foodand a part of, the highest reality or Brahman. In addition, food forms one
of the five sheaths of the self. In ancient India, food is associated with
life-cycle speculation, as when consumed food, for instance, creates
semen and from that semen a person arises.
Within the context of devotional Hinduism, humans make food offer-
ings to a deity, and these are returned as gracious food leftovers (prasāda)
for human consumption. Food also plays an important role during pil-
grimage and festival occasions. Leaders of devotional religion often use
food as a metaphor to express, for instance, a devotee’s longing for the
nectar of devotion. Or the profuse love between a god and devotee is
expressed by an outpouring of milk, which signifies rasa (literally juice,
sap, liquid) that includes the connotation of flavor or taste. Rasa is not
something added to food to enhance its flavor, but it is rather an essential
ingredient within the food.
Because of the saliva naturally produced by eating, food is intimately
associated with purity regulations, especially for higher caste individuals
in Hinduism. In order to maintain ritual purity, only vegetarian food is
permissible for members of the Brahmin caste. Onions and garlic are
considered strong foods and thus inappropriate for Brahmins; foods that
resemble meat in color like pumpkins, tomatoes, radishes, and carrots are
also forbidden. Distinctions are traditionally made with food between
imperfect (kaccā) and perfect food (pakkā). What makes a food perfect
is whether or not it is cooked with cow products such as butter or milk.
Another distinction is made for Brahmin caste members between meals
whose basis is boiled rice and others consisting of fruits, fried foods,
sweets, and dishes cooked in water. Depending on the context, food in
Hinduism can also be distinguished into subtle/gross, pure/impure, hot/
cold, boiled/fried, human/divine, good/bad, temple/home, and feasting/
fasting.
In northern India, it is possible to encounter the notion of mast (happy,
carefree) as an ideal of personhood, which is associated with food.
Besides drinking marijuana, mast helps a person feel mast (happy)
because food is consumed to nourish both the physical and the emotional
self. Vegetarian food produces, for instance, the moral characteristics of
peacefulness, truthfulness, compassion, kindness, and sympathy, making
food a moral and a material substance that imbues people with its own
moral and material qualities.
It is believed in many religious traditions that an improper diet can
place a person at risk of ill health. An unhealthy person can be restored
to good health by a proper diet that creates the right type of inner balance.
Therefore, it is important to maintain a controlled level of nourishment
in order to promote a healthy body. Gluttony is immoral and upsets a