Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 31
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
रसो बहुविध: प्रोक्त ऋषिभि: प्रथितात्मभि: । मधुरो लवणस्तिक्त: कषायो<म्ल: कटुस्तथा
raso bahuvidhaḥ prokto ṛṣibhiḥ prathitātmabhiḥ | madhuro lavaṇas tiktaḥ kaṣāyo 'mlaḥ kaṭus tathā ||
婆罗堕阇说道：“诸位名闻遐迩、心志调御的圣贤宣说：‘味’（rasa）有多种——甘、咸、苦、涩、酸与辛。是故，味被理解为六种。”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
It presents the classical sixfold classification of taste—sweet, salty, bitter, astringent, sour, and pungent—framing sensory experience as something to be understood and regulated through knowledge rather than pursued blindly.
In a didactic exchange within Śānti Parvan, Bharadvāja speaks as a teacher, citing the authority of ancient sages to define and enumerate the varieties of rasa (taste) as part of a broader instructional discussion.