Vedic Wisdom Behind Eating With Your Hands

An interesting read.

Eating food with the hands in today’s Western society can sometimes be perceived as being unhygienic, bad mannered and primitive. However within Indian culture there is an old saying that,  "eating food with your hands feeds not only the body but also the mind and spirit". 

In the Big Brother series some years back, an English participant complained about a indian participants use of her hands during food preparations and her eating habits, “They eat with their hands in India, don’t they? Or is that China? You don’t know where those hands have been.”  Within many Indian households nowadays, the practice of eating food with the hands has been replaced with the use of cutlery.

Have you ever thought of why previous generations in India ate with the hands? There is a reason for their this.  The practice of eating with the hands originated within Ayurvedic teachings. The Vedic people knew the power held in the hand.

The ancient native tradition of eating food with the hands is derived from the mudra practice, which is prevalent in many aspects within Hinduism. Mudras are used during mediation and are very prominent within the many classical forms of dance, such as Bharatnatyam.

The hands are considered the most precious organ of action. This is linked to the Vedic prayer of

“Karagre vasate Laksmih karamule Sarasvati Karamadhye tu Govindah prabhate karadarsanam”

(On the tip of your fingers is Goddess Lakshmi, on the base of your fingers is Goddess Saraswati; in the middle of your fingers is Lord Govinda), which we recite whilst looking at our palms. Thus, this shloka suggests that all the divinity lies in human effort.

Our hands and feet are said to be the conduits of the five elements. The Ayurvedic texts teach that each finger is an extension of one of the five elements. Through the thumb comes space; through the forefinger, air; through the mid-finger, fire; through the ring finger, water and through the little finger it is earth.

Each finger aids in the transformation of food, before it passes on to internal digestion. Gathering the fingertips as they touch the food stimulates the five elements and invites Agni to bring forth the digestive juices. As well as improving digestion the person becomes more conscious of the tastes, textures and smells of the foods they are eating, which all adds to the pleasure of eating.

You may have noticed that elders in the family hardly ever use utensils to measure all the different type of masala, and would instead prefer to use their hands to measure the quantity instead. As each handful is tailored to provide a suitable amount for the own body. Overall there are 6 main documented forms that the hands take when obtaining a measurement a certain type of food ranging from solid food to seeds, and flour.
This is a prime example of how many things within Hindu culture may seem weird and unusual at first glance, but once a closer look is taken it is surprising, but a vast amount of knowledge is revealed.

Doshas - Vata, Pitta, Kapha

We all have a place of balance, our basic nature or constitution, which in Ayurveda is called Prakriti.  It is determined at the time of conception.  And by knowing your prakriti, obtaining perfect health is possible.  By knowing your dosha or body type, an Ayurvedic practitioner can tell which diet, herbal preparations, lifestyle changes, massages, yoga asanas and other Ayurvedic medical therapies can help you.  These three primary life forces - Vata, Pitta and Kapha are the doshas that bind the five elements down into a living flesh.

Vata, pitta and kapha are the fundamental principles governing the physiological process.  When imbalanced, they afflict the body of imbalances.  They act as basic constituents and protective barriers for the body in its normal physiological condition.  And when out of balance, they contribute to disease.

• Vata means wind or "that which moves things"
• It represents the force that governs biological activity
• The functions are transformation, movement and communication
• Main location for Vata is the colon

(Photo credit - http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-fulminant-colitis.htm)

• Pitta means fire or "that which digests things" 
• It represents the fire that digests all activity and experiences 
• The functions are digestion, metabolism and transformation
• The main location for Pitta is the stomach

(Photo credit - http://articletube.blogspot.com/2012/06/stomach-three-misunderstanding-patients.html)

• Kapha means phlegm or "that which holds things together"
• It represents the physical and emotional home in which we reside
• The functions are structure, cohesion and lubrication
• The main location for Kapha is the chest

(Photo credit - http://thoracicsurgery.stanford.edu/patient_care/malignant_pleural_mesothelioma.html)



Every cell in the body contains all these three principles.  Every ones body has to have Vata, or movement which allows you to breathe and circulate blood.   We have to have Pitta, digestion or metabolism which processes food, air and water throughout our system.  And kapha which is structure and which aids to hold the cells together.  This is how nature created us and to know your body type is essential to understand yourself.

Samadoshah samagnish ca

Samadhatumalakriyah

Prasannatmendriyamanah svastha ity

Abhidhiyate

He whose dosha are in balance, whose appetite is good, whose dhatus are functioning normally, whose malas are in balance, and whose consciousness, mind and senses remain full of bliss,

 is called a healthy person.

Sushruta Sutrasthan 15.38