Yogatattva Upanishad (translation and study)
by Sujata Jena | 2024 | 72,363 words
This study explores the philosophical and yogic concepts within the Yogatattva Upanishad—an ancient Sanskrit text wihchi s part of the Vedic literature that delves into the essence of yoga and meditation, linking mental control to spiritual enlightenment. The thesis also emphasizes the importance of eightfold path (or Ashtanga Yoga) and the integra...
Part 2.1 - Diets and Dinacarya
We are constantly filled with inspiration, and this is the food of our life. From the food we eat the air we breathe, the things we see, smell, hear and touch, our environment is created and this affects both shapes our environment. We are really what we eat, because the mind is built by the subtler part of our food and the body by others. To achieve the purpose of life, to find satisfaction and perfection, a person needs a peaceful mind and concentration. Controlling the mind is difficult because it is actually under the control of our body. Therefore, it is recommended that we first warn and control the physical body, and then the mind can be controlled easily. Food plays an important role in this process. Ahara vihara-key is moderation yuktahara-viharasya yukta-cestasya Karmasu yukta-svapnavabodhasya yoga bhavati duhkha-da //1 A person who is moderate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working and playing can reduce all the pains of the world by practicing yoga. Yukta-ahara-viharasya refers to one who controls his eating habits and movements. Ahara (food. food) means everything collected in food. It also includes the 'food' of the mind and the things we get from our senses and the people we associate with. Vihara means to move, to walk; and yukta-cetasya, referring to one whose efforts (cesta) are passive, such as not striving; karmasu refers to the person who does good work and not the person who works. Similarly, yukta-svapna-avbodhasya refers to one who sleeps well and is awake. Such a person can overcome all the pains and sorrows of the world. A 'proper' yoga diet can be considered a lactovegetarian diet, which contains nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and dairy products. In addition to being simple, natural and healthy, 1 . Bhagavad Gita-6.17 235
this diet takes into account the subtle effects of food on the mind and prana. Some of the arguments in favor of a vegetarian diet are: A vegetarian diet can be considered as a proper yogic diet. It includes grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and dairy products. It is a simple, natural and healthy diet that understands that food affects the mind and prana. Here are some reasons why you should support a vegetarian diet. Physical Reasons for a Vegetarian Diet: According to modern medical science, high cholesterol and uric acid in meat, along with preservatives, cause many diseases. A diet that includes meat has been shown to help with problems such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, muscle stiffness, arthritis and gout. Arthritis occurs when too much uric acid gets into the joints. Arteries that close due to excess cholesterol and other fats; prevent blood flow to the brain, contributing to energy and high blood pressure. Conditions such as stroke, constipation, cancer, arthritis, high blood pressure, allergies, migraines, headaches, ulcers, bad breath, intestinal gas, kidney stones, hiatus, hernia, gallstones, hypoglycemia, diverticulosis, osteoporosis, kidney disease and asthma are cause because of the abundance of prey. Yogic food is called food that supports Yoga practice and spiritual progress. Food is closely related to the mind. The mind is formed from the simplest part of food. The sage Uddalaka teaches his son Svetaketu: 'Food, when eaten, becomes threefold: the inert becomes poison, the inert becomes flesh, and the good also becomes spirit. My son, when you scrape the curds, the good stuff rises to the top and forms the butter. Therefore, my child, when food is eaten, the good particles rise and form the spirit. This is why, in fact, mind is food. You up 236
will also find in the Chandogya Upanisad: "Through the purity of food, one cleanses oneself in the form of pregnancy; through his inner purity, he truly attains the refuge of the Self; and when the place of self is attained, all chains and attachments will be broken. The food is of three types, namely sattvic food, rajasic food and tamasic food. Milk, wheat, corn, butter, cheese, tomatoes, honey, dates, fruits, almonds and sweets are sattvic foods. They make the mind clear and calm. Fish, eggs, meat, salt, chili and asafetida are Rajasic food. They are sexually stimulating. Beef, wine, garlic, onions and tobacco are tamasic foods. They fill the mind with anger, darkness and inertia. Lord Krsna said to Arjuna, "The food of every lover is threefold. Listen to their praise. Foods that increases energy, strength, energy, health and happiness and that is delicious, unhealthy, rich and delicious are loved by pure people. Devotees crave bitter, sour, salty, hot, hot, dry and fiery foods that produce pain, sorrow and disease. The food which is stale, tasteless, putrid and rotten, leaving and impure is dear to the Tamasic."2 Food plays an important role in meditation. Different foods produce different effects on different parts of the brain. For meditation purposes, food should be light, nutritious and sattvic. Milk, fruits, almonds, butter, rock sugar, green gram, Bengal gram soaked in water overnight, bread, etc., are very useful for meditation. There (a type of root abundant in the Himalayan region) is very Sattivic. Tea and sugar should be consumed in moderation. It is better to leave it completely. Dry ginger powder can be mixed with milk and taken frequently. Indian Yogins are fond of it. Another health benefit is the purple myrobalan, which is chewed from time to time. In vagbhata, she is represented as even more than a 2 . Bhagavad Gita-VII-8,9,10 237
nurturing mother. He takes better care of the body than a mother. A mother is sometimes angry with her child, but myrobalan remains unaffected and has joy and enthusiasm in caring for the welfare of mankind. It protects the sperm and stops everything from the night. Potatoes, boiled without salt or baked, are also an excellent food for those who make them. A beginner should be careful when choosing foods that are satvic in nature. Food has a very broad effect on the mind. It is clear that we see it in heavy, undigested, indigestible and rich foods. The mind runs wanders and jumps like a monkey all the time. Alcohol causes overstimulation of the mind. Evolution is better than change. You should not make sudden changes in anything, especially when it comes to food and drink. Let the change be gradual. The process should handle this without any problems. Nature non agit per saltum text does not proceed by leaps and bounds. Food is just energy. Water and air also give health. You can live without food for many days; but you cannot live without air, even for a few minutes. Oxygen is even more important. What we need to train the body is energy. If you can provide this energy by any other means, you can do without food completely. A yogin lives without food by drinking nectar. This nectar flows from a hole in the palate. It is refreshing and nourishing. A Jnani can directly obtain energy from his pure, undistracted mind and sustain his body without any food. If you know how to generate energy from wind power, then you can do it completely without food. Food is of four types. There is potable water; hard material that is cut by the teeth and eaten; there is a hard half that is focused on licking; that there are soft things that can be swallowed without chewing. All food should be thoroughly chewed in the mouth until reduced to a liquid state before swallowing. Only then can it be easily digested, 238
processed and incorporated into the system. Food should be such that it helps maintain physical activity and good health. Human well-being depends more on adequate nutrition than anything else. Various intestinal diseases, increased infectious diseases, weakness and resistance, rickets, scurvy, anemia or poverty of blood, beriberi, etc., are caused by poor nutrition. We must not forget that it is not the wrong light. It should be remembered that it is not the weather as food that plays an important role in creating a strong and healthy body or a weak person suffering from many diseases. Practical knowledge of the science of dietetics is important for everyone, especially those who want to be spiritual, to maintain physical activity and good health. Those who are interested will be able to assemble a cheap, well-prepared meal from only a few ingredients. What is important is the right food, not rich. A rich diet produces diseases of the liver, kidneys and pancreas. Proper nutrition helps a man grow taller, work harder, gain weight, and have strength, endurance, and higher levels of energy and stamina. You are what you eat. Where can the Sannyasinis in India, who live on public alms, get proper food? Some days they only get sweet stuff, other days only cured some day's only sour stuff. But they are able to draw vital energy through the power of meditation. Medical professionals and scientists are not familiar with this unique yogic technique. Whenever the mind is focused, the holy waves bathe the whole body with the holy elixir. All cells are regenerated and rejuvenated. Glutons and epicureans cannot dream of success in Yoga. A person who follows a proper diet, who regulates his diet, can become a Yogi, not others. This is why Lord Krishna said: "Verily Yoga is not for him who eateth too much, nor who abstaineth to excess, nor who is too 239
much addicted to sleep, nor even to wakefulness, O Arjuna! Yoga killeth out all pain for him who is regulated in eating and amusement, regulated in performing actions, regulated in sleeping and waking".3 Therefore take pleasant, wholesome and sweet food half-stom achful; fill a quarter stomachs with water and allow the remaining quarter stomach free for expansion of gas. Offer up the act to the Lord. This is moderate diet. All articles that are putrid, stale, decomposed, unclean, twice cooked, kept overnight, should be abandoned. The diet should be fresh, simple, light, bland, wholesome, easily digestible and nutritious. He who lives to eat is a sinner, but he who eats to live is verily a saint. In the Siva Samhita it is said: "Yoga should not be practiced irnmediately after a meal, nor when oneis very humgry; before beginning the practice, some milk and butter should be taken." ww You will find in the Yoga-tattva Upanisad: "The proficient in Yoga should abandon the food detrimental to the practice of Yoga. He should give up salt, mustard, sour things, hot, punget or bitter articles, asafetida, women, emaciation of the body by fasts etc. During the early stages of practice, food of milk and ghee is ordained; also food consisting of wheat, green pulse and red is said to favour the progress. Then he will be able to retain his breath as long as he likes. By thus retaining the breath as long as he likes, Kevala-Kumbhaka (cessation of breath without inhalation and exhalation) is attained. When Kevala-Kumbhaka is attained by one and thus inhalation and exhalation are dispensed with there is nothing unattainable in the three worlds to him.' " In the Bhikska-Upanisad you will find: "Paramahamsas like Samavartaka, Aruni, Svetaketu, Jada Bharata, Dattatreya, Suka, 3 Bhagavad Gita-VI-16-17 240
Vamadeva, Haritaki and others take eight mouthfuls and strive after Moksa alone through the path of Yoga." Manu, Jesus and Buddha advised people to avoid alcohol, intoxicating drinks and drugs because their effects are destructive. No spiritual progress is possible without abandoning them. Most people dig their graves with their teeth. The stomach is not given rest. After all, people need very few things in this liberal world: a few loaves of bread, a little butter and a little cold water. This will be enough to support life. On the contrary, people eat themselves in any kind of way, food or not, because of the strength of character, even when they are not hungry. It is very bad. All diseases are caused by the weight of the stomach. Hunger is the best sauce. If there is hunger, food can be digested properly. If you're not hungry, don't take anything. May you have a perfect rest?.3 Different types of dishes overload the stomach, cause hunger pangs and make the tongue tired. It is difficult to master the language. So check the language first; then other emotions can be easily controlled. Man has invented all kinds of dishes to make life more complicated and miserable. He calls himself enlightened, when in reality he is ignorant and misled by logic. His mind was shattered when he couldn't eat the food he used to in a new place. Is this really power? He became a true savior of his language. This is terrible. Be creative and easy in eating and drinking. Moderation is yoga. Eat to live, not to eat. Follow this golden rule and be happy. Then you will be able to spend more time on Yoga practice. A student of yoga who devotes his time entirely too pure meditation needs little food. One or one and a half servings of milk and a few fruits a day will be enough. But a Yogi who steps up to the platform for hard and powerful work needs a lot of nutrition. A vegetarian diet has 241
been recognized as the most conducive to spiritual and spiritual progress. Meat has been found to increase animal appetite and reduce cognitive ability. Although the carnivorous nations are active and powerful, the same cannot be said for their spiritual achievements. Meat is not necessary for maintaining good health, strength and energy. On the contrary, it is very harmful to health. It causes many diseases like tapeworm, albuminuria and other kidney diseases. Killing animals for food is a great sin. Instead of killing selfishly and thinking of 'I', ignorant people kill innocent animals under the pretense of being sacrificed to the goddess, but in reality, this is to sweeten their tongue or palate. What a horrible and heinous crime is being committed in the name of God and religion! Ahimsa (non-injury) is the first virtue a spiritual aspirant should strive to acquire. You should have respect for life. Our Lord Jesus said: 'Blessed are those who show mercy, because they will be shown mercy.' Mahavira shouted with a trumpet voice: "Shoot every living thing like him, do no harm to anyone. The law of karma is irrevocable, irreversible and irreversible. The pain you inflict on others will return to you and the happiness you experience will return to you, adding to your happiness. He who knows this Law will not harm anyone. Eating meat and drinking too much alcohol are closely related. Alcoholism causes death when the body is removed. The issue of birth control is even stronger when it comes to carnivores. For them, invisible control is impossible. Notice how the tiger and cow or elephant living on the grass are polar opposites! One is wild and terrible; the other is gentle and peaceful. Meat has a direct effect on different parts of the brain. The first and most important step in spiritual progress as an aspirant is to flesh. The light of God will not descend if the flesh is satisfied. In give up a society that eats meat, the incidence of cancer is very high. Vegetarians 242
maintain good health into old age. Even in the West, doctors in hospitals put their patients on a plant-based diet. They recover quickly. It is encouraging that, at least in some European countries, vegetarian restaurants have a surprising number, and it is not an exaggeration to expect that, in a decade or two, Westerners will become a different species. Of the people and their food, their clothes, their habits, their habits and their culture. Pythagoras seems to bewail when he says: "Beware, o mortals, of defiling your bodies with sinful food. There are cereals, there are fruits bending their branches down by their weight, and luxurious grapes on the vines. There are sweet vegetables and herbs which the life can render palatable and mellow. Now are you denied milk, nor honey, fragrance of the aroma of the thyme flower? The bountiful earth offers you an abundance of pure food and provides for meals obtainable without slaughter and bloodshed." Fasting is prohibited for those who practice yoga because it creates weakness. But soft fat is sometimes very useful. They will improve the system, give rest to the stomach and intestines and eliminate uric acid. Yogic students can eat a full meal at eleven o'clock, a glass of warm milk in the morning with half a liter of milk and a small plantain (or part of it or an apple) and the evening has great value. Evening meals should be very light. If the stomach is too big, sleep will occur and since too much sleep spoils the practice of yoga, one cannot make good progress in the path of yoga. Therefore, a diet that contains only milk and fruit is an excellent diet for all workers. Aspirants should avoid all drugs, coffee, tea, alcohol and psychoactive smoke. Our mind is compared to a rebellious horse, and it becomes stronger when we take drugs. You have to control them by not 243
taking drugs. We are all slaves to our mind and emotions in turn are slaves to drugs. If you are truly striving for perfection, mind control and success in yoga, avoid these drugs at all costs. Boil half a cup of milk and cook rice, ghee and sugar. It is called Caru. It is a good food for yoga practitioners. It's for dinner. Half a glass of milk and some nuts will do at night. Try this prescription and tell me the benefits you get in your Sadhana. Milk should not be boiled too much. It should be removed from the heat as soon as the water reaches the boil. Excessive heat destroys all nutrients and vitamins and makes milk unfit for consumption. Milk is a good food for those who want it. It is a complete meal in itself. A fruit diet has a wonderful effect on the body. It is natural food. Fruits are great energy producers. Fruits and milk help in concentration and meditation. Barley, wheat, milk, ghee and honey promote longevity and increase strength and endurance. Fruit juice and water in which candy sugar is dissolved is a good drink. Butter mixed with rock sugar and almonds soaked in water overnight will also freeze the process. Most of all don't worry too much about your diet. You don't need to tell anyone that you can live on a special diet. These Niyamas (laws) are meant to be observed for your own spiritual progress and you will not get any spiritual benefit from your practice. Nowadays, many people earn money and earn their livelihood by doing some Yoga-Asanas, pranayama or by following a diet of eating only fruits, leaves or roots. These people cannot have true spiritual growth. The purpose of life is self-realization; aspirants should always keep this in mind and do intense Sadhana with enthusiasm and patience. Live a simple and natural life. Take a simple diet that suits your system well. You need to customize your own menu and order. You are the best judge of choosing sattvic foods. When it comes to food and drink, you'll do well to eat and drink like a master. You shouldn't have any 244
cravings for a certain food. You should not be a slave to this or that food. Simple, natural, non-stimulating, stimulating, energizing, non-toxic foods and drinks will calm and clear the mind and help the yoga student practice with fulfilling the purpose of life. TABLE SHOWING SATTVIC, RAJASIC AND TAMASIC ARTICLES OF DIET SATTVIC RAJASIC TAMASIC Cow's milk Fish Beef Cream Eggs Pork Cheese Meat Wine Butter Salt Onions Curd Chillies Garlic Ghee Chutney Sweet fruit Asafoetida Apples Pickles Bananas Grapes Papaya Pomegranates Hot things Tamarind Mustard Sour things Tobacco Rotten things Stale things Unclean things twice cooked things all intoxicants Mangoes Tea all liquors Oranges Coffee all drugs Pears Cocoa Pineapples Ovaltine Guavas White sugar Figs Carrots Vegetables Turnips Cocount Spices 245
Brinjals Potatoes Cabbages Spinanch Tamatoes, Cucumber, Pumpkin, Cauliflower, Lady's finger, Peaches, Alomonds, Pistachios, Raisins, Wheat, Red rice, Unpolished rice, Oatmeal, Dried peas, Dates, Sugar-candy, Green gram, Bengal gram. Green pulse, Groundnut, Cereals, Dried ginger, Myrobalan, Lemon, Honey, Caru.