The verse and its meaning · Ayurveda · Ayurveda — Food and Eating

The Measure of a Meal

Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 8.1

मात्राशी सर्वकालं स्यान्मात्रा ह्यग्नेः प्रवर्तिका । मात्रां द्रव्याण्यपेक्षन्ते गुरूण्यपि लघून्यपि ॥ गुरूणामर्धसौहित्यं लघूनां नातितृप्तता । मात्राप्रमाणं निर्दिष्टं सुखं यावद्विजीर्यति ॥

Meaning · English

Eat in measure at every meal, for measure is what sets the digestive fire going. Foods ask for measure, the heavy ones and the light ones alike. Of heavy foods, eat to half of fullness; of light foods, not to excess. The measure is declared: as much as digests in comfort.

Vagbhata opens his chapter on eating with matra, measure, and he asks for it at every meal, not only on special days. He gives his own reason: measure is what sets agni going. Agni, literally fire, is this system's name for the power that digests food and turns it into the body. The picture is a fire that burns well when it is fed the right amount. Measure is not one fixed amount for everyone. The foods themselves ask for it, heavy and light alike. Guru, heavy, and laghu, light, are qualities of food. Ayurveda explains elsewhere that heavy foods, dense or rich ones, are slow to digest, while light ones pass more easily. So with heavy foods he advises stopping at half of full. With light foods he says simply: do not eat past satisfaction. Then he gives one test for every meal: the right amount is as much as digests in comfort. A meal is judged by how the next hours feel, not by the size of the plate.

1. Before your main meal today, ask yourself whether it is heavy or light. Rich, fried or dense food counts as heavy. 2. If it is heavy, serve about half of what you would usually eat to feel full, unless you have been told to eat more; if so, follow your doctor. Eat it slowly, then wait ten minutes before taking more. 3. If it is light, eat until you feel satisfied, and stop before you feel stuffed. 4. Two or three hours later, notice for a moment whether you feel easy and clear or heavy and dull. Let that guide how much you serve at your next meal.

Agni maps loosely onto what we now call digestion and appetite. On the main point, today's understanding broadly agrees. Overeating is a familiar cause of bloating, reflux and drowsiness after meals. Fullness signals take time to reach the brain, so stopping before you feel full tends to prevent eating past comfort. Rich, fatty meals leave the stomach more slowly than light ones, which fits the old line between heavy and light foods. There is no modern match for agni as a single fire, and 'half of fullness' is a rule of thumb rather than a measured standard. Some people need to eat more, not less: anyone underweight, unwell, pregnant, still growing, or older with a poor appetite should be guided by their doctor.

अर्थ · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: When and How to Drink · Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 5.15
• Next: Three Harmful Ways of Eating · Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 8.33
• All of Ayurveda · Ask Krishna about it

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