Vaiśvānara — The Fire of Life
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यद् आदित्यगतं तेजो जगद् भासयते अखिलम् । यच् चन्द्रमसि यच् चा अग्नौ तत् तेजो विद्धि मामकम् ॥ भ.गी.१५.१२ yad ādityagataṁ tejo jagad bhāsayate 'khilam . yac candramasi yac cā 'gnau tat tejo viddhi māmakam .. — bg.15.12 S.Radhakrishnan :- That splendour of the sun that illumines this whole world, that which is in the moon, that which is in the fire, that splendour, know as Mine. गां आविश्य च भूतानि धारयाम्यहं ओजषा । पुष्णामि चौषधीः सर्वाः सोमो भूत्वा रसात्मकः ॥ भ.गी.१५.१३ gām āviśya ca bhūtāni dhārayāmy aham ojaṣā . puṣṇāmi cau 'ṣadhīḥ sarvāḥ somo bhūtvā rasātmakaḥ .. — bg.15.13 S.Radhakrishnan :- And entering the earth, I support all beings by My vital energy; and becoming the sapful soma (moon), I nourish all herbs (or plants). अहं वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनां देहम् आश्रितः । प्राणापान समायुक्तः पचाम्य् अन्नं चतुर्विधम् ॥ भ.गी.१५.१४ ahaṁ vaiśvānaro bhūtvā prāṇināṁ deham āśritaḥ prāṇāpāna samāyuktaḥ pacāmy annaṁ caturvidham — bg.15.14 S.Radhakrishnan :- Becoming the fire of life in the bodies of living creatures and mingling with the upward and downward breaths, I digest the four kinds of food. pacāmy: literally cook. Śrīmad Śaṅkarācārya :- aham iti — ahameva vaiśvānara udarasthoऽgnir-bhūtvā ayam-agnir-vaiśvānaro yoऽyaṁ-ataḥ puruṣe yenedam-annaṁ pacyate [bṛ—5—9] ityādi-śruter-vaiśvānaraḥ san-prāṇināṁ prāṇavatāṁ deham-āśritaḥ praviṣṭaḥ prāṇa-apāna-samāyuktaḥ saṁyuktaḥ pacāmi paktiṁ karomi annaṁ aśanaṁ catruvidhaṁ catuṣ-prakāraṁ bhojyaṁ bhakṣyaṁ coṣyaṁ lehyaṁ ca — bhoktā vaiśvānaroऽgniḥ, bhojayam-annaṁ somaḥ, tad-etad-ubhayam-agnīṣomau sarvaṁ iti paśyatoऽnna-doṣalepo na bhavati — 14 — Svāmi Śivānanda :- vaiśvānara the fire that abides in the stomach. The fire is fanned continuously by the bellows of the incoming and the outgoing breaths and large quantities of food are digested. Inside the wonderful laboratory of the stomach the Lord digests the food by taking the form of this gastric fire. The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (bṛ.5.9) states: "This fire which is within man and by which the food is digested, is Vaiśvānara" अयं अग्निर् वैश्वानरो यो अयं अन्तः पुरुषे, येनेदम् अन्नम् पच्यते यदिदम् अद्यते । ayam agnir vaiśvānaro yo'yam antaḥ puruṣe, yenedam annaṁ pacyate yad idam adyate;

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