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“WHEN I STARTED ATTENDING ISKCON programmes, my interest was not in the philosophy. What attracted me was the food. It was tasty, wholesome, filled my stomach, and saved me a lot of money!” says 45-year-old HG Mukunda Mala Das, who has been a monk at Mumbai’s Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple (ISKCON Chowpatty) for the past 20 years. Das’ spiritual journey actually began with food, as he declares, sparking an intellectual curiosity that eventually led him to donning the saffron robes.
Incidentally, the food is what draws many devotees into becoming part of ISKCON’s movement. “Most people, when they first come to the temple, may not be eager to hear the philosophy of the Gita. And that’s okay. In the Gita we have references to how food can be sanctified and connect people to God,” Das explains. By feeding people what has first been offered to Krishna, the temple is helping them along their spiritual journey, clearing the food of all “bondage”.
Wait, food has bondage? The Gita says that all of the material world is functioning under one of three Modes: Goodness (characterised by thoughtfulness, introspection, mindfulness and peacefulness); Passion (for instance, someone active, who is brimming over with desires to fulfil and works hard to achieve them — even though those desires may not necessarily be in their best interests); and Ignorance (laziness, inactivity and violence). “Modes are a force that bind us to this world. Each Mode indicates a certain degree of bondage,” says Das. According to the Gita, everything from our personalities and dispositions to the time of day, our physical surroundings, the results we desire from work, and even the type of knowledge we possess — is governed by one of these three Modes.
As Krishna tells Arjun in 17.7 of the Gita: “Even the food each person prefers is of three kinds, according to the three Modes of material nature.” Food in the Mode of Goodness is “juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart” (17.8). This includes fruits and a regular vegetarian diet like rice, chapati, vegetables and pulses. The important thing is that the food is prepared in moderation.
“If anything is in excess, it becomes food in the Mode of Passion. But when balanced, it’s in the Mode of Goodness,” explains Das. As Krishna explains (17.9): “Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the Mode of Passion.” So anything that’s too spicy or has too much salt or sugar falls into this category. “Meat is usually in the Mode of Passion. It’s bordering between Passion and Ignorance,” says Das.
According to Krishna (17.10), food in the Mode of Ignorance is “prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid…and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things is dear to those in the Mode of darkness.” So even food that seems to be in the Mode of Goodness can become food in the Mode of Ignorance if left sitting out for over three hours.
“We are what we eat. Food has an impact not just on our physical body but even on our mind and thought process,” says Das. For this reason, one should exercise caution when choosing what to eat. “Krishna encourages us to select food in the Mode of Goodness,” adds Das.
But while food in the Mode of Goodness is the best, it is still in a Mode, meaning it’s still a type of bondage to the world. To escape this, one must connect all their actions to divinity, including making the food one eats divine. “You can make food divine by offering it, as an expression of love, to Krishna,” says Das. “Such food, accepted by God, is sanctified food, beyond the influence of the Modes,” he adds. Eating is an act we perform several times each day, and in this belief system, by consuming food that is first offered to God, we’re freeing ourselves from the clutches of the Modes. This upliftment is what ISKCON offers every devotee who eats there.
While offering food to God helps improve one’s mind and consciousness, it also has a direct effect on health. Firstly, by eliminating stale foods that have been kept out for too long. Secondly, by rejecting food that isn’t in moderation, avoiding consequences like acidity (if too spicy) or diabetes (too sweet). But this isn’t a one-way street where God does all the giving. One must also be mindful of the type of food they are offering to God. For instance, items like onion and garlic are in the lower Modes and aren’t fit to be offered.
“It was challenging to alter a lifestyle we had been following for over a decade,” recalls Purvi Mistry, a devotee who has been connected with the temple since 2009. She came from a home where onion and garlic were considered essential cooking ingredients; eating outside, especially on weekends, was a regular occurrence. Learning how to prepare food that didn’t include onion and garlic was a slow and steady process. “Initially there was no taste (sic)... not because such food can’t be tasty, but because we didn’t know the right way to make it,” Mistry says.
Since most outside food contained onion and garlic, Mistry and her husband transitioned to more home-cooked meals. Over time, their craving for outside food abated, but other challenges remained, like “when we had to go to relatives’ house, or go out with friends,” she recalls. This meant testing their willpower and looking for restaurants that offered the type of food they needed. “We slipped many times. But you realise that if you want to move ahead on this (spiritual) path, these are the obstacles,” she says.
While embracing ISKCON’s Krishna Consciousness process can be daunting, requiring many lifestyle changes, followers believe it leads to their spiritual benefit and growth. And in another sense, it is also a fairly simple, straightforward process: Avoid certain things (eg. addictions and meat-eating), and do certain other things (like chanting Krishna’s name, hearing about Krishna etc). This is because, according to the Gita’s teachings, pleasing Krishna is simple. Offering an elaborate feast (chappan bhog) or bending over backwards in your service isn’t necessary: Krishna is happy with the little things, placing sincerity of devotion over the contents of the offering. As He says in the Gita (9.26): “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.”
The idea is to be consistent in one’s devotion. The more one follows the process, the less they will be tied down by the Modes and their bondage, leading in turn to more sincere devotion. There are many ways of overcoming the Modes, and eating food that’s first been offered to Him is one way. The same spirit runs through the movement’s broader philosophy: Bring Krishna into the picture, and place Him at the centre of all your activities. Essentially, the idea is to notice Krishna everywhere and in everything. And Krishna helps, by giving us clues to His presence in the world around us. As He says in 7.8: “I am the taste of water”.
The relief of your first gulp of chilled water after being out in the scorching afternoon sun… The sustenance of a nighttime sip, when you wake with a parched throat… The satisfaction of a full glass of water first thing in the morning… All of it is Krishna. Krishna is in it all.
All Gita verses and translations are from ISKCON Founder-Acharya AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s ‘Bhagavad Gita As It Is'.
