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. Hover 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.
You reach for another extra-spicy, late-night meal because your nerves want a hit, not balance. The body feels it later — in sleep, mood, and energy.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from taste alone to the mental state that chooses the food and the result it creates.
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
On the battlefield, Krishna is teaching 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.
Why this verse still matters
You reach for another extra-spicy, late-night meal because your nerves want a hit, not balance. The body feels it later — in sleep, mood, and energy.
“What feels exciting in the moment can quietly wear you down afterward.”