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THE WAY OF LIFE
with the body and the mind. If we do not eat proper food the body decays and the mind loses its potentialities. Therefore, everyone has to take food. But if a man eats the food that does not agree with his constitution and if he eats food at improper times, he will fall ill and may even die. Wrong food habits may cause mental agitation, aberration and distortion. Therefore the author of the grantha says that people should eat proper food at proper times. Satmya has been explained thus,
पानाहारादयो यस्याविरुद्धाः प्रकृतेरपि ।
सुखिन्वायावलोक्यंते तत्मात्म्यमिति गीयते ॥ Satmya implies taking food at the right time and in accordance with one's constitution.
KNOW THE NATURE OF YOUR CONSTITUTION
You must know the nature of your physical constitution. The nature of the constitution is of three kinds, namely, the constitution in which the component of gas is dominant; the constitution in which the bilious humour is dominant and the constitution in which the phlegmatic humour is dominant. Every man has one of these three types of constitution and he must know the nature of his constitution. "The component of gas is dominant in my constitution or the bilious humour is dominant or the phlegmatic humour is dominant”. If you cannot find out the nature of your constitution, you must consult a doctor and find it out. I will explain them briefly. - If after you eat your food, the gaseous element in vou is
provoked, then you must know that in your nature, the
component of gas is dominant. - If after taking your meal, biliousness is provoked and if
your head reels and aches, then you must know that bili
ousness is dominant in your constitution. -- If after taking your meal, excessive phlegm appears, you
must know that the phlegmatic humour is dominant in your constitution.
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