Shloka 39
Mokṣa-dharma Yoga-Upadeśa: Equanimity, Sense-Restraint, and Vision of the Ātman (आत्मदर्शन-योगोपदेशः)
भुक्तं भुक्तमिदं कोछे कथमन्न॑ विपच्यते । कथं रसत्वं बत्रजति शोणितत्वं कथं पुन:,“यह बारंबार खाया हुआ अन्न उदरमें पहुँचकर कैसे पचता है? किस तरह उसका रस बनता है और किस प्रकार वह रक्तके रूपमें परिणत हो जाता है?
bhuktaṁ bhuktam idaṁ koṣṭhe katham annaṁ vipacyate | kathaṁ rasatvaṁ vrajati śoṇitatvaṁ kathaṁ punaḥ ||
“This food, eaten again and again, when it reaches the belly, how is it digested? How does it become rasa, the nutritive essence, and how, again, does it transform into blood?”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a concrete question—how food becomes essence and blood—to direct attention to the subtle, orderly processes sustaining life. Ethically, it encourages humility and self-knowledge: understanding the body’s dependence and transformation supports restraint, gratitude, and responsible action (dharma).
A Brahmin speaker raises a reflective, almost scientific-philosophical query about digestion and bodily transformation. The question functions as a prompt for deeper explanation about the inner workings of the body and the principles that govern living beings.