8. Food and Diet (in Ayurveda and Manasollasa)

We know already that diet or food for satisfying hunger is one of the biological needs of all the living beings in the world. To whatever category one may belong to, the plant, the animal and the human being require food for growth and to sustain themselves. We will confine ourselves to the food of the human beings as advocated in Ayurveda not only for the growth but also to sustain the health. The principle is more to prevent diseases than to cure them. Three things are important in medical science, medicine (ausadha), diet (anna) and activity (vihara) to keep the normalcy of the body and mind, ultimately to bring comfort. In Manasollasa, in Annabhoga chapter, we see the names of many famous articles of food and the directions as to the preparations of various dishes. In modern science, food articles are primarily classified depending upon their chemical composition, namely, carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, etc. In Ayurveda, such classification is based on the biological action of the food articles and their rasa (taste). For example, all varieties of rice may be treated as of one group on the basis of their carbohydrate content. But Ayurveda considers that freshly harvested rice is heavy for digestion. It aggravates kapha. If used continuously, it is considered to produce many complications. But old rice is useful for an

243 average person. The freshly harvested rice produces more fat in the body than the old rice. Thus, for an emaciated individual having good digestive power, freshly harvested rice is nutritious, whereas for a fat person, even without good digestive power, old rice is nutritious. Manasollasa says that rice is to be divided into eight varieties. i.e., raktasalirmahasalirgandhasalih kalingakah | mundasalih salih suksmasalih sasasthikah || 3.13.1346 Botanically all of them belong to the same genus and species. The botanical name is Oryza sativa Linn. But, according to Ayurveda, there is a great difference in their nutritive value. There are many other types of food ingredients which chemically contain starch. But they are considered to produce a depletive effect on the human body. For example, koradusa (Paspalum scrobiculatum) type of corn produces depletive effect and reduces fat of the body expeditiously. Pulses contain mostly protein. But, according to Ayurveda, some of them like masa (Phascolus radiatus Linn.) is heavy for digestion and it produces more fat in the body whereas mudga (Phaseolus mungo Linn.) is considered to be light for digestion and it reduces fat in the body. kulattha (Dolichos biflorus Linn.), on the other hand, is exceedingly nutritious. Ayurveda lays a great deal of emphasis upon proper diet for the treatment of patients. For each and every disease, wholesome and unwholesome food ingredients have been described. Classification of Ingredients of Food & Drinks In Ayurveda, ingredients used for food and drinks have been classified into 12 groups as below: 1. Sukadhanya (corns with bristles) 2. Samidhanya (pulses) 3. Mamsa (Meat) 4. Saka (vegetables) 5. Phala (fruits) 6. Harita (salads)

244 7. Madya (wines) 8. Ambu (water) 9. Gorasa (milk and milk products) 10. Iksuvikara (products of sugar cane) 11. Krtanna (prepared food articles) 12. Aharayogin (accessary food articles). Ayurveda advocates both vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets not only for svastha or healthy person, but also for unhealthy persons. There is a word in Ayurvedic literature which is satmiyata and that means the one for which the individual is acclimatised or used to, be it medicine or diet. The uncongenial food will not help the growth of a person. Moreover, diet of an individual depends on the availability of food in the region. And people in that region by experience find out what is wholesome and good for growth and what is injurious and prevents growth. By tradition and custom based on the experience of the forefathers, dietary regulations have been adopted by successive generations of people in that climatic condition and as the food is a question of survival of species in that region, the question of vegetarian and non-vegetarian does not count. In ancient India, the literature says that non-vegetarian food was served even by Rsis and others. In medicine, as far as Ayurveda is concerned, there is no place either for sentimentality or emotional involvement. That is why the characteristics of every known animal food are described and the reaction caused by them when taken in both in health and ill-health are discribed. In Astanga Hrdaya of Vagbhata, there is a chapter called Anna svarupavijnaniya, the dietetics. In that chapter, the names, quality and characteristics of varieties of cereals (sali sastika), millets - (trna dhanya), pulses (simbi dhanya) are described. In the same way there is mamsa varga or non-vegetarian diet in which eleven different kinds of non-vegetarian food item are described. And in each class, different animals, birds, reptiles and marine products are described. Even the flesh of carnivorous animals is advocated. In Manasollasa while describing non-vegetarian preparations the method of removing the hair of a wild bear is given as follows:

245 pancangapattvadvesya vartibaddhojjvalavapa | anguladvayamanena khandamstasyah prakalpayet || ( 3. 13.1499) The animal should first be covered with a white piece of cloth. Boiling water should then be poured on the body of the boar with the help of a Gandaka (a vessel used for taking water from big earthen pot) with a handle slowly till the hair are so shaken from the roots that they can be easily removed by hands. The remainder may then be removed with. the help of a pair of scissors. Another method of removing the hair from the body is to besmear it with mud and burn the skin with fire made of grass while treating of the preparation of cs of qu Some of the animals and birds could not be identified as the descriptions are so vast. Having described the characteristics of all the non-vegetarian and vegetarian food items, descriptions are also found, in Manasollasa as to which of the animals' or birds' flesh or marine product is good for health and in which seasons they have to be consumed. Then, there is the description of vegetables sakavarga, where vegetables like brinjals, pumpkins, etc., and also various leafy vegetables are described. Their use in health and how they can be used in ill-health are explained. Having classified the different articles which go as dietery articles, now the question is, how Ayurveda found the utility of them in various conditions. We know that in those ancient times, there were no laboratories to analyse and find out the contents in them or the technique of experiments concerned with animals. They were able to describe the qualities of the food and how the body utilises them to build up the various tissues of the body, they should have had a methodology. They classified the substances according to their tastes-rasas. They have said that for the growth of the body one is better than the other, in the reverse order. So the article with astringent taste makes a person shed weight

246 and strength. Then the characteristic of the article is described from the standpoint of easy digestion. 39 They use the word guna for this. An article having guruguna takes longer time to get digested than that which is easily digested-laghu. "Anna" prepared of rice is quickly digested but "Anna" prepared from Sorghum (rava of jawar) takes longer time for digestion. This heavy (guru) and (laghu) light, should not be confused with its atomic weight but understood only from the standpoint of digestion. The third point is virya or potency. There are only two activities in the body - one is anabolic (constructive) which builds up and another is ketabolic (destructive). The diet articles which possess sita virya, are generally of anabolic nature i.e., they aid the growth of a person and the other usna virya mars the growth of an individual. All articles described come under these two categories. The fourth point is vipaka.40 Vipaka means metabolism, Visesapaka. A substance that is taken in, gets digested in the gastro - intestinal tract which is called avasthapaka - the different digestion that takes place from the mouth, stomach and small intestines. This is done by the jatharagni or the various digestive fluids and enzymes that are secreted in the gastro-intestinal tract. There, when it becomes chyle and in Ayurvedic language anna rasa, it enters into the circulation to build up various tissues from blood to semen. This is done by the combined effort of the bhutagni and dhatvagni. In modern parlance, one can say that these are the biochemical changes brought on by the various enzymes. Ayurveda describes sapta-dhatus seven elements namely, rasa, rakta, mamsa, medas, asthi, majja and sukta. Each one of these tissues or dhatus has got digestive agents and from the digested food materials that is circulating in the body, the dhatvagnis or 39. gurunam ardhasauhityam laghunam natitrptata | (a.hr . 1.8.2) 40. jatharenagnina yogadyadudeti rasantaram | rasanam parinamante sa vipaka iti smrtah || (a.hr . 1.9.20)

247 the digestive agents absorb and convert it to their needs. That is to say, from the food materials the blood takes its own materials which will replenish its wastage and the muscles will take what is needed, etc. Even before this happens, there are five bhutagnis which disintegrate the materials in the intestines and continue the process to the tissues also. So, if the diet article is taken, its metabolism or dhatu parinama is done by 13 agnis or digestive agents. This is called nista paka - the ultimate absorption of the food. We start with avastha paka in the gastrointestinal tract and end with nista paka, ultimate absorption of the food. If any one of these thirteen agnis is defective, then the food is not utilised for the growth and maintenance of the body. Ayurveda plans the food requirement of a person not only after he is born, but also during the embryonic growth. Susruta Samhita, describes the regimen for pregnant women, advising what food they should take and what should be their mental and emotional attitudes for the proper growth of the foetus. One peculiarity in this is that Susruta advocates different items of food from month to month depending perhaps on the growth of various organs and parts of the foetus. From the fourth month, the garbhini or pregnant woman is called dauhrdi, which means one who has two hearts, hers and that of the foetus. From that month onwards she has yearnings for various things. This is called dauhrdam. From the fifth month onwards the intelligence of the foetus develops and so more of milk and ghee in diet is advocated. After delivery and during the period of lactation, to increase the breast milk, certain diets are given - garlic, fish, drumstick leaves and fruits, unfermented toddy, etc. The childhood is divided into three stages, ksirasi, the child that depends on milk only, ksira-annasi which depends on prepared food. If mother's milk is not available or is insufficient, either cow's milk or goat's milk diluting it to suit the age of the child is given. Along with milk, if solid food is to be given, the grains are fried, powered, cooked and given (saktu).

248 One of the important contributions of Ayurvedic dietetics is recommendation of the food according to the various seasons. 41 The year is divided into six seasons. According to the seasonal changes, the requirement of food differs and the variation in the quality of the food also changes. For example, in cold season and rainy season one should have more of the food articles which are sweet, sour and saltish; in Vasanta, pungent, astringent and bitter food; in summer, more of sweet things; in October-November Saratkala sweet and bitter and astringent food. In the same way, the fat content of the food also differs from season to season. The idea is that, vata, pitta and kapha, the dosas that maintain the body, get changed by the seasonal variation and to bring them to normalcy, the variation of the food becomes necessary. - During the middle period of one's life there is not much change in the diet. That is to say, from the age of twenty to fifty, one has to take whatever his requirement is, both for satisfaction and maintenance of health. For vegetarians milk of cows and ghee are particularly recommended. dugdhavatan ghrtapakvasca sitaya ca vimisritan | 3.13.1387. While describing the quality of milk, it is mentioned that it prolongs life and wards off symptoms of senility. In describing the quality of ghee, it is mentioned that it increases the memory power, intelligence, strength of the body, longevity of life and strengthens the eye-sight. dhismrtimedhayurbalayuhsukracaksusam | (astangahr ). It is said that if properly used milk can do good to the body. Buttermilk is recommended more than the curds. cuseta majjikam pascaddadhi cadyattato dhanam | 3.13.1596. Even if curd is taken, it should be taken with honey, green gram, soup, etc. And two important 41. site varsasu cadyamstrin vasante'ntyan rasanbhajet | svadum nidaghe saradi svadutiktakasayakan || saradvasantayo ruksam sitam gharmaghanantayoh | annapanam samasena viparitamato'nyada | nityam sarvarasabhyasah svasvadhikyamrtavrtau || (a.hr . 1.3.46-47 )

249 vegetables that are recommended for every day use are Haritaki and Amalaki. (Terminalia Chebula and Emblica officinalis). Both of them are good for digestion, increase intelligence and memory power and ward off symptoms of old age. Both of them can be used in raw form or in dry form. It is better to use Amalaki in raw form and Haritaki in dry form. Whatever may be the quality of the food items recommended in the Manasollasa, their use depends largely on tradition and custom. Apart from the economic condition of the people who use the food, social approval also is necessary. A man consists not only of the body but also of the mind and soul. These are the tripods on which man exists. So the intention of the dietery programme is to build the body without disturbing the qualities of the mind. We need not consider the soul for the present. The food one takes in, is capable of influencing the mind also. Manasollasa advises to sip water very often during meals. This, the author thinks, adds taste to the food and helps digestion. Somesvara's rule regarding the drinking of water is rather peculiar. He recommends that whenever the king is thirsty, he should drink water and should never think of time and circumstances, that is to say, whether it is morning or mid-night or whether he is with a full or an empty stomach. In this respect King Somesvara recommends that the rules of medical science may be violated.42 Therefore, food is divided under satvic, rajasic and tamasic food. Satva, rajas and tamas are the qualities of the mind and vata, pitta and kapha are the qualities of the body. The choice of food articles should be 42. pipasayam ca jatayam svecchaya piyate jalam | niyamo natra kalasya trsavego na dharyate | | 3.14.1603 cf : pibedghatasahasram tu yavannastamito ravih | astangate divanathe bindureko ghatapate | | Manasollasa, Gaekwad's Oriental Series No. 84, Int.p.23

250 according to the avocations of the person. It is to be decided whether one chooses non-competitive avocation or competitive profession. For the former one should use sattvic food and for the latter preference is for rajasic food. The Taittiriya Upanisad (II.2) has aptly emphasised the importance of food. Everything that rests on this earth, moveable or immovable, is produced from food. Then they live by food. Food is the eldest born among the beings. Therefore it is the medicament for all, for normal maintenance of physical and mental health and also for restoration of health after diseases.