The kitchen used to be a place which was treated with utmost respect like a temple or an altar at home. When eating during the sunlight period the whole physical system is active, able to digest and absorb the nutrients from the meals. In the absence of light, these rhythms become sluggish, in the presence of light they become active. Scientifically this belief has been validated, as the circadian rhythms in the body are controlled by light. Until recently in India the belief was prevalent that after sunset nothing should be eaten. After sunset or before sunrise in the dark, nothing was to be consumed as it would play a detrimental role to one’s health. Breakfast after sunrise and dinner before sunset.
Everything that was to be consumed, prepared or made was in the period of sunlight. In vedic times, life revolved around sunlight.
The main understanding of people was how to apply mantras. The routine followed in the vedic civilization was highly saturated with mantras from morning until night. This meant that three times they were chanting the Gayatri mantra during the day.
Also prior to breakfast many of the household rituals were performed by the elders of the family, like small agnihotra or havan always using the mantras.Īfter the first meal, the young would go to school, learning everything in Sanskrit, using mantras, practising the sandhyas morning, afternoon, evening. Then after bath and before breakfast, the Gayatri mantra was chanted. Govinda in the base of the hands, therefore have darshan through your hands first thing in the morning. Lakshmi is residing in the fingers of the hand, Saraswati in the palms Karamoole tu Govinda, prabhaate karadarshanam. Karagre vasate Lakshmi, karamadhye Saraswati At the time of waking up, the first sensorial input was looking at the hands and chanting the waking up mantras: From morning until the time people went to bed, they were surrounded by the chant of mantras. Today, time is spent on mobile phones and in interaction with the net in vedic times the moments of the day were taken up by mantras.