Our five fingers represent our five senses of perception (jnanendriya), the five organs of action (karmendriya) and the five basic elements (panca bhootas). The thumb represents the fire-element; forefinger represents wind element; middle finger the space element; ring finger the Earth element and the little finger represents the water element. Thus, the five basic elements exist within our five fingers!

In the palm of the hand, are the nerve endings leading to the kidneys, the liver and stomach. Thus our entire body exists within the palm.

Before every meal wash hands thoroughly. Sit on the floor. With the palm of the right hand, crush the food in your plate into a smooth paste.

There is a deep hidden scientific principle behind this ancient practice.

When the food is pasted using the fingers and the palm of the hand, the nerve endings located in the palm get massaged. Whatever may be the food you eat, including chapattis, chutney, sambar etc. it should touch the palm of the hand. By doing so, the large as well as the small intestine, the liver and the kidney are massaged. Digestive juices flow to their best capacity. With this, the problem of diabetes is alleviated.

This therapy also ensures sound sleep. We will be more calm and happy. The calm mind is more eager to adhere to truthfulness. These benefits cannot be obtained by eating with spoon or by using merely the fingers for eating/ mixing food. It is obtained only when food touches the palm of the hand. Those who only use their fingers to mix or eat food are actually eating with the spoon.

Secondly, when the food is eaten with the hand, the five elements represented by our five fingers, touch the palm of the hand where the nerve endings of the five organs of perception (jnenendriyas) and organs of action (karmendriya) exist. This process ensures that food is supplied to all the 10 organs. In other words, the energy from the five fingers (five elements) is transferred to the organs of perception and action (senses), thereby energising them.

(Source: Kurukshetra Oct 2017)