eat to live, not live to eat - ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविः

the instrument, the object, the doer and the act - of offering are all brahma; (one who considers thus) state of brahma alone is the destination worthy of such who is steadfast in such selfless deeds.

brahmArpaNaM brahma haviH brahmAgnau brahmaNA hutam ।
brahmaiva tena gantavyaM brahmakarmasamAdhinA ।।

ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविः ब्रह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणा हुतम् ।
ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यं ब्रह्मकर्मसमाधिना ॥

brahmārpaṇaṃ brahma haviḥ brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam ।
brahmaiva tena gantavyaṃ brahmakarmasamādhinā ॥

this is another mantra/shloka that is very well known, very simple sanskrit and far reaching meaning. appearing in the bhagawad-gItA 4.24, this is a shloka commonly recited before eating food.

there are multiple parallel meanings here, and we can benefit from this at all levels.

when a yaGYa (yaj~na), a fire ritual is performed, there is the performer, the fire, the offering (ghee) and the ladle used to offer (the ghee). all of them are simultaneously the same supreme principle, the brahman, the parama-brahma.

now think of the act of eating. there is the eater, the digestive fire, the food and the hand used to put the food in the 'fire'. it is similar to the act of yaGYa (yaj~na).

why is it important or even relevant here? eating is a specific example of consumption. where we don't create, but consume. we take away from the system. we may do this with a sense of pride - 'see, i am eating at a 7-star hotel, 12-course meal, i am so great and powerful and successful.' or we could be eating a simple loaf of bread with no milk, just water to push it down!



why do we eat? the primary reason is to get energy, and maintain the life force. but over time, and with our ever wandering mind, we have devised delicious cuisines, that are the subject of the tongue, more than that of the stomach! we have levels of cutlery, food, ambiance, where and how we eat. the act of eating is an event in itself, and a symbol of our position in the society. it was customary for rich (royalty) to leave some food in the plate, as a sign of abundance and opulence.

but, at the end, we all have a small stomach that needs nutrients to sustain the life force. we should not get distracted in the act of eating, it is not the destination, but just a means to survive. [this is meant in the broader sense, not the in the moment sense.] we should not pay too much attention to what we are eating, and our status and importance because of what, where and how we are eating.

when animal sacrifices used to be performed, this was a means to be level headed. i am not any superior because i killed this animal, i am just doing this to survive. life force is using life force to sustain life force! we should have no pride because of what we eat.

at the level of eating, we should be guided by the stomach (nutrition) than by the tongue (taste).

eat to live, not live to eat.

taking this to one level up, and expanding it to any act of consumption, our importance is not based on what we can consume, afford to consume. it is all brahman, nothing special about us. this attitude grounds us a bit, good therapy for the ego!

taking this to one more level, to any deed, action, karma (not just consumption) -
there is the doer, the deed, the instruments of doing and the energy of doing. all of them are brahman. you may cut wood and make a chair, you, the saw, the wood and the energy used - all four are brahman. nothing special!

when we do things with this attitude - eat to live, not live to eat - then we are selfless. we don't consume more than needed. environment, planet everything automatically takes care of itself. if you take care of the minutes, the hours will take care for themselves. if we develop this attitude of being a part of the system, and not above it, not something special, it would not only help our spiritual progress but the physical 'system' as well.

for such a person, who is always ego-less, aware that everything is brahman, does niShkAma karma (karma without desire), such a person reaches the state of brahman automatically.

the object, subject, verb and the adverb - all are brahman!

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and now the language aspects of the shloka -

the key word here is brahman. we should first be clear on the various similar words that have different meaning.
brahman (brahma) = ब्रह्मन् (ब्रह्म) = supreme divinity, beyond classification, the source of all, the all!
brahmaa = ब्रह्मा = the creator aspect of the divine
brAhmaNa = ब्राह्मण = one of the four varNa (classes) of the society that was thought-centric - the scholar, philosopher, thinker etc. [based on qualities and deeds]

brahmArpaNaM = brahma + arpaNam = instrument of offering is brahma
arpaNam = the ladle, instrument of offering

haviH = offering, that which is being offered
the sandhi would make it havirbrahmAgnau, but for simplicity, i broke the sandhi.

brahmAgnau = brahma + agnau
agni = fire
agnau = in the fire

brahmaNA = [the act] by brahma

hutam =  offering;
So this means, the act of offering is by brahma, is also brahma.

tena = by that
brahmakarmasamAdhinA = brahma + karma + samAdhin + -A
brahma-karma = karma that is steadfast in brahma, selfless deeds
samAdhin = one steadfast in samAdhi
samAdhinA = by the samAdhin
= by the one who is steadfast in brahma-karma

brahmaiva = brahma + eva = only brahma

gantavyaM = destination
gam = to go
gantavyam = where one should go, the destination


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