KINGDOM OF SITHTHARS

As in this series of ‘ancient Tamils and food habits’, so far we have seen about food histories, features, tastes and characteristics and its effect on human beings. However, Siththars gave us the details about: how to take food? when to have food? what are all the foods to be taken? how to treat food as medicine and medicine as food?

Our ancestors strictly followed all the above food habits in their day to day life till the foreign incursion. 

Nowadays with the idea of globalization, it is really distressing that we almost forgot all our rooted habits. In this account, I would like to share some of those forgotten conventions in the upcoming posts. Hence, in today’s post, we will see about the how many time we have to intake food on average per day? And also about the time period for food intake..

Siththar Theraaiyar quoted that two meals per day is highly sufficient. His quote is taken from “Pathaartha Kuna Sinthaamani” which is as follows:

தன்மமி ரண்டேயூண் டப்பிமுக்காற் கொள்ளினினன்

thanmami randaeyoon dappimukkaar kollininan

சின்மதலை காளைகடல் சேர்பருவ-தன்மூகுர்த்த

sinmathalai kaalaikadal saerparuva-thanmookurththa

மொன்றுக்கு ணானகுக்கு ளோதுமிரண் டுக்குளுண்பர்

montrukku naanakukku loathumiran dukkulunpar

நன்றுக்குத் தீயோர் நயந்து

nanrukkuth theeyoar nayanthu

Intake of food in two time slot is generally good for health. In addition to this, if anyone wants to have another meals would start their first meal on a day within 1½ hour from sunrise, Then, the second meal within 6 hour from sunrise and final/third meal within 3 hour from sunset time.  Violating this food habit is generally bad for health.

மூன்றுநான் காறெண்மு கூர்த்தங் களின்முறையே

moonrunaan kaarenmu koorththang kalinmuraiyae

ஞான்றுளுண்ணு மந்த நறுமுணவே-தோன்றுடலுக்

njaanrulunnu mantha narumunavae –thoanrudaluk

கொக்குமித நோயரமு ரோகமுயிர்க் கந்தரஞ்செய்

kokkumitha noayaramu roakamuyirk kantharanjei

விக்குமித மாராய்ந்து விள்

vikkumitha maraainthu vil

Food will cause slight disease if taken within 4 hours from sunrise. If food taken after 6 hours from sunrise, it will cause diseases. If food taken after 3 hours from sunset, it will lead to deadly diseases.

The above noted view of Siththar Theraiyar should be taken under technical research. However, our ancestors followed the above food habits and lived a healthy life.

Let us see about, how to eat food in upcoming post.

Original – www.siththarkal.com

Translated by Lalithambika Rajasekaran

We inferred from our ancestors that, the intaen food of a person solely determines that person’s character. Hence, three different characters are correlated to three types of foods and we have already seen the first two in previous posts. In that series, we are going to see about thamasa food in today’s post.

Let us first see about what is thamasa food? And its characteristics as follows:

Uncontrolled anger, uncontrolled lust, more sleep, vigorous idiocy, instability are the inherent characteristics of thamasa food intakers.

People with the above characteristics are arrogant, madly short tempered, cannot think and judge equally and mostly they will be slave to senses and do silly crimes.

Even our modern science, after various researches accept the fact that the foods plays major role in one’s character and behavior. From the list of foods distinguished under three types, we perceive the type we intaken so far and the character  it imbibes in us, which might lead to personal character upgradation. 

Following are the list of food products characterized under thamasa:

1. Onion

2. White Garlic

3. Drumstick leaf

4. Pasalai leaf

5. Kalavai keerai

6. Aarai keerai

7. Siru keerai

8. Potato

9. Peruvalli kizhangu

10. Radish

11. Siruvalli kizhangu

12. Maravalli kizhangu

13. Drumstick

14. Peerkkai

15. Sword bean

16. Mochai

17. Bottle guard

18. Avarai (a type of bean)

19. Horse gram

20. Red cholam

21. Black cholam

22. Green peas

23. Black-eyed peas

24. Kambu (Pearl millet)

25.Varaku (Kodo millet)

26. Raagi (Finger millet)

27. Boiled rice

28. Brinjal

29. Drumstick flower

30. Eechavellam (Jaggery from Phnix dactoeylifera)

31. Panaivellam (Jaggery from Palmyra)

32. Palmyra candy

33. Kal types (liquour from coconut, palm like trees)

34. Unripen palm fruit

35. Castor oil

36. Paruppu keerai (Chenopodium album)

37. Pulicha keerai (Hibiscus cannabinus)

38. Kaasini keerai

39. Palm fruit

40. Custard apple

41. Pannaik keerai

42. Cashew fruit

43. Buffalo milk

44. Buffalo curd

45. Buffalo butter

46. Buffalo ghee

Till now, we have seen about the ancient Tamilians food habits, types of foods and its character imbibing qualities.

In future, we will see about how to intake these foods and also about its merits and demerits according to Siththar’s view.

Stay tuned!!

Original – www.siththarkal.com

Translated by Lalithambika Rajasekaran

Our ancestors distinguished the food into three types based on their characteristics. Among the three, we have already seen the first type (satvika food) in previous post. On continuation, we are going to see about rajo food types.

Rajo food will imbibe following list of characteristics on continual intake. The characteristics expected are; briskness, vigour, physical strength, self fanaticism, over confidence, brute force, lust, jealous, anger, psychological outburst, temporal instability, dynamic, enthusiastic and also have a feel of accomplishing any task.

Moreover, the people and society with zeal, supremacy and with aim of achieving something were having this rajo mentality.

Alright!! What are all the foods belong to this rajo group?

Our ancestors differentiated it very well.

Rajo foods:

1. Green chillies

2. Oosi Milakaai (Needle chillies)

3. Unripe lemon

4. Riped lemon

5. Tamarind

6. Fig fruit

7. Aavaram flower

8. Banana flower

9. Aru keerai

10. Red pumpkin leaf

11. Pudhina (Mint)

12. Paara vetrilai (Beetle leaf)

13. Maahali kizhangu

14. Kaara karunai kizhangu

15. Kotti kizhangu

16. Karunai kizhangu

17. Lotus rhizome

18. Siru kizhangu

19. Kalippaakku

20. Mustard oil

21. Milk from buck (vellaadu)

22. Curd from buck

23. Oil from buck

24. Ghee from buck

25. Omum

26. Poppy seed

27. Mixed ghee

28. White pumbkin

29. Red pumpkin

30. Pig snake guard

31. Ladys finger

32.  Snake guard

33. Black cumin

34. Kaattu seeragam

35. Pirappu seeragam

36. Cloves

37. Lavanga pattai

38. Appalak kaaram

39.  Table salt

40. Tamarind

41. Chillies

42. Naai kaduku (A type of mustard seed)

43. Red mustard

44. Small mustard 

45. White mustard

46. Coriander seed

47. Curcuma aromatica

48. Musk

49. Turmeric

50. Cashew nuts

51. Manila

52. Sagital

53. Red gram

54. Pineapple

55. Pomegranate

56. Komati maadhulai (A type of pomegranate)

57. All other food with the feel of hot or alkaline taste in tongue comes under this rajo food category.

All these above listed foods imbibe briskness and acuteness on inhaling persons which provoke and control the feelings of earthly peoples.

Well!! We can see about thamasa foods in upcoming posts.

Original – www.siththarkal.com

Translated by Lalithambika Rajasekaran

Food is highly essential to live. The type of food intaken also determines the character of humans. This character is reflecting in our thoughts, intellect and actions and altogether combinely reflects the living strategy, culture and tradition of human community.

In previous post, we so far discussed that our ancestors distinguished food into  3 types based on their basic character. In this regard, let us see about the satvika food type in this series.

As we all well aware of proverb, ‘too much of anything is good for nothing’.

If the quality, taste and quantity of food are in balance and mediocre, then we can say that food as sathvika food. This food is the basis for giving following good characters in human; serenity, ahimsa (not disturbing other life), being true, austerity, devotion, grace, forgiveness, satisfaction, discipline, not being robber, no back bitting, poise and being happy always. We humans used to get these above characters on eating this satvika type food regularly.

Siththars, yogis, saints, and meditation practitioners used to guide human to intake this type of food.

Food from animals:

1. Pure milk from cow

2. Pure curd from cow

3. Pure butter from cow

4. Pure ghee from cow.

Oil types:

5. Sesame oil

6. Illupai oil (Oil of Bassia longifolia)

7. Coconut oil

8. Pure honey

Crop types:

9. Raw date

10. Date fruit

11. Almond seed

12. Dried coconut

13. Raw edible camphor

14. Saffron flower (Pure)

15. Nutmeg

16. Mace

17. Grapes

18. Aelarisi (type of rice)

19. Sugar-candy

20. Raw brown sugar

21. Jaggery

22. Dried ginger

23. Pepper

24. Long pepper

25. Fenugreek seed

26. Sesame seed

27. Black gram

28. Rice flake

29. Puffed rice

30. Green gram

31. Millets

32. Ginger

33. Tail pepper

34. White pepper

35. Cumin seeds

36. Wheat

37. Barley

38. Raw rice

39. Seeraka samba (edible rice variety)

40. Milaku samba (edible rice variety)

41. Kaar arisi (edible rice variety)

42. Kunrimani samba (edible rice variety)

Vegetables and fruits:

1. Banana fruit (in banana, poovan variety alone is considered to be very good)

2. Monthan banana

3. Pachchai naadan banana

4. Paeyan banana

5. Rasthaali banana

6. Sevvaazhai banana

7. Ven vaazhai banana

8. Malai vaazhai banana  

9. Navarai vaazhai banana

10. Adukku vaazhai banana 

11. Karu vaazhai banana

12. Coleus aromaticos 

13. Tender coconut

14. Rose water

15. Thaalam neer

16. Lotus water

17. Mango (full of nutrients)

18. Guava fruit

19. Jaathi naarthai fruit (variety of citrus)

20. Kozhinji naarthai fruit

21. Kichili fruit 

22. Naartham fruit

23. Black plum

24. Jack fruit

25. Mulai keerai (type of spinach)

26. Manaththakkaali keerai (Black night shade greens)

27. Ponnaam kanni keerai (Alternanthera sessilis)

28. Corainder leafs

29. Fenugreek leafs

30. Chakravarthy keerai

31. Akathi keerai Sesbania grandiflora

32. Akathi flower

33. Neem flower

34. Pasu munnai

35. Poan musuttai

36. Musuttai

37. Curry leaf

38. Thoothulai leaf

39. Vajravalli /pirandai (Cissus quadrangularis)

40. Stem of greens

41. Banana stem

42. Red spinach stem

43. Stem of white spinach

44. Saepanthandu (stem of colocasia)

45. Colocasia

46. Rhizome of lotus

47. Tuber of sweet potato

48. Cococnut

49. Small amla

50. Amla

51. Solanum torvum

52. Cucumis melo var . melo

53. Mango (vegetable)

54. Karaikkaai

55. Jujuba

56. Cucumber

57. Kombu paakal (bitter gourd variety)

58. Mithi paakal – a bitter gourd variety

59. Jack vegetable (early stage of Jack fruit)

60. Mullu kaththirikaai

61. Wood apple

62. Naarthangaai – a citrus variety

63. Kadaara naarthangaai

64. Kozhinji naarthangaai

65. Manaththakkaali fruits

66. Malai sundaikaai

All the above listed food items are satvika type foods. On continuous intake of these above food gives the satvika characters.

Let us see the food items giving rajo character in upcoming post.

Stay tuned.

Original – www.siththarkal.com

Translated by Lalithambika Rajasekaran