Shloka
अहं वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनां देहमाश्रितः |
प्राणापानसमायुक्तः पचाम्यन्नं चतुर्विधम् ||१५-१४||Transliteration
ahaṃ vaiśvānaro bhūtvā prāṇināṃ dehamāśritaḥ .
prāṇāpānasamāyuktaḥ pacāmyannaṃ caturvidham ||15-14||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
15.14. Being the digestive fire dwelling within the body of living creatures, and being in association with the upward and downward winds [of the body], I digest the four kinds of food.
Shri Purohit Swami
15.14 Becoming the fire of life, I pass into their bodies and, uniting with the vital streams of Prana and Apana, I digest the various kinds of food.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
15.12-14 Yad aditya-etc. upto caturvidham. While clarifying the role [of the Lord] as the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer - a role that has been indicated in the Tenth Chapter - by [the description of Him as identical with] the triple luminories like the sun etc., our venerable preceptor has rightly said : The present passage declares that the power, the pentad of elements has [both] collectively and individually, to sustain the world, is the Absolute power of the Bhagavat Himself. For instance : The sunlight has the power of illumining and sustaining, because the twin elements of the fire and the earth are one [with the Bhagavat]. This has been started by the twin hemistitches ‘[That light] which is found in the sun etc.’ and ‘And by penetrating the earth etc.’ The moon-light is illumining and nourishing because of its assoication of the elements of the earth, the water and the fire [with the Bhagavat]. That has been stated by the portion ‘[That light] which is in the moon’ and by the hemistitch ‘Being the sapful moon I nourish all plants’. The light of fire is, however, of the nature of illumining, parching, burning, sweating and ripening (or cooking). It is so because of the association of the elements, the earth, the water, the fire and the wind [with the Bhagavat]. The same has been said here by the portion, ‘[That light] which is in the fire’ and also by the [entire verse] ‘I, being the digestive fire etc.’ But the [element] ether is no doubt all pervaisve (inclusive), because it is of the form of room which is nothing but awareness. Therefore, having so far explained the nature [of the Absolute Self] as the object of knowledge, now, with a view to show the Self to be conscious of the freedom that remains as a background (or substratum) of that very nature of object of knowledge; to be of transcending nature; to be the Supreme Lord; to be independent in all knowledges; and to be the Creator of all; [the Lord] says -
Sri Ramanuja
15.14 Becoming the ‘digestive fire’, or the fire of digestion, I function within the bodies of all living creatures. In union with various activities of ‘inward and outward breaths’, I digest the ‘four kinds of food’ eaten by individuals. These consist of foods to be chewed, sucked, licked and drunk.
The Supreme Person who has the Soma, digestive fire etc., as his glory (Vibhuti) is here eated with Him by means of co-ordinate predication in the verses ‘Becoming the juicy Soma’ and ‘Becoming the digestive fire’. He now sets forth the reason for eating these glories with Himself.
Sri Shankaracharya
15.14 Bhutva, taking the form of; vaisvanarah, Vaisvanara, the fire in the stomach, mentioned in such Upanisadic texts as, ‘This fire that is within man and digests the food (that is eaten) is Vaisvanara’ (Br. 5.9.1); becoming that Vaisvanara, and asritah, residing in, entering; deham, the bodies; praninam, of creatures, of living beings; aham, I Myself; prana-apana-samayuktah, in association [i.e. kindled, inflamed, by Prana and Apana.] with Prana and Apana; [Prana-that vital force which goes upward and has its seat really in the heart (cf. Tai. Br. 3.10.8.5), but it said to be located at the tip of the nose since its presence is directly felt there. Apana-that vital force which goes downward, below the navel, and has its seat in the organs of excertion.-Tr.] pacami, digest; the caturvidham, four kinds of; annam, food-those that are eaten by masticating, swallowing, sucking and licking. The eater is the fire called Vaisvanara, and the eaten is the food Soma. One who looks upon all that there is as being these two, fire and Soma, is not affected by the impurity of food. Further,
Swami Adidevananda
15.14 Becoming the digestive fire, I function within the bodies of all living beings. In union with inward and outward breath, I digest the four kinds of food.
Swami Gambirananda
15.14 Taking the form of Vaisvanara and residing in the bodies of creatures, I, in association with Prana and Apana, digest the four kinds of food.
Swami Sivananda
15.14 Having become the fire Vaisvanara, I abide in the body of living beings and, associated with the Prana and the Apana, digest the fourfold food.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
15.14 अहम् I? वैश्वानरः (the fire) Vaisvanara? भूत्वा having become? प्राणिनाम् of living beings? देहम् the body? आश्रितः abiding? प्राणापानसमायुक्तः associated with Prana and Apana? पचामि (I) digest? अन्नम् food? चतुर्विधम् fourfold.Commentary The immanence of the Lord as the gastric fire in all living beings is described in this verse.Vaisvanara The fire that abides in the stomach. This fire is fanned by the bellows of the incoming and the outgoing breaths continuously and large antities of food are digested. Inside the wonderful laboratory of the stomach I digest the food by taking the form of this gastric fire.Four kinds of food (1) Food which has to be eaten by mastication (Bhakshyam). (2) That which has to be sucked in (Bhojyam). (3) That which has to be licked (Lehyam). (4) That which has to be devoured or swallowed (Choshyam). Another classification is as follows (1) Rice is PrithiviAnnam (solid food) for human beings. (2) Water is Apyannam (watery food) for birds like the Chataka. (3) Fire is Tejasannam (hot food) for certain creatures. (4) Air is Vayvannam (air as food) for serpents.अयमग्निर्वैश्वानरो योऽयमन्तः पुरुषः येनेदमन्नं पच्यते।।This fire which is within man and by which the food is digested is Vaisvanara. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.9.1)He who thinks or meditates and feels that the Vaisvanara fire is the eater? that the food eaten by the fire is the Soma (moon) and that the two together form AgniSoma is not contaminated by the impurities in the food. He who meditates before he takes his food that the whole world which is in the form of eater and eaten is made up of Agni and Soma? is not tainted by the evil arising from eating bad food.Repeat this verse daily before you take your food. You will be free from all taints of impurity in food.