Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 28
Guṇa-vibhāga: The Three Modes and the Path Beyond Them
पथ्यं पूतमनायस्तमाहार्यं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् । राजसं चेन्द्रियप्रेष्ठं तामसं चार्तिदाशुचि ॥ २८ ॥
pathyaṁ pūtam anāyastam āhāryaṁ sāttvikaṁ smṛtam rājasaṁ cendriya-preṣṭhaṁ tāmasaṁ cārti-dāśuci
যে আহার পাথ্য, পবিত্র এবং সহজে প্রাপ্ত, তা সাত্ত্বিক; যে আহার ইন্দ্রিয়কে তৎক্ষণাৎ তৃপ্ত করে, তা রাজস; আর যে আহার অশুচি ও কষ্টদায়ক, তা তামস।
Food in the mode of ignorance causes painful disease and ultimately premature death.
FAQs
In Bhagavatam 11.25.28, Kṛṣṇa explains that wholesome, pure, easily obtained food is sāttvika; intensely sense-pleasing food is rājasa; and impure food that brings distress is tāmasa.
Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava on how the three guṇas influence daily life; by understanding food’s qualities, a seeker can choose habits that support clarity, devotion, and steady spiritual practice.
Choose clean, nourishing, simply prepared foods that support health and calmness; reduce foods chosen mainly for intense stimulation; avoid questionable, impure, or distress-causing foods that agitate the mind and body.