Article by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa S, B.A.M.S

Acharya Charaka enlists certain foods and also physical and mental practices / habits which need to be always avoided or kept away by those seeking comprehensive health and also to maintain the same.

Actually, he has explained this in the second pada (quarter) of Rasayana Chapter (Charaka Chikitsa Sthana Chapter 1, quarter 2, verse 3). The context and intention of Acharya Charaka to explain this in the context of Rasayana is to tell that ‘..those seeking Rasayana Therapy’ should avoid taking these foods and practices so as to obtain the best benefits of Rasayana.

But he begins the explanation by quoting – ‘Sarve Sharira Doshaa Bhavanti…’ which means ‘….all these would aggravate or cause dosha increase in the body or cause diseases in the body….’. So, we can take Acharya Charaka’s explanation of these contraindications as ‘general contraindications’ for all persons, including healthy individuals.

Regularly following these principles and keeping away the contraindicated foods, habits and practices will keep away the diseases from manifesting and would help us to maintain a balanced health in the long run.

Such unhealthy and unwholesome foods which deserved to be kept away always are known as Gramya Ahara. Acharya Charaka mentions a list of foods and food related practices which need to be considered as Gramya.

What is Gramya Ahara?

Gramya Ahara means foods which are unhealthy and unwholesome and hence deserve to be omitted from the food schedules.

These foods are responsible for vitiation of all doshas and dhatus. They are the root sources of dosha aggravation and manifestation of many diseases. Practice of such foods regularly will make one susceptible to many kinds of diseases.

The word Gramya is derived from its root word Grama – which means village or settlement or a small dwelling place having people who have settled with their families and cattle. Herein, people eat and drink whatever is available or whatever they grow. They follow the principles that only they know. The evolution of food habits and living conditions is not there. So, what they eat and how they live is according to the norms they know and within certain bracketed limitations. So, the foods they take may not be healthy or wholesome and are also not balanced or nutritious. Their physical and mental habits and practices are also the same. The same practices are passed on down to their successive generations. They are also detached, unaware, ignorant or less educated about the medical ways of healthy food consumption and ideal ways of leading a healthy life with healthy habits and lifestyle practices.

So, to be healthy and fit, one need to come out of these gramya or domesticated food and lifestyle habits and adopt alternative healthy ways of diet and lifestyle practices which are medically right.

Acharya Charaka not only mentions the unwholesome foods but also mentions unwholesome and unhealthy activities and habits related to body and mind. They can be considered as Gramya Vihara (unwholesome activities and habits) and Gramya Vichara (unwholesome thoughts and mind activities), though not mentioned exactly as such.

The key for good health is to keep away from gramya ahara, vihara and vichara.

Now, let us see what those ‘keep aways’ are.

Causes for aggravation of doshas and manifestation of all diseases in everyone

Below mentioned are the main causative factors for aggravation of the doshas in our body and also for manifestation of all diseases in all of us. So, the persons who would desire to enjoy a comprehensive state of balanced health, endurance and immunity should avoid these things in the long run and also make a conscious practice of the same.

The below mentioned are those ‘to be kept away’ causes –

सर्वे शरीरदोषा भवन्ति ग्राम्याहारादम्ल लवण कटुक क्षार शुष्क शाक मांस तिल पलल पिष्टान्न भोजिनां विरूढ नव शूक शमी धान्य विरुद्धासात्म्य रूक्ष क्षाराभिष्यन्दि भोजिनां क्लिन्न गुरु पूति पर्युषित भोजिनां विषमाध्यशन प्रायाणां दिवास्वप्न स्त्री मद्य नित्यानां विषमाति मात्र व्यायाम सङ्क्षोभित शरीराणां भय क्रोध शोक लोभ मोहायास बहुलानाम्;

1. Gramya Ahara – avoidable foods, food habits and food patterns

Excessive and regular intake of

–        sour, salt, pungent and alkaline foods

–        dry vegetables

–        meat,

–        sesame,

–        paste of sesame seeds and

–        pistanna – pastries

Excessive and regular consumption of –

–        Virudha dhanya – germinated cereals and pulses

–        Nava shooka dhanya – freshly harvested corns with bristles

–        Nava shami dhanya – freshly harvested pulses

Viruddha Ahara – excessive and regular consumption of mutually opposite / antagonistic foods or wrong and unwholesome food combinations

Asathmya ahara – regular and excessive consumption of uncongenial foods

Excessive and regular consumption of –

–        Klinna bhojana – excessively moist and softened foods

–        Guru bhojana – heavy to digest foods,

–        Puti bhojana – putrid or foul-smelling foods (which has decayed or rotten)

–        Paryushita bhojana – stale foods

Vishama Ashana – irregular and erratic eating habits, eating food at random times and in random quantities

Adhyashana – eating food even before the previously taken food is digested properly

2. Gramya Vihara – Avoidable habits related to activities

Excessive and repeated / habitual or daily indulgence in –

–        Day sleep

–        Sexual intercourse / activities

–        Alcoholic drinks

–        Irregular or excessive / obsessive exercises and workouts

–        Over-work

3. Gramya Vichara – Avoidable habits related to activities

Excessive and regular indulgence in –

–        Fear and panic

–        Anger

–        Grief

–        Greed

–        Infatuation

Effect of Gramya Ahara, Vihara and Vichara

अतोनिमित्तं हि शिथिलीभवन्ति मांसानि, विमुच्यन्ते सन्धयः, विदह्यते रक्तं, विष्यन्दते चानल्पं मेदः, न सन्धीयतेऽस्थिषु मज्जा, शुक्रं न प्रवर्तते, क्षयमुपैत्योजः; स एवम्भूतो ग्लायति, सीदति, निद्रा तन्द्रालस्य समन्वितो निरुत्साहः श्वसिति, असमर्थश्चेष्टानां शारीरमानसीनां, नष्ट स्मृति बुद्धिच्छायो रोगाणामधिष्ठानभूतो न सर्वमायुरवाप्नोति | तस्मादेतान् दोषानवेक्षमाणः सर्वान् यथोक्तानहितानपास्याहार विहारान् रसायनानि प्रयोक्तुमर्हतीत्युक्त्वा भगवान् पुनर्वसुरात्रेय उवाच–||३||

Effect of bad food, physical and mental habits:
Excessive, repeated and regular indulgence in the above said gramya ahara, vihara and vichara would cause the below mentioned adverse effects / complications –

–        The muscles of the body become weak, lax, flabby and fragile

–        The joints of the body become loosened, weak and dislocated

–        The blood becomes vitiated and burnt out

–        The fat tissue which has accumulated in excess gets liquified and vitiated

–        The bone marrow does not remain intact inside the hollow portions of the bones as they should be

–        There is no ejaculation of semen

–        The Ojas – which is an essence of all the tissues in the body, which represents the overall immunity of the person undergoes diminution

Such a person suffers from one or more of the below mentioned conditions –

–        Exhaustion

–        Languor

–        Sleepy

–        Drowsy

–        Lazy

–        Lack of enthusiasm

–        Dyspnoea

–        Loss of capacity to do any kind of physical or mental work / activity

–        Loss of memory

–        Loss of intellect

–        Loss of complexion

With these symptoms, the person becomes an abode of diseases and thus fails to enjoy a full span of life.

Keeping these miseries, complications and untoward / undesired adverse effects, one should give up all kinds of gramya ahara, vihara and vichara and should undergo Rasayana Therapy. Rasayana Therapy would bring back the tissues to a state of balance and would re-establish health, endurance and immunity.