Gokarna, 4 September 2026: Nature, like a mother who keeps food harmful to her child out of reach, keeps foods that are unsuitable for living beings away from them as far as possible, said Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Raghaveshwara Bharati Mahaswamiji, of Sri Ramachandrapura Math.
Speaking during the 'Annam Brahma' discourse series at the Dharma Sabha being held as part of the AnnaBrahma Chaturmasya at the Ashoke Moola Math premises in Gokarna on September 4, 2026, the seer said people should learn to distinguish between food that is merely pleasing and food that is beneficial.
“If something is beneficial, it is pleasing; what is merely loved or desired can sometimes become harmful,” he said, stressing the need to understand the difference between 'priya' (preferred) and 'hita' (beneficial) food before consuming it.
Food, like medicine, is not the same for everyone
Drawing an analogy with medicines, Sri Raghaveshwara Bharati Swamiji said a pharmacy may contain hundreds of medicines, but not every medicine is meant for everyone. Similarly, nature provides a wide variety of food, but not every food is suitable for every individual.
According to Ayurveda, food that is suitable for an individual is described as 'hitahara' or beneficial food. He also explained the distinction between what nature provides for human beings and what the scriptures prescribe as appropriate.
Humans have the ability to prepare food appropriately
Human beings, he said, are not expected to consume everything exactly as they find it in nature. People have the ability to combine appropriate ingredients, remove undesirable qualities from them and prepare food in a suitable manner.
"This special opportunity to modify and prepare what nature provides has been given to human beings by God. It is our responsibility to use that ability properly," he said.
Concern over contamination of food
Sri Raghaveshwara Bharati Swamiji also referred to traditional Ayurvedic recommendations regarding food and expressed concern over the quality of some foods available today.
He noted that Ayurveda considers certain foods among the best forms of pathya or suitable dietary choices but questioned whether some of these foods remain equally suitable today because of contamination and changes in production and consumption practices. He cited milk, grapes and sugar as examples and said that finding food that is free from contamination has increasingly become a matter requiring considerable effort.
'Our duty is to show society the right path'
Referring to the purpose of the 'Annam Brahma' discourse series, the seer said the initiative seeks to place before society the traditional understanding of right and wrong practices relating to food, drawing from Ayurveda and Yoga Shastra.
Many people, he said, listen to the discourses with interest and some have begun incorporating the suggestions into their daily lives. "Some may make light comments about us. But our duty is to show society the right path, and we are carrying out that responsibility," he said.
Retired police officer and former CEO of Sri Ramachandrapura Math K.G. Bhat, Eshwari Berkadavu, Vadiraja Samaga, Manjunatha Bhat, Champaka Bhat, Swathi Bhagwat, Venu Navilagone and Sadananda Hebbar were present. Radhakrishna Bandagadde and his wife were the dinapradhanis for the programme.
Keywords
Raghaveshwara Sri on food, Raghaveshwara Bharati Swamiji, Raghaveshwara Bharati, Annam Brahma, Gokarna, healthy food, Ayurveda food, hitahara, Annabrahma Chaturmasya, Citizen News Puttur