Upanishads · Varāha 5.47
॥
Devanāgarī
वायावभ्यसिते वह्निः प्रत्यहं वर्धते तनौ । वह्नौ विवर्धमाने तु सुखमन्नादि जीर्यते
Transliteration (IAST)
vāyāvabhyasite vahniḥ pratyahaṃ vardhate tanau | vahnau vivardhamāne tu sukhamannādi jīryate
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
वायौ अभ्यसिते वह्निःvāyau abhyasite vahniḥwhen the wind is trained, the fire
प्रत्यहं वर्धते तनौpratyahaṃ vardhate tanaudaily increases in the body
वह्नौ विवर्धमाने तुvahnau vivardhamāne tuand when the fire increases
सुखम् अन्न-आदि जीर्यतेsukham anna-ādi jīryatefood is easily digested
Translation
"When the wind is trained, the fire daily increases in the body; and when the fire increases, food is easily digested."
Version
e4a541d4487e · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A chain of consequences begins, running through several verses: wind — fire — digestion — sap — tissues — awakening. Worth noting that the chain is built sequentially and bottom-up: from breath to digestion, from digestion to sap, from sap to tissues, and only then to knowledge. This construction, in my view, deserves attention, for it does not despise the body.
There is no usual contempt for the flesh in it: the body is not an enemy but the first step, and it is handled like a household. Let us add that the observation itself is sound. That even breathing improves digestion is a thing known even today; and the connection between breath, rest, and the working of the innards truly exists.
That is, the first link of the chain is true; and only its farther links — "the sins of millions of births are burned" — are no longer observation, but a conclusion drawn from doctrine. The Vaishnava side speaks of the body just as without contempt, and this deserves noting, for it is often portrayed otherwise. Its rule has been cited more than once: the body is not worn down.
The Gita says directly: natyashnatas tu yogo'sti na chaikantam anashnatah, "yoga belongs neither to one who eats too much nor to one who does not eat at all" (6.16); and further — neither to one who sleeps too much nor to one who stays awake beyond measure. That is, moderation, not feat; and of the fact that ostentatious austerity is a subtle pride, discussed when reading the third chapter (3.23).