Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, Shloka 446
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
एवं षड्विधविस्तारो रसो वारिमय: स्मृत: । मीठा, खट्टा, कड्आ, तीता, कसैला और नमकीन--इस प्रकार छ: भेदोंमें जलमय रसका विस्तार बताया गया है
evaṁ ṣaḍvidha-vistāro raso vāri-mayaḥ smṛtaḥ |
Vāyu-deva dijo: «Así, el ‘sabor’ de naturaleza acuosa se entiende desplegado en seis formas: dulce, agrio, picante, amargo, astringente y salado.» En su contexto, esta enseñanza ordena la experiencia sensorial—en especial el gusto—como un dominio estructurado y cognoscible, para comprender con disciplina el cuerpo y sus percepciones, y no caer en la confusión de la complacencia.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
That taste (rasa), understood as a water-based sensory quality, is systematically classified into six kinds; this supports mindful regulation of sense-experience through clear knowledge rather than impulse.
Vāyudeva is delivering an instructive explanation, defining and classifying ‘rasa’ as part of a broader discourse on bodily constituents and sensory functions.