All Into One

Sri Annamalai Swami

Although B was willing to spend several hours each day ensuring that the ashram food was cooked properly, he disliked elaborate meals consisting of many dishes. He was quite satisfied with rice, sambar and one vegetable dish. A lady from Kerala, who was accustomed to preparing a lot of dishes for each meal, once came for darshan and insisted on cooking for everyone. After a great expenditure of time and effort she succeeded in preparing and serving 32 separate dishes. B allowed her to serve each item separately on his banana leaf, but when the serving was over he mixed up all the offerings into a single homogenized lump.

By way of explanation he told her, "You had to expend a lot of energy preparing all this food. Just collecting the materials must have been very time consuming. One vegetable - which is enough to clean the stomach and keep one free of constipation - is enough. Why make all this? Then there is another trouble: if you prepare 32 dishes, the mind is always thinking, "Shall I eat this one or that one?" So the mind is also dissipated while eating. If there is one dish there is no trouble. We can eat it very simply. Also, meals like this set a bad example to people who have no food. Poor people will get to hear that we are serving luxurious meals and think, "We are very hungry, but these people, who are supposed to simple sadhus, are eating so many dishes." Thoughts like these will cause unnecessary jealousy."

Later he added, 'If B were to eat one dish first, the woman who is serving will think, "Oh B likes this very much." Then she will come and put another helping on my plate. This is why I mix everything into a single ball.'
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From the abstinent soul sense objects fall away, but not the taste for them. When the Supreme Truth is realised, even the taste departs. - Srimad Bhagavad Gita