Monday Morning Greetings 2026 #33 – Kaniṣṭha, Madhyam, and Uttama Eating

Kaniṣṭha, Madhyam, and Uttama Eating[1] The first and lowest stage of consciousness, which represents the karmic or selfish mind, is called anna-moya. It’s the consciousness of an animal who sees things mostly in terms of eating. Therefore, for one who is serious about elevating one’s consciousness, controlling one’s eating is a priority. It is no wonder that one of the six main obstacles on the path of bhakti-yoga is called atyāhāra — ati – extreme, āhāra – eating. Interestingly, although atyāhāra literally means “overeating,” the term is used primarily in a generic way to indicate the excessive increase of material demands. It shows how much improper eating is a feature of lower consciousness and why dealing with eating properly is so essential in spiritual life. I have divided eating into three levels according to its effect on consciousness. The terms kaniṣṭha (neophyte), madhyam (middling), and uttama (topmost) are generic terms used to indicate the level of one’s qualification…