AITAREYA UPANISHAD - 14. Rishi Maheedasa Aitareya.
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3 Parts, 6 Chapters, 33 No. Mantras : “By a Peasant for the Peasant”
PART - 1 :
Chapter -2 :
Mantras Nos-5.
POST-13.
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Thursday, October 13, 2022. 08:00.
PART 1: Chapter 3A, 10 Mantras.
The Creation of FOOD
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Mantram - 3.2: The Cosmic ‘Soup’-Kitchen
2 sah apah abhyatapat; taabhyah abhitaptaabhyah moortih ajaayata;
3 ya vai moortih ajaayata annam vai tat.
4 tat enat srishtam parang ati-ajighaamsat;
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Translation :
2 sah apah abhyatapat; taabhyah abhitaptaabhyah moortih ajaayata; = He brooded over the waters. From the waters thus brooded over, sprang up a material form.
3 ya vai moortih ajaayata annam vai tat. = As may be expected, that form which so sprung up, was indeed Food.
4 tat enat srishtam parang ati-ajighaamsat; = Then, as was not expected, the food so created turned and sought to flee away!
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Commentary :
2 The Cosmic drawing office was nick-named the “Brooding Office” by the Deities.
That is all the Lord sat and did all day – just brood over problems, and solutions popped out.
He gave a good stare at the Waters of Creation as before. This was His normal way of
getting things done from “up there”. It was from the Waters that He made the worlds and
the Devatas and their abodes. So why should the trick not work when it came to Food?
3 Well, it did work yet again. Out sprang up a “lump” from the Cosmic “Soup”. The
Cosmic soup-kitchen had been opened at the right moment. Feeding the hungry and the
thirsty Devatas present in every living creature became the first act of Seva for the Lord.
Ever since then, the devout Hindus have upheld the sanctity of this act of service,
giving it prime place among all their religious responsibilities. From that memorable day, the
giving of food in Indian culture is held in the highest regard. No one has ever forgotten it!
Varieties of Food :
The Cosmic Waters are not just water, they are the matrix of all the five elements
from which all food is manufactured by Nature. The Lord gives one stare at the Cosmic
Waters or ‘Soup’ and out comes the food which is unique for every creature created.
Each creature is catered for its own specific needs. For some it is vegetarian, for
others it is non-vegetarian. Both have to be provided. The cat’s eyes brighten on seeing a
rat. So does a lion’s eye on seeing a buck. The cow’s eyes light up on seeing the green grass.
Thus each creature knows what its own food is and where to find it. A “Food-chain” is
formed. The primary food is vegetarian, consisting of delicious shrubs, grass, cereals,
vegetables and fruits. Then the carnivorous animals feed on the herbivorous ones.
Man, of course, as usual has his own ideas about what he chooses. Some choose to
be vegetarian as designed by God; others, according to their nature, choose to be nonvegetarian.
Those who eat Sattwic food make great strides spiritually. Those that eat
Tamasic foods become thick-headed, heedless, indolent, lethargic and dull-witted. Very
active people have to eat more of Rajasic foods like chillies and very spicy foods.
We see the sheer simplicity and elegance of the Aitareya Upanishad’s theory of
creation particularly at this point. All it needs is for Brahmaji to make a wish and it
materializes at once. Chemical factories are done away with; the whole manufacturing
process is short-circuited by just having one powerful process – that of Imagination!
*****
Next-
HOW IS THE FOOD TO BE CAUGHT?
( Mantras 3.3 to 3.10)
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