Bhagwad Gita (English) | Chapter 15 | Verse 14

Chapter 15, Verse 14

The Yoga of the Supreme Person

I am the fire of digestion in every living body, and I am the air of life, outgoing and incoming, by which I digest the four kinds of foodstuff.

Verse

अहं वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनां देहमाश्रितः।प्राणापानसमायुक्तः पचाम्यन्नं चतुर्विधम्।।15.14।।

ahaṁ vaiśhvānaro bhūtvā prāṇināṁ deham āśhritaḥ
prāṇāpāna-samāyuktaḥ pachāmy annaṁ chatur-vidham

Meaning of each word

aham — I;
vaiśhvānaraḥ — fire of digestion;
bhūtvā — becoming;
prāṇinām — of all living beings;
deham — the body;
āśhritaḥ — situated;
prāṇa-apāna — outgoing and incoming breath;
samāyuktaḥ — keeping in balance;
pachāmi — I digest;
annam — foods;
chatuḥ-vidham — the four kinds

Interpretation

In this verse, Lord Krishna is explaining how He plays a vital role in the process of digestion in all living beings. Think of digestion as a cooking process happening inside our bodies. Just like we need heat to cook food, our stomachs also need a kind of 'fire' to break down and digest the food we eat. This 'fire' is what makes us feel hungry when it is working well, and when it is not active, we don’t feel the need to eat at all.

The 'fire' here symbolizes the Supreme Lord, who is essential for digestion. According to the ancient Ayurvedic texts, this digestive fire is crucial for our health. If this fire is weak, we may have trouble digesting food, which can lead to feelings of discomfort. Therefore, maintaining this digestive 'fire' is important.

Krishna is saying that He is present as this internal fire in every living body. He is also involved in the process of our breathing, which is like the rhythm of life itself–going in and out. This means that our life force, which keeps us alive and active, is also connected to Him.

When we eat, there are four main ways we consume food: swallowing, chewing, licking, and sucking. Krishna is reminding us that no matter how we eat, He is there to help digest everything. He is the unseen helper that allows us to enjoy the food we eat, giving us energy and satisfaction. Without that divine help, food would not be digested properly, and we wouldn't be able to enjoy it.

Finally, Krishna relates this concept to the Vedic teachings, confirming that He is everywhere–even within us aiding in our body's functions, including digestion. His presence ensures that everything in our lives, including eating and enjoying food, is possible.

Other Verses of Chapter 15

Verse 1
The Blessed Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.

Verse 2
The branches of this tree extend downward and upward, nourished by the three modes of material nature. The twigs are the objects of the senses. This tree also has roots going down, and these are bound to the fruitive actions of human society.

Verse 3
Its form is not perceived here as such, nor its end, origin, foundation, or resting place; having cut asunder this firmly rooted peepul tree with the strong axe of non-attachment.

Verse 4
Then, that goal should be sought for, to which, having gone, none returns again. I seek refuge in that Primeval Purusha, from whence streamed forth the ancient activity or energy.

Verse 5
One who is free from illusion, false prestige, and false association, who understands the eternal, who is done with material lust and is freed from the duality of happiness and distress, and who knows how to surrender unto the Supreme Person, attains to that eternal kingdom.

Verse 6
That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world.

Verse 7
The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.

Verse 8
The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas.

Verse 9
The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, tongue, and nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.

Verse 10
The foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor can they understand what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of the modes of nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can see all this.

Verse 11
The endeavoring transcendentalist, who is situated in self-realization, can see all this clearly. But those who are not situated in self-realization cannot see what is taking place, though they may try to.

Verse 12
The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me.

Verse 13
I enter into each planet, and by My energy they stay in orbit. I become the moon and thereby supply the juice of life to all vegetables.

Verse 15
I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.

Verse 16
There are two classes of beings, the fallible and the infallible. In the material world every entity is fallible, and in the spiritual world every entity is called infallible.

Verse 17
Besides these two, there is the greatest living personality, the Lord Himself, who has entered into these worlds and is maintaining them.

Verse 18
Because I am transcendental, beyond both the fallible and the infallible, and because I am the greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in the Vedas as that Supreme Person.

Verse 19
Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is to be understood as the knower of everything, and he therefore engages himself in full devotional service, O son of Bharata.

Verse 20
This is the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures, O sinless one, and it is disclosed now by Me. Whoever understands this will become wise, and his endeavors will know perfection.

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