Verse 3.38

Sanskrit text and transliteration:

अन्नाद्युपासकानां वा फलमेतदिहोच्यते ।
न्याय्यं नावाप्तकामानामन्नादिफलकीर्तनम् ॥ ३८ ॥

annādyupāsakānāṃ vā phalametadihocyate |
nyāyyaṃ nāvāptakāmānāmannādiphalakīrtanam || 38 ||

English translation of verse 3.38:

The fruit which accrues to those who meditate on food etc.,(as Brahman) is spoken of here (to praise Brahma-vidyā).

Notes:

It is not proper to speak of fruits such as food, etc., as accruing to those who have fulfilled their desires.

This verse explains the meaning of the śruti texts annavānannādo bhavati, etc., which occur at the end of the sixth anuvāka.

According to Śaṅkara, śruti texts beginning with annavānannādo bhavati refer to the visible result (dṛṣṭa-phala) which accrues to one who has realized Brahman. Ānandagiri observes that it is quite reasonable to speak of the visible result accruing to one who has realized Brahman; for, though he is a jīvanmukta, he perceives the semblance of duality due to avidyāleśa which still persists (etacca dṛṣṭa-phalam-brahma-vido jīvanmuktasyāpi avidyāleśa-vaśād-dvaitābhāsam-paśyato nānupapannam). Even a person who has not realized Brahman possesses plenty of food through the grace of Īśvara. If so, what more need to be said in the case of a jīvanmukta who has become one with Īśvara.

But Sureśvara explains these texts in a different way. He maintains that śruti here speaks about the fruit which results from meditation on the conditioned Brahman (saguṇa-vidyā-phala [phalam]). This is referred to with a view to praise Brahma-vidyā. It is usual to mention the fruit which results from saguṇa-vidyā with a view to praise nirguṇa-vidyā. Sureśvara thinks that it is not proper to say that such fruits accrue to one who has realized Brahman, for the latter has all his desires fulfilled and has nothing else to attain.