The Gita on eating non-veg
What does the Gita say about eating non-veg?
The short answer
The Gita never names meat and never hands you a menu. It sorts food by what it does to you: what gives life, strength, health and contentment is the food of the good (17.8); stale, impure leftovers belong to the dark (17.10). It counts non-violence and compassion for all beings among the divine qualities (16.2), and what Krishna accepts as an offering is a leaf, a flower, a fruit, water (9.26). Read together, the direction is plain: eat what keeps the mind clear and harms the least.
The verses
आयुःसत्त्वबलारोग्यसुखप्रीतिविवर्धनाः ।
रस्याः स्निग्धाः स्थिरा हृद्या आहाराः सात्त्विकप्रियाः ॥āyuḥ-sattva-balārogya-sukha-prīti-vivardhanāḥ
rasyāḥ snigdhāḥ sthirā hṛdyā āhārāḥ sāttvika-priyāḥ
The kinds of food that increase life, energy, strength, health, comfort, and relish, which are savory, oleaginous, full of nutrition, and agreeable, are liked by the good.
यातयामं गतरसं पूति पर्युषितं च यत् ।
उच्छिष्टमपि चामेध्यं भोजनं तामसप्रियम् ॥yāta-yāmaṃ gata-rasaṃ pūti paryuṣitaṃ ca yat
ucchiṣṭam api cāmedhyaṃ bhojanaṃ tāmasa-priyam
And the food that is cold, tasteless, stinking, stale, impure, and even leavings, is liked by the dark.
अहिंसा सत्यमक्रोधस्त्यागः शान्तिरपैशुनम् ।
दया भूतेष्वलोलुप्त्वं मार्दवं ह्रीरचापलम् ॥ahiṃsā satyam akrodhas tyāgaḥ śāntir apaiśunam
dayā bhūteṣv aloluptvaṃ mārdavaṃ hrīr acāpalam
…non-violence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, tranquility, freedom from backbiting, compassion for all beings, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of vain activity…
पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति ।
तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः ॥patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyaṃ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṃ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
Whoever with devotion offers me leaf, flower, fruit, water, that, presented with devotion, I accept from him whose self is pure.
More doubts the Gita answers
Sanskrit from our library: GRETIL's text with Śaṅkara's commentary for chapters 1–17 and the BORI critical edition of the Mahābhārata for chapter 18, each verse checked against the critical edition. English: K. T. Telang's translation (1882), in modern English. Tap a verse number to read its whole chapter.