Shloka 9
Abhimanyu’s Assault on Bhīṣma’s Screen; Banner-Felling and Reinforcements (सौभद्र-भीष्म-समरः)
कट्वम्ललवणात्युष्णतीक्ष्णरूक्षविदाहिन: । आहारा राजसस्येष्टा द:ः:खशोकामयप्रदा:
kaṭv-amla-lavaṇāty-uṣṇa-tīkṣṇa-rūkṣa-vidāhinaḥ | āhārā rājasasyeṣṭā duḥkha-śokāmaya-pradāḥ ||
Arjuna said: “Foods that are bitter, sour, salty, excessively hot, pungent, dry, and burning are preferred by one dominated by rajas; they lead to suffering, grief, and disease.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that rajas-driven preferences in food—intensely stimulating, harsh, and irritating tastes—agitate body and mind and therefore tend to produce suffering, sorrow, and illness. It encourages moderation and mindful choice as part of ethical self-governance.
In the didactic discourse within Bhīṣma Parva, Arjuna speaks about the qualities of food associated with the guṇas. Here he characterizes what a rājasa person prefers and the negative consequences that follow from such dietary inclinations.