Gokarna, 13 August 2026: Digestion is one of the greatest miracles that happens within the human body every day, yet its constant and automatic nature makes us take it for granted, said Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Sri Raghaveshwara Bharati Mahaswami of Sri Ramachandrapura Math.
Speaking on ‘Jatharagni’ (digestive fire) as part of the Annam Brahma series at the Dharma Sabha of the ongoing Annabrahma Chaturmasya at the Ashokey Moola Math premises in Gokarna on August 13, the seer said the body transforms the food we consume into energy and vitality through digestion.
“Turning the food we eat into the very substance and energy of the body is itself a miracle,” he said, explaining that the process happens continuously without conscious effort.
Drawing a comparison with a vehicle, Sri Raghaveshwara Bharati Swami said a spark plug initiates the energy needed to run an engine. Similarly, Jatharagni converts food into energy and enables the body to function.
He said the Indian medical tradition associates Jatharagni with hunger, digestion and body temperature. Any imbalance in this digestive process can affect health, he added.
Jatharagni as a divine force
The Swami said Indian culture has traditionally regarded sources of energy as manifestations of the divine.
“Food itself is regarded as Brahman. If the power that digests this food is also considered divine, it shows the importance given to this vital force,” he said.
He noted that modern science refers to the digestive process in terms such as stomach acid and other physiological mechanisms, while Indian traditions have understood the transformative power of digestion through the concept of Agni.
Referring to Hindu scriptures, he said Jatharagni finds a place as a divine principle in the Narayana Sukta of the Mahanarayana Upanishad. He also pointed to the Bhagavad Gita, where Lord Krishna declares himself to be the digestive fire present in living beings.
Ayurvedic teachers, too, have given Jatharagni a significant place in their understanding of health, he said.
“The deity in a temple may not be present if the sanctum is not properly maintained. But the Divine resides within every living being in the form of Agni,” he said.
Guests attend programme
Former Minister Shivananda Naik of Bhatkal, former chairman of the Western Ghats Task Force Corporation Govinda Naik, social worker Dr G.G. Hegde and G.S. Hegde participated in the programme and received the Swami’s blessings.
Representing the Kumta Havyaka Mandal and the Moorurukallabe, Hegde, Gude Angadi, Uppina Pattana, Goa and Achave Havyaka circles, Dattatreya Chandrashekar Bhat and his wife offered Sri Guru Bhiksha Seva.
Vedamurthy Keshavaprasad Bhat Kootelu, G.S. Bhat Uppunda, Soumya Madhyastha and Dina Pradhana Subraya Hegde Manya and his wife were present.
Food as a sacred offering
Sri Raghaveshwara Bharati Swami said the tradition of offering food to God as Naivedya before eating encourages respect and gratitude towards food. The practice views food not merely as something consumed by the body, but as a sacred element that sustains life, he said.
Keywords
Raghaveshwara Bharati Swamiji, Jatharagni, Annabrahma Chaturmasya, Gokarna news, Sri Ramachandrapura Math, digestive fire, Citizen News Puttur