Shloka 30

Devanagari script

अपां धातू रसो नित्यं जिद्नया स तु गृहाते । जिद्दास्थश्न तथा सोमो रसज्ञाने विधीयते,जलका स्वाभाविक गुण रस है, जिसको जिद्ल्ाके द्वारा ग्रहण किया जाता है और जिह्लामें स्थित चन्द्रमा उस रसके आस्वादनमें सहायक होता है

Transliteration

apāṁ dhātū raso nityaṁ jihvayā sa tu gṛhyate | jihvā-sthaś ca tathā somo rasa-jñāne vidhīyate ||

Translation

Ваю-дева сказал: «Вкус — вечная сущность, принадлежащая стихии воды, и постигается он языком. Луна (Сома), пребывающая в языке, назначена помощницей в познании и вкушении вкуса».

Word by Word

अपाम्of waters

धातुःconstituent/element

रसःtaste/essence

नित्यम्always

जिह्वयाby the tongue

सःhe/that (it)

तुbut/indeed

गृह्णातिgrasps/receives

जिह्वास्थःsituated in the tongue

तथाthus/likewise

सोमःSoma; the Moon

रसज्ञानेin the cognition of taste

विधीयतेis appointed/ordained

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu (Vāyu-deva)

Ap (water element)

Jihvā (tongue)

Soma (Moon deity)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links sense-perception to elemental cosmology: taste (rasa) is rooted in the water-element and is known through the tongue, with Soma (the Moon principle) supporting the capacity to discern and enjoy taste.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu-deva is explaining a doctrinal mapping of elements, senses, and deities—describing how taste is perceived and assigning Soma a functional presence in the tongue for the cognition of taste.