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Studying nourishment means understanding where and how it is grown, the circumstances of its growth, the type of fertilizer used, and the chemicals applied afterward. It involves knowing how the food came to you, how you prepared it, and ensuring you do not destroy or waste it. Food is known as Annapūrṇā. In the Himalayas, between India and Nepal, there is a very high and famous mountain by that name. Many skiers and mountaineers go there. It is also a holy pilgrimage site. There is a temple, the temple of Mother Annapūrṇā, Annapūrṇā Devī, the goddess. She is the goddess of nourishment. "Pūrṇā" means complete; "anna" is the food, especially grains—food that comes through seeds. The soul is wandering. In the Upaniṣads, it is described that when the soul leaves this body, it goes to the astral world. It is an astral substance, like a gaseous form, finer than gas. Through the rain, it returns to this planet. Through the water, it enters into vegetation; from vegetation, it enters into the seeds, and then enters the bodies of creatures. This is one of the theories declared by some Upaniṣads on how the soul returns. It is a process of coming and going. The seed is life, anna, life itself, and we call it Annadevā, God, Goddess. Annapūrṇā Devī is the mother of nourishment. She should be remembered and worshipped. This is not one person; it is that strength. It is the substance of life which keeps us alive. That is Mother Nature. The mother nourishes the child. So in all kinds of nourishment, that power is the mother power. You can feel a nearness to your food. When we are hungry, what do we do? We search for food, exactly like a child searches for its mother. We go to the refrigerator—that is a modern mother who keeps food for us—or we go to the food store, or to the fields, or to the kitchen. The principle is the same: a small child, when hungry, searches for the mother's breast. It doesn't matter which creature; similarly, every hungry being searches for that food. Therefore, it is said: do not waste food. To throw away bread is a sin. Why bread? Because bread is made from grains. Bread means luck, happiness, completeness, a divine symbol of life; bread is life. Bread and salt: salt is the essence of the earth. "Thou art the salt of the earth," as said in the Testament. What does this mean? You are coming from Mother Earth. The child is nourished and grown from the mother's body. Similarly, we are all nourished and we come from Mother Earth. Adore and respect Mother Earth. We are all playing, running, and jumping on the mother's stomach, doing all we like, but she has the power to endure. Mother Earth is nourishment. Do not waste food. It means you should know your limits. How much can you eat? Cook only that much. Because the eyes are hungrier than the stomach. When one is hungry, the eye's measurement is greater than the stomach's measurement. Many people cook for two persons but, in reality, they cook for five persons' worth, and food is wasted greatly. In hospitals especially, 75% of food is wasted, and unfortunately, most hospitals have the unhealthiest food. If you want to become ill, go to the hospital; and if you are ill, then you should go. So in the hospital, the best things are medicine, rehabilitation, and rest. That is the only best; the rest is not good. I often wonder why doctors are not in a position to change the quality of food in hospitals. Maybe it is not in their hands. This is another subject. Therefore, study your nourishment. Similarly, what is the water? What are we doing with the water? From where does water come? It comes as very nice, pure, clean water, and what do we do? We put all our dirty clothes inside. Into such nice, pure water, you put dirty clothes and then a lot of washing powder. Still, water is so nice that it gives you your dress back clean. You give it dirty, but water says, "OK, forget it," and gives you clean back. And what do you do with the dirty water? You throw it on the head of Mother Earth, into the rivers, into the ocean; it all goes to our soils. This is a life study, svādhyāya. Unfortunately, the majority of the world's population does not think like this. Twenty or twenty-five years ago, I didn't hear about mineral water in Czechoslovakia. At most, there was other water, called bitter water, like what's from Františkovy Lázně, Vincentka—water from healing springs. But normally, buying mineral water in bottles to drink was not so common. Now, within 20 years, we have polluted so much of the earth that nearly everyone is running with a mineral water bottle. In some places, mineral water is more expensive than milk itself. What do we think, and what should we imagine in 50 years? What will be the price of drinking water, and from where will it come? The first epidemic to attack the human race will be polluted water. Whatever you drink will cause disease. If we are not studying our actions, svādhyāya, then study your food, study your nourishment—your liquid water nourishment, solid nourishment, and the fine energy nourishment. Energy nourishment is air, prāṇa. Then everybody will rush to sit on top of a mountain where the air is a little better. --- Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer seminar