Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17, Verse 9

English Translation

Foods that are bitter, sour, salty, very hot, pungent, dry and burning, and which production pain, sorrow and disease, are dear to one having rajas.

Detailed Commentary

17.9 Explanation: Kaṭu (bitter) – excessively bitter substances like bitter gourd and aloe vera. Amla (sour) – sour substances like tamarind, dried mango powder, lemon, buttermilk, and vinegar produced by fermentation. Lavaṇam (salty) – excessively salty substances. Atyuṣṇam (excessively hot) – substances that are extremely hot, from which steam emanates. Tīkṣṇam (pungent) – substances like red chili, which, when eaten, cause water to flow from the nose, eyes, mouth, and head. Rūkṣam (dry) – substances devoid of ghee or milk, like roasted chickpeas and sattu (roasted gram flour). Vidāhinaḥ (burning/caustic) – burning substances like mustard (mustard, when soaked in buttermilk, ferments and creates a great burning sensation). Āhārā rājasasyeṣṭāḥ – Food items of this nature are dear to the Rājasic individual, revealing their predilection. Duḥkhaśokāmayapradāḥ – But the outcome of such food is *duḥkha* (misery), *śoka* (sorrow), and *roga* (disease). The burning sensation experienced while consuming sour, pungent, and caustic food is *duḥkha*. After such a meal, there is no joy in the mind; rather, there is anxiety, which is *śoka*. Such food leads to *roga* (diseases) in the body.