The awareness is not different from qualities and its source is food

[dattaswami]

The awareness is not different from qualities and its source is food

 

208. Annacharyaabhinnakriyaagunaat gunaabhinnachit shrutaa.

 

Translation: The various qualities are the different activities resulting due to different intensities of inert energy based on the different modes of reactivity of digestion of food. By this analysis, the conversion of food into awareness as said in Veda can be understood. The awareness is not different from qualities.

 

Explanation: Different foods have different speeds of digestion liberating the same inert energy with different intensities. The intensity of inert energy is related to the speed of its special work or awareness. These different speeds of the special work (awareness) are the different qualities of awareness. The work will be in some speed. Without speed, the work cannot exist at all. This means that the awareness cannot exist without the quality. In fact, awareness is only a bundle of qualities. There is no race (Jaati) apart from its individual items. There is no humanity apart from human beings. Humanity means the single word embracing all the human beings and is not an individual entity apart from its items. Similarly, awareness is the bundle of various qualities. If you remove all the qualities, awareness does not exist at all. If you remove all the human beings, there is no existence of humanity at all. This bundle of all qualities is responsible for doing any work related to awareness. Works like reading, talking, seeing etc., are done by their corresponding qualities only. Hence, a specific quality is a specific sub-style of bundle of the specific styles of works. Awareness is a specific style of work of inert energy in the nervous system. This specific style of work is sub-divided into various sub-styles and these sub-styles are called as qualities. There is no separate awareness that can exist beyond qualities. The specific style does not exist separately from its components, which are specific sub-styles. Thus, awareness becomes abstract as a race (Jaati), when it is separated from its individual components. All these qualities are again grouped into three ranges, which are called as sattvam, Rajas and Tamas. The mild intensity of the inert energy creating less activity due to improper digestion of certain foods is called as Tamas. Thus, the food prepared long back causes improper digestion leading to less intensity of inert energy resulting in less activity and is the food of Tamas (Yaatayaamam…Gita). Similarly foods causing intensive stimulation generating more enzymes causing more digestion resulting in high intensity of inert energy and its corresponding rapid activity are foods of Rajas. Foods which are balanced between these two are foods of Sattvam resulting in balance of activity and peace. Thus, the inert food, through the speed of digestion and influence of reactivity influence the intensities of inert energy resulting in various trends of activity becomes responsible in generating various qualities. Certain foods like masaala generate specific hormones, which are responsible for the quality of desire and sex (Kama guna). Thus, all the qualities are only the effects of various chemical reactions taking place with different rates. The inertness of the food and the awareness of quality loose their difference in this way. The link between inert energy and awareness can be understood through the analysis of the link between these two called as quality. By this we can understand the conversion of inert food into awareness as said by Veda (Annatpurushah…).