Rasa
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Swami Harshananda
Rasa literally means ‘that which is tasted’.
Contents
General Meaning
One of the most extensively used words is Rasa. It has 24 different meanings and senses. In general, it means the essence or core-part of anything.
As per Darśanas
In the darśanas[1] it stands for the subtle element water.[2]
As per Ayurveda
In the Ayurveda and allied health sciences, it stands for mercury.
As per Culinary Arts
In the culinary arts, it represents six different kinds of tastes:
- Sweet
- Sour
- Salty
- Hot[3]
- Bitter
- Astringent
As per Poetics
In poetics, it stands for the navarasas or nine kinds of sentiments or emotions. They are:
- The amorous
- The heroic
- The wondrous
- The ridiculous
- The sentiments of compassion
- Humor
- Fear
- Horror
- Loathsomeness
As per Taittirīyopaniṣad
The Taittirīyopaniṣad[4] calls Brahman as rasa.
References
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore
