Shloka
यातयामं गतरसं पूति पर्युषितं च यत् |
उच्छिष्टमपि चामेध्यं भोजनं तामसप्रियम् ||१७-१०||Transliteration
yātayāmaṃ gatarasaṃ pūti paryuṣitaṃ ca yat .
ucchiṣṭamapi cāmedhyaṃ bhojanaṃ tāmasapriyam ||17-10||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
17.10. What is old, bereft of taste, ill-smelling, and stale; what is also left after eating, and is impure - such a food is dear to the men of the Tamas (Strand).
Shri Purohit Swami
17.10 The Ignorant love food which is stale, not nourishing, putrid and corrupt, the leavings of others and unclean.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
17.7-10 Aharah etc. upto tamasapriyam. What is old : that for which [three] yamas have elapsed [after cooking].
Sri Ramanuja
17.10 Stale (Yatayamam) means that food which has lost its original state, being kept for a long time. Tasteless (Gatarasam) means that which has lost its natural taste. Putrid (Puti) means emitting a bad smell. Decayed (Paryusitam) means aciring a rancidity by lapse of time. Refuse (Ucchistam) means the food that has remained over after being partaken by persons other than Gurus, etc. Unclean (Amedhyam) is that which is not fit for offering in sacrifice or worship. The meaning is that, being unfit for offering in worship, they cannot become the sacrificial remainder. Foods of this kind which promote the growth of Tamas are dear to those who are characterised by Tamas. Food (Bhojana) means that which is eaten. Tamasik food promotes further increase of Tamas. Hence, those persons who care for their own welfare by the growth of Sattva, should eat food charaterised by Sattva.
Sri Shankaracharya
17.10 Bhojanam, food; which is yata-yamam, not properly cooked [Yata-yamam lit. means ‘crooked three hours ago’, that which has lost its essence; but here it is translated as ’not properly cooked to avoid tautology, for the next word gata-rasam, too, means lacking in essence.-Tr.] (-because food that has lost its essence is referred to by the word gatarasam-); gata-rasam, lacking in essence; puti, putrid; and paryusitam, stale, cooked on the previous day and kept over-night; and even ucchistam, ort, remnants of a meal; and amedhyam, that which is unfit for sacrifice;- this kind of food is tamasa-priyam, dear to one possessed of tamas. Now then, sacrifices of three kinds are being stated:
Swami Adidevananda
17.10 That food which is stale, tasteless, putrid, decayed, refuse, unclean, is dear to Tamasika men.
Swami Gambirananda
17.10 Food which is not properly cooked, lacking in essence, putrid and stale, and even ort and that which is unfit for sacrifice, is dear to one possessed of tamas.
Swami Sivananda
17.10 That which is state, tasteless, putrid, rotten, refuse and impure, is the food liked by the Tamasic.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
17.10 यातयामम् state? गतरसम् tasteless? पूति putrid? पर्युषितम् rotten? च and? यत् which? उच्छिष्टम् refuse? अपि also? च and? अमेध्यम् impure? भोजनम् food? तामसप्रियम् liked by the Tamasic.Commentary Cannabis indica (Ganja)? Bhang? opium? cocaine? Charas? Chandoo? all stale and putrid articles? are Tamasic.Yatayamam Stale? literally means cooked three hours ago. Yatayamam and Gatarasam mean the same thing.Paryushitam Rotten The cooked food which has been kept overnight.Uchchishtam What is left on the plate after a meal.The man whose taste is of a Tamasic nature will eat food in the afternoon that has been cooked on the previous day. He also likes that which is halfcooked or burnt to a cinder. He and all the members of his family sit together and eat from the same dish or plate? food that has been mixed into a mess by his children.The food eaten by Tamasic people is stale? dry? without juice? unripe or overcooked. They do not relish it? till it begins to rot and ferment. They take prohibited foods and drinks. They take liors? fermented toddy? etc. They are horrible people with devilish tendencies.