Food Is Not Just Food

What exactly is annam?

Food. Whatever we consume. Whatever we consume that keeps us alive. Whatever we consume to sustain our existence.

I am not saying this to learn some definitions. Think about it. This will expand your awareness.

Have you thought about your existence on the surface of earth? What all you are consuming on an ongoing basis, perpetually, just to keep yourself alive?

They are the panchabhutas.

Body is made up of panchabhutas means you need a constant supply of pancha bhutas to keep it alive. If this supply stops, the body dies. It stops to exist.

What are these panchabhutas?

Prithvi, jalam, vayu, agni and akasha.

All solids that you consume — they are all prithvi. Rice, wheat, sugar, vegetables, all these. You need a constant supply of these — once or twice or thrice a day.

All the liquids that you consume starting with water — they are all jalam. Water, milk, juices.

The air that you consume is vayu. In a day you take in air 21,600 times on an average. And we take it for granted.

If you are dependent on an oxygen cylinder for your oxygen supply, you will need 4 cylinders per day, which will cost you something like 25,000 rupees per day. This is how much the nature spends every day only on oxygen to keep you alive.

And what do we do in return? Nothing. No time. Busy.

The fourth among the pancha bhutas — all that produces light and heat: Surya, Chandra, agni. Vak, speech — why speech? Because speech, knowledge as speech, enlightens you. And also good habits — they light up your life.

And the fifth — akasha — sound. Sound that you hear — it is going into your body through your ears. That means you are consuming it. It may have a meaning, it may not have meaning. Akasha means just sound.

So much we are consuming constantly — to exist, to keep ourselves alive.

Think — who is giving us all these?

If you think that the shopkeeper is giving you grains and vegetables, you are wrong. He is only a channel. If the nature doesn’t produce, where will he give it from?

So, who is actually keeping you alive? Think about this.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi