The role of food in self-realization

A proper diet according to Ayurveda
Some people, due to estrangement from nature and because of mechanical lifestyle, believe that animals are just like machines that can be used for our convenience. But anyone who has ever lived with a dog, cat, bird, or any other animal, knows animals have feelings that are very real.

It is said that half of the food we consume fills our stomachs, the other half fills the stomachs of our doctors. According to Ayurveda, most ailments come from inappropriate intake of food and drink. To a large degree, doctors are kept in demand by our inappropriate eating habits. It has been proven that a vegetarian diet is healthier than a non-vegetarian diet, as discussed in this booklet.

Authors: Satyanarayana Dasa and Gerda Staes

Satyanarayana Dasa
Satyanarayana Dasa, born in 1954, was drawn to the spiritual traditions of his home country India since his childhood. After receiving a postgraduate degree in 1978 from IIT Delhi and working in the United States for four years, he returned to India. There he studied the formal systems of Indian philosophy known as Ṣaḍ-darśana under the direct guidance of his guru Śrī Haridāsa Śāstrī Mahārāja and Swami Syama Saraṇa Maharaja.
This education was taken up in the traditional manner for more than 25 years, while he dedicated himself as a practitioner of bhakti yoga. In 1991 he accepted the traditional Vaiṣṇava order of renounced life, bābājī-veṣa. His main focus has been with the works of Jiva Gosvami, particularly on translating the Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas, into English and commenting on them. He also earned four śāstric degrees, and received both a law degree and a PhD in Sanskrit from Agra University.
Satyanarayana Dasa is the director of the Jiva Institute of Vaishnava Studies in Vrindavan, India. He is a visiting professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. In 2013 he was honored by the president of India, Pranab Mukherjee, for his extraordinary contribution in presenting Vedic culture and philosophy, both nationally and internationally.

ISBN: 8187153865
Binding/ Cover: Paperback
Page count: 50
Publication date: 2007