Gokarna, August 18, 2026: Hunger and food are the two fundamental forces that determine the life of every living being, said Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Sri Raghaveshwara Bharati Mahaswamiji of Sri Ramachandrapura Matha.
Delivering a discourse on ‘Jatharagni’ (digestive fire) as part of the Annam Brahma series at the ongoing Annabrahma Chaturmasya programme at the Matha’s Moola Matha premises in Ashoke, Gokarna, on Tuesday, the seer explained the significance of the ancient concept of Agni-Somatmakam Jagat. “In the Vedic tradition, Agni represents hunger, while Soma represents food. To understand food, one must first understand hunger and its source,” he said.
Agni and the transformation of food
Swamiji said modern science analyses the human body in terms of oxygen, carbon and atoms, and acknowledged the significant advances made through such scientific inquiry.
However, he said the Indian perspective views the body as a combination of the five elements - earth, water, fire, air and space. Solid components represent earth, fluids represent water, heat represents fire, air represents the wind element, and the space within the body represents akasha, he explained.
According to the traditional Indian understanding, Agni plays a crucial role in transforming the five elements within the body into the seven dhatus — rasa, rakta, mamsa, meda, asthi, majja and shukra. “There are primarily 18 forms of Agni in the body, and Agni pervades the entire system. Each of the seven dhatus also has its own dhatvagni, through which the subsequent dhatus are formed,” he said.
Swamiji observed that there are some differences between the traditional Indian understanding of the transformation of bodily tissues and modern scientific explanations. However, he suggested that scientific research could eventually arrive at conclusions closer to some traditional concepts.
Diversity is the nature of creation
Speaking about the idea of equality, Raghaveshwara Bharati Swamiji said it would be foolish to expect uniformity everywhere. “Creation itself is characterised by diversity. Unity can be experienced only in liberation,” he said.
He explained that different parts of the body naturally have different proportions and functions and cannot be expected to be identical. “The nose is not as long as the hands. Likewise, everything in the body cannot be equal. Each dhatu must exist in the proportion appropriate to it. This diversity itself is the wonder of creation,” he said.
Vedic scholar and Kollur temple chief priest V.M. Sridhara Adiga and educationist M.R. Hegde of Udupi were present and received the blessings of the Swamiji. The family of Harsha Mankanamule offered Gurubhiksha Seva, while G.V. Hegde and his wife of Gokarna attended as the day’s principal patrons.
Pattegar community offers Swarna Paduka Puja
Members of the Pattegar community of Uttara Kannada performed Swarna Paduka Puja during the programme. Receiving the ceremonial worship, Swamiji said the Pattegar community has traditionally followed the Guru Parampara of Sri Ramachandrapura Matha.
He said members of the community had continued to express their devotion to the Guru Peetha across generations and assured them that the Matha would remain connected with the community in its times of both joy and difficulty.
Ramananda Devaraj Shetty, Lambodh Jayaram Shetty, Dattatreya Sridhara Shetty, Bangareshwara Mahabaleshwara Shetty and Shankara Janardhana Shetty were among the community members present.
Keywords: Raghaveshwara Bharati Swamiji on Jatharagni, Raghaveshwara Bharati, Jatharagni, Annam Brahma, Gokarna Chaturmasya, Sri Ramachandrapura Matha, Swarna Paduka Puja, Gokarna News, Citizen News Puttur