Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17, Verse 7

Chapter 17 – Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

आहारस्त्वपि सर्वस्य त्रिविधो भवति प्रियः ।
यज्ञस्तपस्तथा दानं तेषां भेदमिमं शृणु ॥

Transliteration

āhārastvapi sarvasya trividho bhavati priyaḥ .
yajñastapastathā dānaṃ teṣāṃ bhedamimaṃ śṛṇu ॥

Meaning

Even the food that each person likes is of three kinds, and so are sacrifice, austerity and charity. Hear from Me the distinction between them.

Word meanings

आहारः – food
तु – indeed
अपि – also
सर्वस्य – of everyone
त्रिविधः – threefold
भवति – is
प्रियः – dear, liked
यज्ञः – sacrifice
तपः – austerity
तथा – likewise
दानम् – charity
तेषाम् – of them
भेदम् – distinction
इमम् – this
शृणु – hear

Anvaya (word order)

सर्वस्य प्रियः आहारः अपि तु त्रिविधः भवति; तथा यज्ञः तपः दानं (च त्रिविधम्); तेषाम् इमं भेदं शृणु ।

Explanation

Having described the three kinds of faith, Krishna now applies the same test to four other important areas of life: food, sacrifice, austerity and charity. This verse introduces them all.

It is striking that ahara, food, comes first. Food is the most ordinary, everyday matter, yet Krishna places it alongside spiritual subjects such as sacrifice, austerity and charity. The reason is that food directly affects the mind. The Chandogya Upanishad says, 'When food is pure, the mind becomes pure.' What we eat becomes the raw material of our thoughts and feelings.

The words sarvasya priyah, 'dear to each', are important. Krishna is pointing out that the food a person likes reveals his nature. A sattvic person likes sattvic food, a rajasic person rajasic food. Our tastes are signs of the gunas within us.

Then: yajnas tapas tatha danam, sacrifice, austerity and charity are each threefold as well. These three are the main pillars of religious life. In Chapter 18 Krishna will say that sacrifice, charity and austerity are never to be abandoned, for they purify even the wise (18.5). Here He will show that they purify only when performed in a sattvic spirit.

Context

The preceding verses described the three kinds of faith and austerity contrary to scripture; this verse introduces the threefold division of food, sacrifice, austerity and charity. The next three verses describe the three kinds of food.

Life lesson

Our food, worship, self-discipline and giving all reveal our nature. Try to make every one of these areas sattvic, beginning with what is on your plate.

Key terms

Ahara: Food; more broadly, everything taken in through the senses
Yajna, tapas, dana: The three pillars of religious life — offering, self-discipline and giving