This riddle describes the mechanical process of eating. In this case, the type of food is tsampa, a kind of kneaded barley flour dough which is a staple of the Tibetan diet. In the riddle, the tsampa itself is analogized to a ball of bronze; this ball is said to be inside of a hole, which is meant to represent the bowl in which it is kept. The five military officers mentioned represent the five fingers, which lift tsampa up and into the mouth. The thirty soldiers which then surround the ball of tsampa symbolize the approximately thirty teeth in the human mouth, which surround and churn the tsampa by chewing. Finally, the tsampa is said to be forced onto an infernal path; this path refers to the esophagus and following digestive system.