8. Sattva, Rajas, Tamas — Food and the Mind

Beside the three doshas of the body, Ayurveda and yoga describe three qualities of the mind (maha gunas). Sattva is clarity, balance and peace; rajas is activity, passion and restlessness; tamas is inertia, heaviness and dullness. Food influences all three — which is why a guesthouse devoted to sadhana serves a sattvic kitchen. The Bhagavad Gita (chapter 17) classifies food in exactly these terms.

Quality	Nature	Foods	Preparation and eating	Effect
Sattvic	Pure, fresh, light, nourishing	Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, moong, milk, ghee, honey, nuts, mild spices	Freshly cooked with love, eaten calmly at regular times, in moderation	Clarity, contentment, steady energy, compassion
Rajasic	Stimulating, spicy, sharp	Onion, garlic, chilli, excess salt and sour, coffee, strong tea, fried snacks	Eaten in a hurry, while working or arguing; too much variety	Restlessness, irritability, desire, poor sleep
Tamasic	Stale, heavy, dull	Leftovers, reheated many times, meat, eggs, alcohol, processed and deep-fried foods, overripe food	Overeating, eating late at night, eating without hunger	Lethargy, dullness, heaviness, confusion

The sattvic kitchen at Annapurna No onion, garlic, meat, fish, eggs, mushrooms or alcohol; hing and ginger give the depth. Food is cooked fresh for each meal; nothing is held more than two hours; nothing is reheated twice. The cook works in a calm state; the kitchen is clean; prayer or a mantra may begin the cooking. Meals are eaten in a peaceful setting, at fixed times, with gratitude.

PART II