Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
In the recent offering titled "Secret of Good Health", we heard from our beloved spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Maharaj about the benefits of natural medicine and Vedic cooking. Maharaj's words are very informative and it is really and eye-opener. In this offering I would like to share some more words of Maharaj on Vedic cooking.
Srimad Bhagavatam says that our medicine must be our food and our food must be the medicine. Great Rishi Charak mentioned in his Charak Samhita that any food cooked without air and sun light is poison. But now in modern days most of the vessels are made of steel and we cook the food without exposure to sun-light. The body does not need aluminum. And aluminum is neither innocent nor benign participant. Aluminum accumulates in the kidneys, brain, lungs, liver and thyroid where it competes with calcium for absorption and can affect skeletal mineralization. Aluminum is an attacker and its target is our central nervous system. Other hand Silver is non toxic and exhibits low toxicity in the human body. Aluminium plates were introduced in India by British to serve food to jail mates so that due to effect they will die early but in due course of time aluminum pots came to poor and now in every house. Refrigerators were first introduced in Canada to preserve medicine for soldiers at specific temperature, to get rid of extreme climate. But now we are using refrigerator for keeping food which is fully hazardous and difficult to digest.
Maharaj said that clay pots are best for cooking. Maharaj always use to tell us that we should stop cooking in aluminium pots and refrain from using refridgerator and microwave. He used to advise that instead of that we can invest little money and buy clat pots for cooking some silver plates to eat. Being an acharya Maharaj practised what he preached. He used earthen vessels for his cooking and silver plate to take prasadam. He was also appreciative of the way food is served in banana leaves in the South. He said that all these natural ways are very simple and have a nice impact on our health. Even till date, Sri Sri Jagannathaji prasadam in Puri is prepared and offered in mud pots only. Our ancestors lived a long healthy life as their life-style, cooking etc all were Vedic. Diseases related to heart, cancer, blood-pressure, diabetes, infertility, insomnia were all unknown in their times because they led a simple and natural life style. But unfortunately since we have completely ignored Vedic cooking and life-style, we find large portion of the world's population is suffering from these ailments.
Maharaj was also not appreciative of the standing kitchen style being adopted these days. He said that standing kitchen is a real punishment. He used to recollect how his mother, grandmother used to sit and cook, and how lovingly they used to serve hot prasadam. He said that this intimacy is not possible in standing kitchen. Maharaj's words are indeed true. When we have to stand for longer hours and cook, naturally we feel tired and irritated and disturbed. And in that mood, we would neither be able to cook joyfully nor serve them to others with love. In Srimad Bhagavad Gita verse 15.14 Lord Krishna states.
aham vaishvaanaro bhutvaa / praninaam deham aashritah
pranaapaana-samaayuktah / pacaamy annam catur-vidham
"I am the fire of digestion in every living body, and I am the air of life, outgoing and incoming, by which I digest the four kinds of foodstuff."
Being Krishna conscious and keeping our self-healthy is our prime duty to cooperate with Lord's instruction as He is the digestive force for all four kinds of foodstuff. When cooking is Vedic, then there won't be indigestion because all the diseases, come mainly from undigested food. Though longevity is not our goal, we should ensure to do the bare minimum things necessary to keep our body fit, so that we are able to render proper service to Guru and Krishna in this life time. By embracing artificial standards of life, we are inviting more trouble in our already troublesome life. Srila Prabhupada in his wonderful purport to verse 1.1.10 says, "Overeating, over-sense gratification, over-dependence on another's mercy, and artificial standards of living sap the very vitality of human energy". So let us lead a simple life.
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