Baba Shri Amritnathji spent 26 years in the jungles. He considered his body to be a scientific laboratory and used it to make a deep study and did a lot of research on the effect of diet on the health of a person. His ideas and theories regarding health and dietary habits are his invaluable gift to the people of the world.

He said, “Food that can be easily digested provides peace and satisfaction to the mind and the body, keeps the digestive system healthy, and forms good nutrients to nourish the body after digestion. Such is the food we must have because as is the food and water we ingest, so will be our mentality and our speech.”

 The food we eat affects not only the body but also influences the brain, the conduct and the behavior of a person. In this regard I would like to describe an incident from my own experience.

 In the year 2002, I was 38 years old. Before that in the year 1981, I had just moved out of a hostel, and my food habits had become very defective. I would relish only those foods that were harmful for my body, like fried foods, food items prepared using refined flour, sweets, potatoes, hot spices, pickles, chilies, ‘papads’ (spicy wafers made of lentils), tea, cold drinks, etc. I had no desire to have healthy foods like fruits, salads, green vegetables, milk, etc.

Apart from this, I had developed many bad habits like going to bed at midnight or at 1 a.m., waking at 8a.m., not drinking even half liter of water in the entire day, drinking tea at least 5-6 times a day, etc. Due to my faulty lifestyle, I would spend at least 30-45 minutes in the toilet daily and yet I could not clear my bowels. Very often I would suffer from intestinal gas and headache and had to consume tablets to find relief.

In the year 1982 I developed health problems like sinus polyps, colitis (a digestive problem due to excess of fats, oils and heavy foods in the diet that causes mucus in the stool and loose motions), and indigestion. On an average, after every two months, I had to take a course of antibiotics, and because of that my body’s resistance power became weak and I began to get frequent attacks of malaria and other infections.

 Maybe due to being a bright scholar, I was an atheist from childhood. I had no feelings of reverence for God or for ‘gurus’ (religious teachers), whereas my mother, father and brother were of a very religious bent of mind. Although I had been visiting Babaji’s Ashram since 1983-84, and after I got married in 1990, I would visit the Ashram every year on the occasion of Sharad Purnima , yet at that time I had no feelings of reverence for Guruji. However in 2001, Guruji showered his benevolence on me, and due to his inspiration I developed the inclination to improve my dietary habits. I began to follow the guidelines given in the book ‘Shri Vilakshan Avdhoot’ and the instructions of Guruji and I felt such a vast improvement in my condition, that within 6 months, 95% of my diet consisted of foods recommended by Babaji. I developed an aversion for the foods that I enjoyed earlier. This improved my health to such an extent that once for three years at a stretch I did not have to take a single tablet as medicine whereas for the past twenty years I used to have, on an average, at least 200 tablets each year. For me this was unbelievable and simply amazing!

The effect on my mind and intellect, on following the instructions of Guruji regarding food habits, was unimaginable. The feelings of reverence and adoration that began to develop inside an atheist like me was something I had never deemed possible before! I began to experience a transformation in my mind, my intellect, my thoughts, my ideas, my conduct and my behavior. There was a reduction in evil thoughts and emotions like lust, anger and pride in me and I began to enjoy virtuous pursuits I began to feel as though Guruji had provided a new direction to my entire personality and my character.

 Maybe there are other saints in the world who can cure diseases of people through their blessings and miracles, but such an enlightened saint who can transform the entire personality and character of a person and rectify his wrong deeds is not only difficult but well-nigh impossible in today’s ‘kaliyug’ (era of evil). This is what I firmly believe.

Baba Shri Amritnathji says that a man cannot fall sick if he exercises control over his diet and habits. If due to ill luck one yet becomes ill, then one should treat the ailment with natural remedies (e.g. the appropriate use of mud, water, air and sunlight), fasting and silence. These are means by which one can freely and happily root out the disease from the body. 

According to him, a disease signifies that some unnecessary and harmful substance has developed in the body. Therefore, in illness you must allow nature to take its course and have patience and courage.

 In this connection, I would like to cite one more instance. As I mentioned earlier, due to the mercy and inspiration of Guru Baba Shri Narharinathji Maharaj, my food habits began to improve in 2002, due to which I benefited, both physically and mentally. Earlier I consumed allopathic medicines regularly like food, and later I stopped taking them altogether.

 It was in the year2003-2004, when one by one around 10-11 people of my family fell prey to viral fever that lasted for 7-8 days in each case. I also caught the infection and began to suffer from a fever of 104-105 degrees Fahrenheit. However, I had a firm belief in Babaji and without having any tablet, only by consuming fruit, juice and light food, I recovered within four days only.I did not have to take a single day’s leave from office.

This was indeed incredible for me!

After the ‘samadhi’ (Nirvana) of the Senior Maharajji, Shri Jyotinathji Maharaj, Shri Shubhnathji Maharaj, and Shri Hanumannathji Maharaj, also conducted research and studies on food habits and the treatment of ailments, for the benefit of mankind.

The present ‘mahant’ Shri Narharinathji Maharaj is continuing the tradition.

Baba Shri Narharinathji Maharaj even today, time after time, relates to us his own experiences and those of his ‘gurus’ regarding this subject.

Keeping in mind the words heard from the mouth of the ‘guru’ and also the matter written down in the food and diet section of the book, ‘Shri Vilakshan Avdhoot’, I have tried to present a concise and condensed treatise on the subject. If we can adopt the suggestions and guidelines of our ‘gurus’ in our daily lives, then we will be able to live with so much happiness as we never could have imagined before. The beneficial effects become apparent in less than a year. I am writing these words with full confidence that comes from my own experiences.

Shri Dilip Madhogaria
Kolkata