Sadhana Panchakam - Post 42

Sri Sankara seems to have deliberately and cleverly worded this to invite two different interpretations, both of which carry some merit.

1. Hunger as a Disease: Hunger is regarded as another bodily disease that needs to be treated with the appropriate medicine – food. As with any disease, so with hunger – we should not ignore it, but treat it properly with the most effective means to “cure” it. It comes three times a day – and is treated by breakfast, lunch and supper!

The body is the “temple of God”; it is wise to take good care of it, and not subject it to foolish austerity. It is the only vehicle we have for the soul’s journey to gather further experiences. If the body’s hunger is ignored, it will hit back at us with vengeance.

2. Hunger as a Treatment: Here, both hunger and disease are regarded as treatments. For what disease? The disease is our spiritual illness – ignorance of the Self. We do not cure the pangs of hunger and disease but are cured by the pangs. The cure is for the soul, not the body. In other words, self-denial or Fasting is advocated here as a purificatory or expiatory treatment. It is a Prayaschitta Karma. Hunger is voluntarily accepted as a Tapas.

Many seekers often are made to believe, on the basis of misinterpretation of the scriptures that there is separate and distinct identity of the physical form the spiritual essence, there being no need to attending to one's physical form in the evolution of the spiritual essence. 

The general impression is that the ego or the 'I' is transient and not the essence or the self within; therefore, it is not necessary or much less essential part to preserve the form for the essence. Intense austerity and perfection in penance with complete disregard to the physical body or its proper maintenance is often commended, assuming that noble thoughts can never arise in a gross body.

This is not proper because no noble thought could ever arise in a diseased body and a sick mind. Healthy mind is possible only in a healthy body. Therefore, seers recommend Yoga saadhana for perfection of the instrument for having a perfect body and mind. 

Bhagavad Gita (VI.16) declares that yoga is not for one who eats too much or abstains too much from eating; neither for one who sleeps too much nor for one who keeps himself awake. It is for one whose is heart is pure and mind receptive, with his self, well-equipped with Knowledge and Wisdom, master of his senses, clod, stone and gold being equal in perception, who is equal to friends and foes, saints and sinners, serene and fearless, consciously aware and firm in commitment to the Supreme Essence.

In Yoga Vashishtha, Rama is told that deluded by external forms of sacrifices, austerities, alms giving, pilgrimages and worship of gods, men pass many years in misery like beasts. Therefore, disciplined approach to life is recommended regulating thirst, disease and the rest for the body.

A monk writes,

"If we are hungry spiritually, we would like to take spiritual food. 

We feed our body; we should feed the body with good healthy food. 

We feed our mind through our studies—the ideas should be good. 

Similarly, we should feed the soul. How to do it? Through the practice of worship, japa, meditation.

There is a parable of Sri Ramakrishna: A child was going to bed and said, ‘Mummy, if I feel hungry, please wake me up,’ and the mother said, ‘I need not do that. Your hunger itself will wake you up.’ 

There comes a time in the course of the evolution of the soul when we become spiritually hungry and wake up from our age-long slumber. But then, mere waking up is not enough. We must be up and doing.

 

Love.