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10
 

 
annam āpnuvanti, ye' annam brahmopāsate, Taittiriīya Upa-

nishad, 3,7; neither should food be neglected: annam

na parichakshiīta, Taittiriīya Upanishad, 3,8. Food being

so important it should be multiplied also; this should be
a rule

a rule:
annam bahu kurviīta tad vratam, Taittiriīya Upa-

nishad, 3, 9.
 

 
In the context of India's greatest tradition, wel-
coming a guest as almost a celestial arrived, the
direction to honour him is very clear, that none should

coming a guest as almost a celestial arrived, the
direction to honour him is very clear, that none should
be denied a welcome and shelter and food in any home.

It is a duty; by any means food must be obtained for

him. Worshipping the guest is worshipping him with
food

food:
na kañchana vasatau pratyaāchakshita, tad vrātam,
tasmad yaya
īta, tad vrātam,
tasmād yayā
kaya chana vidhayā bahvannam prāpnuyāt,
aradhyasma annam itya

arādhyasmā annam ityā
chakshate, Taittiriīya, Upanished

3,10. The very first to be fed before all is the guest and

is the one to be so worshipped: etam mukhato' smā

annam rādhyate, Taittiriīya Upanishad, 3,10. This is the

philosophy of food.
 

 
Water itself has been conceived as the source of

all. The Almighty and the very syllable representing

the Almighty 'om'. The importance is stressed in

making it the base of everything in the universe. Verily
everything is water, all beings are water, life breath is
water, al animals are water, all food is water, ambrosia

everything is water, all beings are water, life breath is
water, all animals are water, all food is water, ambrosia
is
water, the Almightly in his subtle (samrāṭ) monumental

(virāṭ) and unmanifest (svarāṭ) forms is water, the

metres are water, the luminaries are water. Vedic

texts are water, truth is water, all the the gods are

water, the three worlds, Bhuūḥ, Bhuvaḥ and Svaḥ are

water. The source of all these, the Almighty, denoted

by the syllable 'om': aāpo va idam sarvam, viśvā bhūtāny-

āpaḥ, prāṇā vā aāpah. paśava aāpo'nnam aāpo'mritam aṛitam āpaḥ
samrad

saṁrāḍ
āpo, virāḍāpas, svarāḍ apas chhandāmsyāpo jyoti-