As per Hinduism, the foods we eat influence our character. There is a story
of a Sanyasi stealing gold plate and silver cup and returning it later to a
king.
The food we daily take has its effect on our psychology and character. It may be satvik, good and strengthening to the spirit; or destructive of serenity, passion-producing, rajasik; or wholly bad causing deterioration of mind and intellect and increasing inertia, tamasik. (BhagavadGita, Chapter XVII – 8 to 10)
A Sanyasi used to have his food from the palace regularly.
On one occasion, the sage stole the gold plate and the silver cup in which the
food was served. The servants could not understand the strange behavior of the
sanyasi.
They reported the matter to the queen who reported it to the
king.
Three days later the sanyasi came back for food and returned
the gold plate and the silver cup.
The king found this behavior to be very strange but wanted
to know if there was any meaning to it.
He called the wise men of the palace and asked them to decode
the behavior the Sage.
The wise men went to the kitchen and asked the cook what was
prepared on the day when the Sanyasi stole the plate and the cup.
The wise men learned that the food on that day as prepared
using food items confiscated from a gang of dacoits.
After eating the food, the Sanyasi was influenced by food
and its origin. The food was cursed and it had the tears of its original owner.
We should only eat that food which we attained through
proper means. We should try to eat Sattvic food.
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