In one of his insightful Satsangs, Hazir Swaroop Sai Sadhram Saheb explained that we must eat our food with full awareness and mindfulness. When we eat, our attention should not be scattered elsewhere but focused on the act of eating itself.
If we observe saints and sages, we will notice that they eat whatever is available, in small amounts, and yet remain healthy. Their faces glow with enthusiasm and joy far more than ours, because whatever they receive, they eat with gratitude, accepting it as God’s divine offering.
But we, on the other hand, eat carelessly. The very food that should keep us healthy ends up making us unwell. Therefore, we too must eat with reverence, by first offering a prayer of gratitude to the Divine, remaining silent while eating, and accepting each bite as sacred Prasad. Only then can we receive the full benefit of the food we consume.
Hazir Swaroop Sai Sadhram Saheb shared that he has visited several Gurukuls (spiritual schools), where he observed that both those serving and those receiving food remain silent. They perform their tasks peacefully and in silence. If someone needs something, they communicate through gestures, not words, because they regard the food as a divine gift and consume it with the utmost respect.
When we eat peacefully, in silence, and with gratitude for the Lord’s grace, divine energy, along with the food, nourishes us. Even a small amount of such food brings glow to our face, peace to our mind, and improvement in our health. Our life becomes more joyful, prosperous, and wise.
However, when we keep talking or looking around while eating, we neither eat properly nor do we think clearly. Our taste experience remains incomplete, our chewing remains incomplete, and we ourselves remain incomplete. This incompleteness in eating extends to our lives, into our thinking, behavior, progress, and many other aspects, leaving us always feeling unfulfilled and unsatisfied.
If we have never truly experienced our food with understanding and presence, we end up feeling incomplete throughout our lives. Any task done without mindfulness remains incomplete, and because of this, we can never feel whole.
Hazir Swaroop Sai Sadhram Saheb further explained that one should always remain silent during moments of anger and while eating. Saijan also taught that if we sit quietly for just 10 minutes every morning to reflect on what we need to do, and again at night for 10 minutes to review how we spent the day, our mind will begin to act like a mirror, helping us see ourselves clearly and gradually bringing about a positive transformation within. Saijan explained that when we eat carefully, silently, and mindfully, we remain healthy always.
