The benefits of basti: increase of digestive fire (vahni-saṃtāpa), reduction of fat (medas) and mucus (kapha), and gain of strength (bala). These effects reflect the colon cleansing and improvement of nutritional absorption.

“Fat” and “mucus” are not only physical elements but also metaphors for heaviness, sluggishness, and obstruction. Basti cleanses both the tangible and the subtle.

The “burning fire” is the agni digestive fire, whose efficiency determines overall health.