The body’s nourishment is also divine.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अहं वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनां देहमाश्रितः |प्राणापानसमायुक्तः पचाम्यन्नं चतुर्विधम् ||१५-१४||
ahaṃ vaiśvānaro bhūtvā prāṇināṃ dehamāśritaḥ . prāṇāpānasamāyuktaḥ pacāmyannaṃ caturvidham ||15-14||
Use this verse for mindful eating.
Meaning
Becoming the digestive fire in the bodies of living beings, united with prana and apana, I digest the four kinds of food.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna is present even as digestive fire in the body.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna brings spirituality into the body. Digestion, breath, food, and energy are sacred processes supported by Him. Eating can become mindful and devotional.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna now moves His presence from the cosmos into the intimacy of our own bodies. As Vaiśvānara — the digestive fire — He dwells within every living being, working together with prāṇa (the in-breath) and apāna (the out-breath) to digest the fourfold food we eat. The metabolic processes that keep us alive moment to moment are not merely biological mechanics; they are the Divine at work within us.
This is a remarkably intimate teaching. The very fire that transforms our food into energy and life is God Himself, abiding in our bodies. There is no part of our existence, however ordinary or bodily, that is untouched by His presence.
This understanding underlies the ancient practice of offering food to God before eating, seeing the act of nourishment as a sacred sacrifice rather than mere consumption. Krishna is dissolving the false boundary between the spiritual and the physical: the same Lord we seek in meditation is the warmth at work in our digestion.
In daily life
Eat with awareness, gratitude, and moderation.
A person can pause before eating, breathe once, and remember Krishna as digestive fire.
Try this today
Take one mindful breath before your next meal.
Krishna supports my breath, food, and digestion.Reflect
Do I treat eating as sacred or automatic?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘प्राणापानसमायुक्तः’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on prana, in other chapters
- Verse 4.27The deepest restraint is not blind suppression but discipline kindled by wisdom, stilling body and mind to reveal the Self.
- Verse 8.12Gather your scattered attention inward by quieting the senses and settling the mind in the heart, the daily heart of meditation.
- Verse 5.13Dwell in your body like a calm resident in a city — let it function while you rest in the peace of non-doership.
- Verse 13.2Your body and mind are the field you observe, not the 'you' that does the observing.
Swipe left for 15.15 · Krishna is the heart-seated source of knowledge.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 15.14
Who says Bhagavad Gita 15.14, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 15.14, in Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga (Purushottama Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 15.14 mean?
Becoming the digestive fire in the bodies of living beings, united with prana and apana, I digest the four kinds of food. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 15.14 for daily life?
Eat with awareness, gratitude, and moderation. A person can pause before eating, breathe once, and remember Krishna as digestive fire.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 15.14 mean?
अहम् वैश्वानरः भूत्वा — I, having become the digestive fire Vaisvanara; प्राणिनाम् देहम् आश्रितः — dwelling in the bodies of living beings; प्राणापानसमायुक्तः — joined with the in-breath and out-breath; पचामि — I digest / cook; अन्नम् चतुर्विधम् — the fourfold food.
Where does verse 15.14 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 14 of 20 in Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga. The next verse is 15.15.