आयुःसत्त्वबलारोग्यसुखप्रीतिविवर्धनाः।रस्याः स्निग्धाः स्थिरा हृद्या आहाराः सात्त्विकप्रियाः।।17.8।।
कट्वम्ललवणात्युष्णतीक्ष्णरूक्षविदाहिनः।आहारा राजसस्येष्टा दुःखशोकामयप्रदाः।।17.9।।
यातयामं गतरसं पूति पर्युषितं च यत्।उच्छिष्टमपि चामेध्यं भोजनं तामसप्रियम्।।17.10।।
Foods that augment life, firmness of mind, strength, health, happiness, and delight, and which are succulent, oleaginous, substantial, and agreeable, are dear to one endowed with sattva.
Foods that are bitter, sour, salty, very hot, pungent, dry, and burning, producing pain, sorrow, and disease, are dear to one who has rajas.
Food that is not properly cooked, lacking in essence, putrid and stale, as well as that which is unfit for sacrifice, is dear to one possessed of tamas.
Osho’s Commentary
The sattvic man is drawn to food that promotes life, that is full of juice, of vitality. His food is a celebration of life. It brings health, joy, and a subtle sense of peace. The rajasic man is drawn to food that is extreme—too hot, too spicy, too salty. His food is a reflection of his own inner restlessness and passion. Such food creates agitation, excitement, and ultimately, pain and disease. It fuels the fire of his desire. And the tamasic man is drawn to food that is stale, tasteless, rotten, impure. He is drawn to that which is dead. His food is a reflection of his own inner inertia and darkness. It pulls him deeper into a state of unconsciousness. Look at your plate, my friend. It is a mirror. What you choose to eat is a choice about the kind of consciousness you want to cultivate within yourself. To move towards a sattvic diet is not just a matter of health; it is a step towards a more pure, more luminous, more meditative state of being.