Brahmarpanam Brahma Havih
ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविः in English · English
Origin & Story
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 24 · Veda Vyasa (words of Sri Krishna) · Ancient (Mahabharata / Bhagavad Gita)
This celebrated verse from the Bhagavad Gita (4.24) is recited the world over as the bhojan mantra — the grace said before meals. In it Sri Krishna reveals that for the realised, every act is yajna: the ladle, the oblation, the fire and the offerer are all Brahman, and one absorbed in such vision attains Brahman through action itself. Said before eating, it lifts the simple act of taking food into an offering to the Divine.
✦ As told in scripture
It is said that food eaten after this verse becomes prasad — offered to and blessed by Brahman — nourishing not only the body but the spirit of the one who eats with this awareness.
The Mantra
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Brahmarpanam brahma havir brahmagnau brahmana hutam Brahmaiva tena gantavyam brahmakarmasamadhina
Meaning:The offering is Brahman; the oblation is Brahman, offered by Brahman into the fire of Brahman. Brahman alone is reached by one who is absorbed in action seen as Brahman.
Word-by-Word Meaning
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Benefits of Chanting ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविः
The verse from the Bhagavad Gita (4.24) recited as the bhojan mantra — the prayer before eating — turning every meal into a sacred offering.
Teaches that the food, the eater, the act of eating and the fire of digestion are all Brahman, transforming eating into yajna (sacrifice).
Chanted before meals to eat with awareness, gratitude and a spiritual attitude.
Recited in ashrams, homes and during yajnas; a cornerstone of the Hindu attitude to food.
Short, profound and easy to memorise.
How to Chant ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविः
Recite once before eating, offering the meal mentally to the Divine and remembering that the food, the fire of digestion and the act of eating are all Brahman. Then eat in silence and gratitude.
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Read the full ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविः with verse-by-verse meaning, or explore more sacred texts