carrier of the life force called prana and is judged by the quality of its prana and
by the effect it has on our consciousness.
In the words of the Charak Samhita, one of the classic textbooks of ayurveda,
The persons having the sattvic essence are endowed with memory, devotion,
are grateful, learned, pure, courageous, skillful, resolute, free from anxiety,
having well-directed and serious intellect and activities and are engaged in
virtuous acts (CS III-8:110).
Rajasic Foodstuffs
rajasic foods are bitter, sour, salty, pungent, hot and dry. Puri, kachori, pungent
condiments, meat, fish, eggs, sweets, fried bread, curd, brinjal (egg plant),
carrots, urad (black gram), onions, garlic, lemon, masur (red gram), tea, coffee,
betel leaves, tobacco are rajasic articles of food. Meat, fish, eggs, tea, coffee,
cocoa, ovaltine; chillies, tamarind, chutney, pickles, asafetida, mustard, spices;
highly seasoned dishes, foods that are dry and excessively hot, saline, and
pungent; oil, white sugar (commercial sugar), radish, brinjals, ladies' finger,
cucumber, drumstick; articles of wind-producing food, fried things pastry
preparations and sesame seeds fall into the rajasic variety of food. These foods
create sensuality, sexuality, greed, jealousy, anger, delusion, fantasies, egotism
and irreligious feelings.
The rajasic man always plans to prepare various kinds of preparations to satisfy
his palate. The palate remains unsatisfied until the stomach is completely filled
with pungent things and till the tongue is burnt with chillies.These foods cause
distress, misery and disease. The vibration from these come in spurts and
stimulate mental and vital energy for a passionate state of high activity
Tamasic Foodstuffs
tamasic food is stale, dry, bad smelling, distasteful or unpalatable. Foods that
have been processed, canned or frozen are tamasic. Beef, fish, eggs, wine,
garlic, onions and tobacco are tamasic foodstuffs.Beet, pork; all intoxicants such
as wine, liquors, all drugs, ganja, bhang, charas, tobacco, all stimulants, onions,
garlic, stale, rotten, unclean foodstuffs; and half-cooked and twice-cooked
articles. Tamasic food can also be the sattvic food that is eaten after many
hours or days of preparation, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and
food consisting of remnants and untouchable things. These types of food can
cause one to be dull, sleepy and greedy. It increases pessimism, ignorance, lack
of common sense, greed, laziness, criminal tendencies and doubt.
The tamasic man will eat, in the afternoon, food which has been cooked on the
previous day and also will like the food which is half-cooked or burnt. The tamasic
foods vibrations foster on unconscious state and bring about inertia. A conscious being, in
whose nature these different states of existence.