Bhagavad Gita BG 17.8
Chapter 17, Verse 8 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
आयुःसत्त्वबलारोग्यसुखप्रीतिविवर्धनाः । रस्याः स्निग्धाः स्थिरा हृद्या आहाराः सात्त्विकप्रियाः ॥
ayuh-sattva-bala-rogya- sukha-priti-vivardhanah rasya snigdhah sthira hrdya aharah sattvika-priyah
Meaning
Foods that increase life, purity, strength, health, happiness, and delight — which are juicy, smooth, nourishing, and naturally pleasing — are loved by the sattvic.
Understanding
Sattvic food: increases ayuh (life-force), sattva (clarity), bala (strength), arogya (health), sukha (happiness), priti (joy). Characters: rasya (juicy, flavorful), snigdha (smooth, unctuous, nourishing), sthira (steady, sustaining — not immediately burned off), hrdya (naturally pleasing to the heart). This is the classical Ayurvedic description of sattvic diet: foods that sustain long-term health and clarity, not those that give immediate stimulation but damage long-term. The insight: what we eat participates in forming our consciousness.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| आयुः | ayuh | life, life-span, vital force |
| बल | bala | strength, vigor |
| आरोग्य | arogya | health, absence of disease |
| रस्याः | rasya | juicy, full of rasa (flavor/essence) |
| स्निग्धाः | snigdha | smooth, unctuous, nourishing |
| स्थिराः | sthira | steady, sustaining, stable |
| आयुः | āyuḥ | life span |
| सत्त्व | sattva | existence, strength |
| आरोग्य | ārogya | health |
| सुख | sukha | happiness |
| प्रीति | prīti | pleasure |
| विवर्धनाः | vivardhanaḥ | increasing |
| रस्याः | rasyāḥ | juicy, tasty |
| स्निग्धाः | snigdhāḥ | oily, smooth |
| स्थिराः | sthirāḥ | nourishing, substantial |
| हृद्याः | hṛdyāḥ | pleasing to the heart |
| आहाराः | āhārāḥ | foods |
| सात्त्विक-प्रियाः | sāttvika-priyāḥ | dear to those in goodness |