of food is essential for the purity of mind and heart; so the food that is -offered to the God - Lord Vishnu should only be accepted. 47.
A renouncer, if quite healthy and without any disease, should take food only once a day and spend all the time in serving and remembering God. 48.
If at all anyone offers food after dinner, even if it is offered as a ‘Prasad’, it should not at all be taken. 49.
If a renouncer accepts such food, it is considered breach of acceptable behavior of a hermit and counts as a transgression. 50.
On fasting days like the Ekadashi, if food is brought by someone as the Prasad of Hari, the renouncer should respect it by folding his palms. He should offer his Namaskar to the Prasad and immerse it (in water). 51.
Even if at the time of taking meals, food is brought by someone as the ‘Prasad’ of Shri Hariand if it is against his rules of Vrata, he must not eat it. 52.
If a renouncer has left eating a certain kind of food as a rule or if it affects his health, he should not eat it even if it is the ‘Prasad’ of God. 53.
A renouncer must not eat from the pots used to offer Naivedya but should have his own pots. Similarly, he must not use pots dedicated to Naivedya for his bodily purification. 54.
He (the renouncer) should not consume unfiltered milk or water offered in Naivedya even if it is given to him as ‘Prasad’. 55.
Food which helps to secrete semen or which appetizers lust should never be eaten. Similarly, he must strictly avoid contact of wine, liquor and non-vegetarian food. 56.
He (the renouncer) must keep away from intoxicants like opium, hemp or tobacco and avoid its contact. 57.
Even if he (the renouncer) is ill, he must not accept wine, liquor or non-vegetarian food if given as medicine. He can sleep on cot but not in a healthy state. 58.
If the renouncer suffers from illness or is old, he is not bound by the rule of eating once a day. But he can remember the God and take food twice if necessary. 59.
Method of expiation for regressing from vow.
Remaining in the company of pious people and saints, carrying out devotion to God, the renouncer wins over the unconquerable addiction of enjoying tasty food. 60.
Rantidev, the king and sage Mudgala won over the addiction of taste - Rasadosha by following Shilonchvrutti – only eating the food that has fallen to the ground. 61.
If someone unknowingly or by accident breaks these rules, he should atone himself in the presence of the pious and saints immediately. 62.
If the renouncer eats cooked food without offering it to God, he should observe a day’s fast. 63.
So also, the food which is not ‘Prasadika’ is taken, sandal wood or perfumed oil, betel leaf with betel hut is taken he must observe - day’s fast. 64.
If the renouncer accepts prasadi food of Lord Vishnu or holy water of Vishnu’s feet given by an improper man, he must perform ‘Chandraya’ penance. 65.
If he goes to a householder with five men or less for meals, he must observe a day’s fast. 66.
If unknowingly, he happens to drink wine, eat non-vegetarian food he should take barley flour mixed in hot water as food for one month. 67.
If he drinks intoxicating things like liquor, he should observe a day’s fast. 68.
Following these rules strictly, the Ekantika should win over the taste. 69.
Until one wins over this defect or fault to control tongue, he will not be a ‘Jitendriya’ but a subdued, passionate man. 70.
In the past, people have won over this; thus renouncers can win over the temptation of the tongue. 71.
Tasty food eaten in small quantities, cannot make a man win over taste. Similarly, tasteless food eaten again and again cannot make a man win over taste. 72.
So it is the proper, adequate food that makes a man win the temptation of taste. Optimum, adequate food and behavior are good as is said by the Lord himself. 73.
I have told about the disadvantages of tasty, juicy, delicious food. I am telling it for the good of renouncers. 74.
Thus ends the sixty-fourth chapter entitled ‘Narration of the defects of taste and prescriptions for overcoming it’ in the fourth Prakaran of Satsangijivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 64
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