Lord Krishna
Divine TeacherThe Supreme Lord, the charioteer and divine guide of Arjuna. Krishna delivers the eternal wisdom of the Gita, revealing the nature of the soul, duty, and the path to liberation.
Speaking: Chapter 17, Verse 8
Verse 8
The Yoga of the Three Types of Faith
Foods that promote longevity, vitality, strength, health, happiness, and delight — foods that are juicy, smooth, substantial, and pleasing to the heart — are dear to the sattvic.
Context & Meaning
The sattvic diet is described with remarkable precision. Six qualities it promotes: āyus (longevity), sattva (vitality of mind and spirit), bala (physical strength), ārogya (health, freedom from disease), sukha (happiness), and prīti (joy, loving delight). And four sensory qualities: rasya (full of flavour, nourishing the senses wholesomely), snigdha (smooth, unctuous, satisfying), sthira (substantial, sustaining), and hṛdya (pleasing to the heart, genuinely enjoyable). This is not an ascetic diet of tasteless austerity — it is food that genuinely nourishes the whole person. The sattvic relationship with food is one of intelligent gratitude, not joyless deprivation.
Scholar Commentaries
1 commentary · Public domainRamanujacharya
VishishtadvaitaThe sattvic food is hṛdya — pleasing to the heart. This is significant: sattvic eating is not grim or punishing. It is food that genuinely satisfies — not through overstimulation but through real nourishment. The distinction between sattvic and rajasic food is not primarily about pleasure vs. deprivation but about the quality of pleasure: the sattvic is genuinely sustaining, leaving one clearer and more vital; the rajasic is stimulating but ultimately depleting.