04-18-2007, 04:54 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Some added questions: did you pour/sprinkle water around the leaf? Put a few morsels of rice on the right side OUTSIDE the leaf?
If you did, answer (from traditions I come from, same state as your SV, just on costal side): water around leaf prevented ants and insects from coming into you leaf; the few morsels were put out there so the ants didn't go back hungry. Such concerns for little creatures while keeping hygeine in mind speak volumes. Similar traditions exists in other cultures?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Hello Viren,
Food is sacred to hindus and we eat it with a prasada attitude (buddi); ie all food we eat is actually a divine gift, and it is to be shared and eaten joyously.
Water is holy in Hinduism and is used to purify all manner of things (arre thoda jal dena bhai, comes to mind in between shloka recitations), so we purify our meal by sprinkling water around the leaf (or thali). I am not sure this has much to do with ants or insects, meals usually are not to be had in such conditions. At any rate, the volume of water, the skill necessary to deliver it and maintain the water-shield's spatial coherence and temporal persistence is really hard. May be it is just easier to clean up the place before eating. Cleaning up the kitchen, utensils [before every meal and after], hands [before cooking and eating], and the place where you eat is absulimo essential per cooking hygine and this is acknowledged in various scriptures.
We offer morsels of food as acknowledgements of Deva, pitru, rishi, manushya and bhuta runas that we carry within us. Then we say
Om Pranaya swaha, (respiratory -- you have to breathe to eat)
Om Apanaya swaha, (you must be able to get it out)
Om Vyanaya swaha, (you must have circulation)
Om Udanaya swaha (purgatory hold)
Om Samanaya swaha, (disgetion needed!)
Om Brahmane swahaaaa! (thank you brahmana the supreme being in me, and all)
(you may add your favorite goddess/god forms of brahmana, and aspiring or confirmed devas --such as your teacher or cricket coach-- to this list).
And eat the food as it were a prasadam from God, for it all is His and comes to us from Him. Bon Apetit!
(Of course, there will be variations, all interpretations of truth are acceptable!)
Sweets are to be had in the begining because they are good for apetite (digestion?). Some interpretations of Ayurveda will have you start with something sour, but largely it has come to mean "sweets", which is actually a rather broad representation of foods. Sweets are a way to arouse the fire in you, whereas water (dominated) foods are to restore calmness in you. These two are not to be had side-by-side!
Don't start your meal with a big fat glass of water, don't let it interfere as you go around the thali devouring the delicious meal on yout plate, but do end it with water, lest the system remain perpetually active in the "ah, ah, ah" or "wah, wah, wah" mode (say). Of course there are variations and other interpretations of truth are welcome. And of course, there are exceptions, say if your digestive system has gone bonkers or there is some other health problem; refer to the appropriate action in the Ayurveda manual <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
As to organization of food; there is some knowledge about serving in clockwise direction, eating with right hand, and the geometry of it all that makes food go where it is. Will have to ask my pundit and get back!
This is what I know. Corrections please?
If you did, answer (from traditions I come from, same state as your SV, just on costal side): water around leaf prevented ants and insects from coming into you leaf; the few morsels were put out there so the ants didn't go back hungry. Such concerns for little creatures while keeping hygeine in mind speak volumes. Similar traditions exists in other cultures?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Hello Viren,
Food is sacred to hindus and we eat it with a prasada attitude (buddi); ie all food we eat is actually a divine gift, and it is to be shared and eaten joyously.
Water is holy in Hinduism and is used to purify all manner of things (arre thoda jal dena bhai, comes to mind in between shloka recitations), so we purify our meal by sprinkling water around the leaf (or thali). I am not sure this has much to do with ants or insects, meals usually are not to be had in such conditions. At any rate, the volume of water, the skill necessary to deliver it and maintain the water-shield's spatial coherence and temporal persistence is really hard. May be it is just easier to clean up the place before eating. Cleaning up the kitchen, utensils [before every meal and after], hands [before cooking and eating], and the place where you eat is absulimo essential per cooking hygine and this is acknowledged in various scriptures.
We offer morsels of food as acknowledgements of Deva, pitru, rishi, manushya and bhuta runas that we carry within us. Then we say
Om Pranaya swaha, (respiratory -- you have to breathe to eat)
Om Apanaya swaha, (you must be able to get it out)
Om Vyanaya swaha, (you must have circulation)
Om Udanaya swaha (purgatory hold)
Om Samanaya swaha, (disgetion needed!)
Om Brahmane swahaaaa! (thank you brahmana the supreme being in me, and all)
(you may add your favorite goddess/god forms of brahmana, and aspiring or confirmed devas --such as your teacher or cricket coach-- to this list).
And eat the food as it were a prasadam from God, for it all is His and comes to us from Him. Bon Apetit!
(Of course, there will be variations, all interpretations of truth are acceptable!)
Sweets are to be had in the begining because they are good for apetite (digestion?). Some interpretations of Ayurveda will have you start with something sour, but largely it has come to mean "sweets", which is actually a rather broad representation of foods. Sweets are a way to arouse the fire in you, whereas water (dominated) foods are to restore calmness in you. These two are not to be had side-by-side!
Don't start your meal with a big fat glass of water, don't let it interfere as you go around the thali devouring the delicious meal on yout plate, but do end it with water, lest the system remain perpetually active in the "ah, ah, ah" or "wah, wah, wah" mode (say). Of course there are variations and other interpretations of truth are welcome. And of course, there are exceptions, say if your digestive system has gone bonkers or there is some other health problem; refer to the appropriate action in the Ayurveda manual <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> As to organization of food; there is some knowledge about serving in clockwise direction, eating with right hand, and the geometry of it all that makes food go where it is. Will have to ask my pundit and get back!
This is what I know. Corrections please?