A core teaching · reflective in mood · easy to enter
“What excites the senses can quietly produce suffering.”
Bitter, sour, salty, overly hot, pungent, dry, and burning foods are dear to the passionate person. They bring pain, grief, and illness.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallybitter · sour · salty · overly hot · pungent · dry · burning · foods · of the passionate person · dear · pain · grief · illness · giving
Foods that are too sharp, hot, dry, or harsh attract a restless, passionate nature, but they lead to pain, grief, and illness.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga" (The Three Kinds of Faith).
Verse 9 sits in Chapter 17 of the Bhagavad Gita — Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga, "The Three Kinds of Faith". The chapter has 28 verses in total.
A canteen regular living on spicy fried snacks and strong tea wonders why his stomach and temper both burn. Krishna's rajasic list describes that diet: hot, sharp, dry food that brings pain, grief and illness.
Did you like this verse?
Bitter, sour, salty, very hot, pungent and dry foods please the rajasic, and bring pain and illness.
What this verse means
Foods that are too sharp, hot, dry, or harsh attract a restless, passionate nature, but they lead to pain, grief, and illness.
Context & commentary
Krishna teaches Arjuna how the qualities of food reveal the qualities of mind. After describing sattvic food, he now shows the rajasic pattern: what excites the senses often disturbs the person who craves intensity.
What it looks like today
A canteen regular living on spicy fried snacks and strong tea wonders why his stomach and temper both burn. Krishna's rajasic list describes that diet: hot, sharp, dry food that brings pain, grief and illness.
“What feels exciting in the moment can quietly wear you down afterward.”