Chapter 17: Śraddhā-traya-vibhāga-yoga: / Verse 10

Preferences and tastes of people differ. It is all a play of Nature’s gunas. Tamo-guna is noted for its downgrading effects. This is so in the matter of food too.

Every time, food is to be served hot, soon after it is cooked. Any delay in this has adverse effect. Even during feasts, food should not be prepared hours before serving it. When freshness is lost, food becomes stale and hence harmful to the body and mind.

Items left over on the plate (after eating) are also defiling. Generally dogs and birds rush to such left over items. Taking impure food is forbidden by our scriptures. Purity and sattva-guna of food is all the more important for spiritual seekers. At a subtler level, purity of the food depends even on the mind of the cook and the server.

One is promoted and demoted in his own hands, by virtue of his own habits and pursuits. Food makes and preserves the body. Food affects one’s thoughts and emotions. Its importance cannot be overstated.