To maintain continuous Naam and mantra Jap, a practitioner must refine their diet. Food creates rasa (essence), which nourishes the body and the life force, and ultimately shapes the mind. As is the food, so is the mind. Those who consume impure or forbidden food regularly will find their minds becoming impure, making it difficult for them to engage in devotional practice. When we consume unclean food, impurities and disturbances arise in the mind. The mind then clings to negative thoughts, past memories, and hostility instead of holding onto the mantra or the holy name. However, when food is pure, the mind releases distractions and naturally holds onto Naam and mantra, continuously reflecting upon them. Food has the most significant impact on one’s ability to do naam jap.
Avoid Eating Food from Public Feasts or Donations
If you are a householder, nourish yourself only with food obtained through righteously earned means. It is not appropriate to casually eat from a feast or public offering just because it is available. The duty of a householder is not to live off others’ donations. If you do happen to eat at a public feast, offer something in return — for example, if the meal you received would cost a hundred rupees, then humbly donate one hundred and one rupees there with respect. It is not proper for a householder to feel pleased with free food. Food received without offering anything in return can diminish your spiritual merit and increase distractions during Naam Jap. Avoid accepting free food or water from anyone. If you must accept it, offer a suitable donation and ensure it comes from a clean and sacred place.
Consume Food Only from Righteously Earned Income
A householder’s income should be earned through righteous and just means — only then can their devotion remain firm, and only then can their spiritual practice bear fruit. Food obtained through money earned by injustice, dishonesty, theft, or deceit is impure at its root, and such food obstructs naam jap. No matter how hard one tries, the mind will not settle, and success in spiritual practice will remain out of reach. If someone’s food is sourced from impure or corrupt earnings, they should not even expect to progress in spiritual life. Food shapes the mind, and it is the mind that holds onto the holy name or mantra. One who gathers wealth through unrighteous means cannot truly do naam jap — even if they hold prayer beads in their hands, their mind will remain immersed in worldly distractions.
Moderate Diet and Regulated Routine
If one truly wishes to engage in naam jap, they should eat only half the stomach’s capacity. As the mind becomes absorbed in Naam Jap, the natural inclination toward food will decrease on its own. But if one continues to overeat, stuffing beyond need, how can naam jap take place? A balanced and disciplined food routine should be established for life.
Food prepared in the evening should not be consumed the following morning. Such food is considered stale and impure for a spiritual practitioner. Similarly, any food that has become contaminated, such as with a hair, a fly, or in any other impure manner, should be discarded without hesitation.
Avoid These Three Defects in Food
Three primary defects are considered in relation to food: Inherent defect, source-related defect, and circumstantial defect.
1. Inherent Defect in Food
This refers to food items that are inherently unsuitable for spiritual practice due to their natural qualities. Examples include onions, garlic, turnips, carrots, etc. These are all in the mode of ignorance, and consuming them inevitably causes disturbance in Naam Jap. They awaken the mode of ignorance (quality of darkness and inertia), which directly hinders naam jap.
Although they grow from the earth, which is sacred in itself, like potatoes do, their inherent qualities are not conducive to devotional life. These items dull the intellect and pollute the mind, making it harder for the practitioner to stay focused during Naam Jap.
That is why saints have advised giving them up. It’s not that eating onion or garlic is considered sinful in itself, but it is said that they obstruct the success of Naam Jap. True and deep spiritual practice becomes possible only when one’s food is in the mode of goodness (pure and elevating). While these items in the mode of ignorance may not be as extreme as meat or alcohol, they still contribute to inner impurity and mental unrest. Therefore, their renunciation is considered essential for progress in naam jap.
2. Defect Due to the Source or Association
This defect refers to impurity arising from the place, vessel, or person associated with the preparation or storage of the food. Even if the food itself is pure and in mode of goodness, if it has come into contact with an impure source, it becomes tainted.
For example, consider a kitchen where vegetarian food has been prepared. However, if that same kitchen was earlier used to cook meat, using the same stove, the same utensils, and the same cook, then the food now carries a defect of association. Consuming such food will dull your intellect and make it harder to focus on Naam Jap.
Just as eating meat corrupts one’s thinking and leads the person toward degradation, similarly, food prepared in such a contaminated environment, though outwardly in the mode of goodness, can pollute the mind due to the impurity of its association.
Another example: If vegetables or milk are stored in a refrigerator that was used to keep alcohol, they too become impure, even if the milk is from a pure cow. The impurity arises from contact with a defiled object.
For this reason, one should not accept food from unfamiliar or unknown sources. A dish may appear in the mode of goodness, but if it bears a defect of association, it can silently contaminate the inner mind. This is also why store-bought or restaurant food is generally not suitable for one engaged in naam jap — it often carries unseen impurities that disturb the mind and block progress in Naam Jap.
3. Defect Due to the Person Involved
This refers to the influence of the person who has prepared, touched, or even looked upon the food — and this is of great importance for a spiritual practitioner. Who is considered unsuitable (or “untouchable”) for us in this context? Anyone who is not devoted to the Lord, who is disconnected from Naam Jap, whose lifestyle and habits are impure — food touched by such a person should not be accepted by a seeker.
Even if someone is considered socially low-born, if they engage in Naam Jap, and are absorbed in remembrance of the lord, then it is acceptable to sit and eat with them. On the other hand, even a learned scholar, if turned away from God and living in a corrupt manner, should be avoided, both in terms of association and food prepared by them.
A seeker should go so far as to ensure that even the gaze of such God-averse individuals does not fall upon the food. Just as we cover food when offering it to the Lord, similarly, we should ensure that impure eyes do not fall upon what we eat. If you must carry food somewhere, take care to keep it covered, so that even the influence of impure vision does not affect it.
In this way, a practitioner should only consume food that is free from all three defects. If you are truly serious about Naam Jap, give up all items made in the market or a restaurant. Make it a principle to ask: Where was this food prepared? Who made it? What is the nature, behavior, and inner purity of that person? Without knowing these things, do not accept food. Because as the food is, so become our thoughts. And as our thoughts are, so becomes our mind — and our naam jap.
Your Thoughts While Eating Are Extremely Important
Where your mind dwells during eating is of great importance. While eating food, the attention should neither be absorbed in the food itself, nor in the thoughts of any person, object, or place. If you remember someone while eating, their qualities and tendencies begin to influence you. For instance, if the person you’re thinking of is restless, angry, or deeply involved in worldly pleasures, those same traits will quietly enter your own consciousness, and for the next 24 hours, you’ll find yourself colored by them. Your mind will repeatedly return to those impressions, and this becomes a major obstacle in Naam Jap.
Worse still, if you think of someone with impure or sensual intent — for example, a woman with inappropriate desire — your Naam or mantra jap will not bear fruit. That impure vibration directly disturbs the subtle channels needed for successful naam jap.
However, if while eating, you remember the Lord, a saint, or your spiritual master, their divine energy begins to permeate your being. Their influence lasts for the next 24 hours. Your naam jap deepens, the mind becomes steadier, and the inner consciousness stays pure.
Therefore, a practitioner should be extremely mindful of their thoughts during meals. The best way to keep the mind steady and elevated during eating is to silently engage in Naam Jap while taking each bite. This not only purifies the act of eating but also aligns the mind and body with the path of devotion.
Offer Food to the Lord Before Eating
One should never remain with an unclean mouth. After eating anything, rinse your mouth thoroughly three times and wash your hands. While doing this, mentally recite “Radha Vallabh Shri Harivansh” three times. This simple act purifies the senses and restores spiritual cleanliness.
Before eating any food, it must be offered to the Lord. Only after worshipping and offering it should you accept it as sacred food imbued with divine grace. Always place the food before the Lord, mentally or physically offer it, and only then partake of it.
This transforms the act of eating into a spiritual practice. The food is no longer merely physical nourishment — it becomes a medium for grace, aligning your body and consciousness with devotion.
Guidance By: Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj
