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
