Rules of eating (ahara vidhi)

The verse gives a threefold order of diet for children (milk only, milk with food, then good food) and says that for the other stages proper meals are best.

The proper time to eat is described as when stool and urine have been properly passed, flatus is released, the body is light, the five senses are clear, speech and mind feel slack, the belly is troubled by hunger and there is a desire for food; recognising these signs one should eat according to the rules of Ayurveda.

The verse orders the meal: unctuous and sweet food first, food with salty and sour items in the middle, and the remaining tastes afterwards; knowing what is habitual (sātmya) and one's strength, one should eat quickly, lukewarm food that ends with plenty of liquid and suits every season.

The commentary says to sit steadily on a clean, comfortable seat, consider one's constitution and strength, and eat food that is slightly warm (neither too hot nor cold) and suited to all seasons, without delay and without excessive haste, with attention: first unctuous and sweet things such as halwa, kheer, barfi and laddu, then salty, sour and spiced things in the middle, and milk and other liquid food at the end.

To show that meat is not food, the text cites the saying that beings are first milk-drinkers, then eaters of milk and food, then eaters of food, and the rule of a great text for feeding children: first, at six months, light food is to be given with milk.

A footnote refers the reader to chapter 5, verses 43–44, for what to do after the meal.