Bhagavad Gita BG 17.10
Chapter 17, Verse 10 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
यातयामं गतरसं पूति पर्युषितं च यत् । उच्छिष्टमपि चामेध्यं भोजनं तामसप्रियम् ॥
yata-yamam gata-rasam puti paryushitam ca yat ucchishtam api ca amedhyam bhojanam tamasa-priyam
Meaning
That which is stale (cooked more than three hours before), tasteless, putrid, and leftover — and what is impure (amedhya) — is food liked by the tamasic.
Understanding
Tamasic food: yata-yamam (literally 'three watches old' — stale, having lost its vital force after more than three hours of cooking in traditional context). Gata-rasam (its rasa — essence/flavor — has gone). Puti (putrid, foul-smelling). Paryushitam (leftover, day-old). Ucchishtam (the leftovers of another's meal — traditionally considered impure because the life-force has been drawn out). Amedhyam (ritually impure, unclean). Tamasic food is food that has lost prana — vital energy — whether through being stale, putrid, or impure. Such food feeds the tamasic tendencies of inertia, dullness, and torpor. Just as tamasic consciousness is characterized by a kind of deadness and heaviness, tamasic food is food that has lost its living quality.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| यातयामम् | yata-yamam | stale, three watches old, lacking vitality |
| गतरसम् | gata-rasam | whose essence/rasa has gone, tasteless, devitalized |
| पूति | puti | putrid, foul-smelling, rotten |
| पर्युषितम् | paryushitam | leftover, overnight food |
| अमेध्यम् | amedhyam | ritually impure, unclean, unfit for offering |
| यात-याम | yāta-yāmam | cooked three hours before |
| पूति | pūti | stinking, putrid |
| पर्युषितम् | paryuṣitam | stale, overripe |
| च | ca yat | and which |
| उच्छिष्टम् | ucchiṣṭam | remnants of food |
| अपि | api ca | and also |
| भोजनम् | bhojanam | food |
| तामस-प्रियम् | tāmasa-priyam | dear to those in ignorance |