Perspectives in Jaina Philosophy and Culture

Author(s): Satish Jain, Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Ahimsa International

Page 81

Human food and rules of nature for healthy life
The human body is an extremely complicated machine We know that the efficiency of any machine depends upon the supply of proper and unadulterated fuel it requires If it is a petrol engine, a good quality petrol has to be supplied If It is a diesel engine, it needs pure diesel If there is any adulteration in the fuel, the engine gets spoiled What is true of a mechanical enginc, is also true of a human body Here the fuel is the food we take We must, therefore, have a precise knowledge of what type of food (e g vegetarian herbivorous) or nonvegetarian (carnivorous food) is good for our human machine
Nature has prescribed a particular type of food for a particular animal, considering its aim of life, the type of work it has to do, etc And, accordingly, nature has created its anatomical arrangement, the physiological function of its body and its mental set-up So if one has to take the maximum benefit from one's human machine 1 e from one's body one has to choose the right fuel (food) for one's body
Which is the right food for a human being?
We have to understand scientifically and biologically which food suits our body for maintaining its optimum physiological function In this context it will be worthwhile to compare the anatomical and physiological features of (1) Herbivorous animals and (2) Carnivorous animals with those of human beings and to find out which fuel (food) this human machine (body and mind) requires (1) Arrangement of teeth.
All carnivorous animals have got only canine and incisor teeth and not molar teeth, while herbivorous animals have got special and large size molar teeth Harbivorous animals have to masticate (chew) their food in the month, turn it into fine powder and then swallow it Hence, nature has provided these molar teeth which help to grind the food While carnivorous animals never chew the food They just clutch and gulp the food (flesh),
If one studies the arrangement of teeth in a human being, one finds that nature has provided him with molar teeth Man has to masticate the food, convert it into powder and then swallow it for better digestion Man's anatomical arrangement and physiological function of teeth are similar to those of herbivorous animals
(2) The manner of drinking water
All carnivorous animals lick the water with the help of their tongues, while herbivorous animals suck the water with the help of lips
Similarly herbivores human beings also drink the water with the help of lips
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