Bhashya
अन्नं वाव बलाद्भूयः, बलहेतुत्वात् ।कथमन्नस्य बलहे-तुत्वमिति, उच्यते- यस्माद्बलकारणमन्नम्, तस्मात् यद्य-पि कश्चिद्दश रात्रीर्नाश्नीयात्, सोऽन्नोपयोगनिमित्तस्य बल-स्य हान्या म्रियते; यद्यु ह जीवेत्- दृश्यन्ते हिमासमप्यनश्नन्तो जीवन्तः- अथवा स जीवन्नपि अद्रष्टाभवति गुरोरपि, तत एव अश्रोतेत्यादि पूर्वविपरीतं सर्वं भव-ति ।अथ यदा बहून्यहान्यनशितः दर्शनादिक्रियास्वसमर्थःसन् अन्नस्यायी, आगमनम् आयः अन्नस्य प्राप्तिरित्यर्थः,सः यस्य विद्यते सोऽन्नस्यायी ।आयै इत्येतद्वर्णव्यत्ययेन ।अथ अन्नस्याया इत्यपि पाठे एवमेवार्थः, द्रष्टृत्वादिकार्य-श्रवणात् ।दृश्यते हि अन्नोपयोगे दर्शनादिसामर्थ्यम्, नतदप्राप्तौ ; अतोऽन्नमुपास्स्वेति ॥
In plain words
Food is greater than strength because it is the source of strength. If someone fasts for ten nights, they either perish from the depletion of that strength, or—though some rare individuals are seen surviving even a month without eating—they live in a state of sensory impairment, unable to see their teacher, hear, or function normally. But when a person who has fasted resumes the intake of food, their capacities for seeing and acting return. Therefore, meditate upon food.
Close to the Sanskrit
Food is indeed greater than strength, because it is the cause of strength. How food is the cause of strength is explained: because food is the cause of strength, therefore even if someone does not eat for ten nights, he dies by the loss of strength derived from the use of food; or if indeed he lives—for some are seen living even without eating for a month—nevertheless, even while living, he becomes a non-seer even of his teacher, and thenceforth a non-hearer, and so on; everything becomes the exact opposite of before. But when, after having fasted for many days, being unable to perform actions such as seeing, he is 'annasyāyī'—'āyi' meaning coming, the acquisition of food; he for whom this exists is 'annasyāyī' ('āyai' being by metathesis of letters, or in another reading 'annasyāyā', with the exact same meaning, on account of hearing of subsequent effects such as being a seer; for capacity for seeing and other faculties are seen to be present upon the utilization of food, but not upon its non-attainment)—therefore, meditate upon food.