Seven Types of Food

What is "Food"? What items constitutes food? What are the different categories of food? What happens if the supply of food stops? Whether food came first or consumers came first? Who creates and controls food? Is there any custodian for food? Are there any ancient texts that dwell on these issues relating to food? These are indeed captivating questions. 

One can discuss on these interesting questions and find answers only if one's stomach is filled with food! Any activity can be carried on by living beings only when the basic need of food is met. Activities are initiated and continued either for procuring food or for preserving it for future. All other comforts follow but primacy is for food and food alone. Hunger is the prime motivating factor for all activities pursued by animals and humans alike. 

The answer to the first question "What is Food?" is answered by the dictionary as "any nourishing substance that is eaten, drunk, or otherwise taken into body to sustain life, provide energy, promote growth etc." The basic function of food is to sustain life. If the supply of food stops, activity of living beings comes down and finally life itself ceases. What items constitutes food can be answered in many ways. What is food for one may not be food for someone else. There are certain items which are near universal food. Milk is one such item. It is consumed by vast majority of living beings. Cereals and grains, pulses, vegetables and fruits also constitute food for human beings. Food may also be classified as vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Someone may differentiate between geographical areas. North Indian and South Indian Food for example. It may be Indian or Continental. There can be umpteen types of classification itself.

Whether food came first or consumers first is another interesting question. As soon as any living being takes birth or comes into existence, the first requirement is food. Other activities like growth and transformation start only after consumption of food. It is not just first consumption, but continuous consumption thereafter. Consumption stops only when life ceases to exist. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that first food came into existence and then life. Who creates and controls food and who are the custodians? These are also interesting questions but there can be many opinions and answers to them

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Discussion about "Food" can be seen in many ancient Indian texts. In fact one of the many names for the Supreme Lord is "Anna" (अन्न), which means food. In Vishnu Sahasranaama, Verse 105 mentions the names of the Lord as "Annam Annada Eva Cha" (अन्नं अन्नाद एव च). Name number 983 is Annam which means "That which is eaten by living beings, or who eats all living beings". Name number 984 is Annada which means "One who is the eater of the whole world as food". Thus he is Anna as well as Annada. Bhagavadgita also makes reference to food and "Food Cycle" as well.

The word Anna is most commonly used in our parts of the world for "cooked rice". This is a very restricted meaning. The actual meaning of Anna is indeed vast and encompasses everything that is consumed as food. In Upanishads, Anna has much wider connotation and covers all inputs required to sustain life. It is said that the real swaroopa (form) of Anna can be understood by contemplation, and not mere words.

The supply of food never gets exhausted despite being eaten for centuries and ages. How is this possible? It is because desire in the human mind is never exhausted. This basic desire creates the need to grow, find and manage food. This ensures an eternal supply of food. This also justifies the belief that mind is the most important sensory organ. The remaining five, roopa (sight), shabda (hearing), rasa (taste), gandha (smell) and sparsha (touch), are the mere outlets for this main sensory organ. 

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The most exhaustive discussion on Food can be seen in Bruhadaranyaka Upanishad. Bruhat means big or huge. Aranya means forests. A broad translation of the name can be "Secret learnings from the huge forests". Many aspects like creation of the universe, metaphysical, spiritual and psychological matters are dealt in detail in this Upanishad. Chapter I, Section 5, Madhu Kaanda, "Saptaanna Prakarana" of this Upanishad deals exhaustively about Food. Saptanna means seven types of foods. The discussions are rich in content and quality.

The Supreme Lord created Food first and then the living beings. He created seven types of foods. He himself classified them into two groups. The first four are known as "Gross Foods". The next three are "Subtle Foods". Gross foods sustain physical life. Subtle foods are significant for sustaining metaphysical life both at individual and cosmic levels. In addition to creating the seven types of food, the lord also created user groups and custodians as well! Thus each type of food is in the custody of one designated group, but its actual users are in another group. The classification is as under:

Type of food	Users	Custodians
Swaha (स्वाहा)	*Gods	Man
Swadha (स्वधा)	Pitrus (Ancestors)	Children (successors)
Crops	Man	Gods
Milk	Babies	Parents
Body (Kaaya) (काय)	The Lord	Man
Speech (Vaacha) (वाचा)	The Lord	Man
Mind (मनस, Thinking capacity)	The Lord	Man

*The word Gods in the above table denotes "subordinate functionaries of the Supreme Lord", who hold different portfolios for managing the Universe and are different from the Supreme Lord.

Among the gross or solid foods, crops are controlled by the devatas and the foods of the gods (swaha) is in the custody of the man. This is given through Yagnas on one side and rains supporting crops growing on the other. Thus they are inter-dependent. Mutual co-operation will ensure that everything is in order. Liquid food represented by milk meant for infants and growing ones is in the custody of parents. Food (swadha) for the earlier generation (pitrus) is in the custody of the successors or the next generation, their children. This is given through Kavya, by conducting annual ceremonies and periodical offerings to the ancestors. Thus the earlier generation, present generation and future generation are also linked. 

The most interesting part of the Saptaanna Prakarana is in the second group, the Subtle Foods. The three components of the subtle foods are meant for the Supreme Lord himself. Though the Lord created these three for himself, yet he gave the custody of these three items to the man created by him! Then what is expected by the Lord from the man he created? 

The body given by the Lord is to be used for the service of others in his creation. This is the best way to serve the first of the three foods to the Lord. Spoken words should be truthful and bring true happiness to those around us. This is the way to serve the second food to the Lord. Thinking of Universal welfare and devotion to the lord is the third way of offering the subtle food to the Lord. This is how a man can discharge a part of the debt to the creator, though it is believed that the entire debt can never be repaid. The Lord does not need anything and yet he has given these resources to us. That is to test how it is used by us and not for him to derive any benefit out of them. The often used term "Trikarana Shuddhi" (त्रिकरण शुद्धि) is derived from this line of thinking.

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Saptanna Prakarana in Bruhararanyakopanishad is indeed a beautiful plan and quite logical as well. Does it not look like a wonderful modren management plan with resources, custodians and users with checks and balances to ensure harmony and mutual co-existence?