Sahrdayaloka Part 03

Author(s): Tapasvi Nandi
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 30

The concept of “Rasa”
1205 At Rv. VII. 104.10 , we have 'rasa' with reference to food, horses, cows and body. Now what exactly is the meaning of 'rasa' in all these cases is not made clear by Sāyana, but it may mean “essence". The mantra runs as
yó no rásam dípsati pitvó agne, yó áśvanām, yo gávām, yás tanúnām, ripúḥ stenáḥ steyakýd da bhrámetu ni
şá hīyatām tánvā tánā ca." Rasa of the serpants obviously means poison as at AV. V. 13.2, and 30 Av. V. 13.2 is
"yát te ápodakam visam tát te etāsvagrabham, gļhņámi té madhyamám uttamam
rásam utávamám bhiyásā nesadádu te.” Av. N. 27.3 has 'rasa' of a horse. It is explained as speed of the horse by the commentator. This also may be the sense in Rv. VII. 104. 10, as read above.
Sixthly, we have 'rasa' of the human body as seen in Rv. VII. 104. 10 above. Rv. I. 105,2 has 'rasa' in the sense of virile semen. It runs as
“árthamídváu arthína á jāyáyuvate pátim, tuñjáte vřsnyam payaḥ paridáya
rásam duhe vittám me asya rodasī." We also come across occurrences in which 'rasa' appears as an independent entity e.g. rasāh, used in plural, means tastes as explained by Sāyana (Rv. I. 1874, and 5) (see above). In the Yajurveda also, one occurrence is noteworthy. Yv. 18.9 reads as
úrk ca me, sunţtā ca me, payaśca me, rásaśca me, ghstam ca me, madhu ca me, sagdhiếca me, sápitiśca m, krșiśca me, jai'tram
ca me, aúdbhidyam ca me yajñena kalpantām. (This is from the Ch. VIII of the famous Rudrāstādhyāyī) Mahīdhara explains 'rasa' as "tatratyah sārah”. i.e. 'essence.'