Ugadi Pachadi, Chakras and Emotions.

Yugadi or Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka is a festival marking the beginning of a new year. This festival falls on the on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada (between March and April). This festival also marks the beginning of spring season and time of the first harvest. This harvest festival is celebrated with the cleansing of the house, making of Rangoli, buying new clothes, greeting family and preparing special food preparation. One such special preparation is Ugadi Pachadi.

Ugadi Pachadi is a kind of Raita that has its own significance. Ugadi Pachadi is a special preparation prepared on Ugadi in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This is very special preparation as it has a mixture of flavors and each representing a certain emotion. 

Ugadi Pachadi has 6 different tastes in it which represent different flavors of life. They are called Shadruchulu (six tastes). In the Ugadi Pachadi each ingredient brings out a flavor representing an emotion, this flavor and emotion also represent the chakras of the body.

If Ugadi Pachadi has a role in balancing the chakras is not certain, but the emotion that the ingredients exhibit is certainly synonymous to the chakras.

Each ingredient denotes the six tastes of life:

•     Sadness – The bitter taste of the Ugadi Pachadi comes from the Neem flowers. The bitter tastes are the unhappy moments of life. Bitter moments are also a part of life and so it should not be forgotten. ·    
•   Happiness – The sweet taste comes from the Jaggery and ripe banana pieces representing the happy moments of life.
•    Surprise – The tangy taste of the Ugadi Pachadi is from the unripe mango. Ugadi marks the beginning of the mango season. Hence unripe mango represents the surprise element of our life and that a person should always be prepared for it.
•      Anger – The spicy taste comes from the red chili/pepper powder. It represents the angry moments in life.
•     Fear – The salt represents the taste of life. The salty moments are necessary to make our lives interesting.
•     Sour – The Sour taste of Tamarind represents the sour moments of life which along with other flavors make our lives worth living.

The six taste represent the six chakras which are responsible for the functioning of the body.

Muladhara or root chakra located at the base of the spine in the coccygeal region of the subtle body. This chakra is associated with the major material problems and is associated with an element of earth. Personal possessions, financial needs, social needs all this bring about a fear of losing all that you have which then brings about sadness.This is an emotion of sadness is exhibited by the Neem flower in the Ugadi Pachadi.

Svadhishthana or sacral chakra believed to be located at the root of the sexual organ along the spine in the subtle body. This chakra is of water element, representing satisfaction and all good things in life. With satisfaction and pleasing moments of life comes happiness. The Jaggery in the Ugadi Pachadi highlights this emotion of happiness.

Manipura or the solar plexus chakra is located in the navel region along the subtle body's spinal column. This chakra represents the confidence, self-power, and identity. This chakra is governed by the fire element giving a certain spark to your life. The self - power, identity, and confidence invite a certain level of pride. This pride then ropes in anger if things don’t happen the way we want. The fiery anger is represented with the spicy taste of red chili/pepper powder in the Ugadi Pachadi

Anahata or the heart chakra is located in or behind the heart. This chakra is governed by your heart, compassion, love, emotions, and feelings. This chakra is represented by the element of Air. With emotions comes fear, the fear of being hurt, betrayed or losing something. Thus the emotion of fear is governed by this chakra. The salt in Ugadi Pachadi represents the emotion of fear which is governed by this chakra.  

Vishuddha or throat chakra is located at the base of subtle body's throat. This chakra governs the speech, throat, taste, and tongue. The tongue and speech is difficult to control. This uncontrolled speech results in sour moments. Thus the emotion of Sourness goes well with this chakra. In Ugadi Pachadi this emotion is exhibited by the flavor of tamarind.

Ajna or third-eye chakra is the subtle center of energy, believed to be located between the eyebrows, located behind it along the subtle (non-physical) spinal column governed by the element of space. This chakra represents the mind and thoughts of a person, the intelligence of a person. The thoughts of a human travel with a speed that is way greater than light, anything traveling with this speed certainly may bring many elements of surprise. Thus this chakra is denoted by the emotion of surprise exhibited with the tangy ingredient of unripe mangoes in the Ugadi Pachadi.

Sahasrara or crown chakra is the topmost chakra in the subtle body, located in the crown of the head. This chakra symbolizes the ultimate bliss and is certainly an amalgamation of all the previous chakras. This Sahasrara chakra also means the ultimate completion 'purna'. The only way to activate this chakra is to surpass all the chakras. The combination of all the flavors and emotions lead to a certain completion as it has taken you through a journey of all aspects of human life. This Ugadi Pachadi not only has a delicious taste but also comes with many health benefits according to Ayurveda. Hence the in totality this dish is a package of everything resembling the Crown Chakra.

Ingredient	Emotion	Chakra
Neem Flower	Sadness	Muladhara or root chakra
Jaggery	Happiness	Manipura or the solar plexus chakra
Unripe Mango	Surprise	Ajna or third-eye chakra
red chili/pepper powder	Anger	Svadhishthana  or sacral chakra
Salt	Fear	Anahata or the heart chakra
Tamarind	sour	Vishuddha or throat chakra
The Dish as a whole, Emotions, taste, health benefits, flavors.		Sahasrara or crown chakra