CHINNA KATHA

WE THINK WHAT WE EAT

There lived in Mallur, in the state of Karnataka, a pious Brahmin who was a great scholar.  He had an equally devout wife. Always intent on worship, recitation and meditation, this noble man was known far and wide for his virtuous character.

One day, a sanyasi (renunciant) called Nityananda came to his door seeking alms, this made the Brahmin extremely happy. After giving him whatever he could that day, he invited the monk to come the next day too to have dinner with him as he was keen to honour the ascetic with due hospitality.

So the next morning he hung green festoons over his doors and made elaborate arrangements to welcome the holy man. But, at the eleventh hour, physical impurity rendered his wife unfit to prepare food for the honored guest or for anyone else.

At this moment, a neighbour volunteered to cook the meal and so she was brought in and introduced into the kitchen. Everything went off well and all were as happy as they could be under the circumstances. However, there was one issue which bothered the saint greatly; for some unknown reason during his meal he was drawn by an overpowering desire to steal the silver cup which the host had placed near the plate.

In spite of his best efforts, the evil idea won him over. The sanyasi was at rest only after he clandestinely hid the cup in the folds of his robe as he casually conversed with the Brahmin over the dinner. And after the meal he hurriedly returned to his dwelling lest somebody discovers his act.

But that night the mendicant could not get a wink of sleep; his conscience pricked him constantly. He felt he had brought disgrace to his Guru as well as to the ancient enlightened sages whom he invoked by the mantras he recited. 

He could not manage a second of rest until he ran back into the Brahmin’s house the next morning. Once there, he fell at the feet of the noble host and submitted the stolen article with tears of repentance trickling down his cheeks.

Everyone wondered how such a good man could stoop so low. Then someone suggested it might be that the person who cooked the food transmitted this fault to him through the food she prepared. And when they examined the history of the neighbour, they found she was infact an irrepressible thief!

The tendency to steal had, by subtle contact, indeed affected the food she prepared. This is the reason why spiritual aspirants are advised to live only on fruits and tubers, when they reach a certain stage of spiritual achievement.

To purify the mind and the intellect for the correct reflection of the truth, the first caution is regarding the food one intakes. And this is no trivial matter when it comes to progressing on the spiritual path.

- Baba

Illustrations: Mrs. Vidya, Kuwait