Ṣaḍ Rasa — Six Tastes
Ṣaḍ Rasa — Six Tastes is a Hindu / Ayurveda - shad rasa body system as transmitted through the lineage Āyurveda classifies six rasas (madhura, amla, lavaṇa, kaṭu, tikta, and kaṣāya) by their elemental constitution, qualities, and effects on doṣas and tissues. This system places one point for each rasa at a target-organ proxy so the dietary classification can be compared visually without presenting a biomedical taste-organ map.. This page lists every point in the system with sourced placements and links to cross-tradition correspondences curated for The Body Spiritual.
Open in interactive explorerPrimary sources
- Caraka Saṃhitā (P.V. Sharma (trans.), Caraka Saṃhitā, 4 vols., Chaukhamba Orientalia, 1981–1994) — Sūtrasthāna 26 (Ātreya-Bhadrakāpya dialogue) and 27–28 classify the six rasas, their elemental bases, qualities, and effects on doṣas and tissues.
- Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdayam (K.R. Srikantha Murthy (trans.), Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdayam, 3 vols., Krishnadas Academy, 1995–1997) — Sūtrasthāna 10, Rasa-bhedīya, presents the six tastes and their doṣic actions, qualities, and dietary implications.
Known lineage variants
- Caraka and Vāgbhaṭa agree on six taste names but vary in how qualities, elemental combinations, and doṣa effects are grouped or exemplified. The diagram keeps the six-name classification and does not select one food list as universal.
- The source texts classify tastes as properties of substances and describe their systemic effects; they do not assign each rasa to a single body organ or give a front-view body chart. Every body locus here is a TARGET-ORGAN projection of a substance classification, not an anatomical taste map.
- Modern Ayurvedic charts often associate sweet with nourishment and Kapha, sour and salty with Pitta, and pungent, bitter, and astringent with Vāta in simplified ways. Those summaries are teaching aids and should not replace the conditional doṣa discussions in the Saṃhitās.
- Anatomical-right is rendered at x < 0.5 in the front view. The lateral placements are visual offsets for readability, not textual laterality.
Related systems
No other systems share this tradition label.
Points
- Madhura rasa — sweet — Nourishing / kapha-associated teaching proxy
- Amla rasa — sour — Stimulating / pitta-associated teaching proxy
- Lavaṇa rasa — salty — Softening / fluid-balance teaching proxy
- Kaṭu rasa — pungent — Sharp / heating teaching proxy
- Tikta rasa — bitter — Clearing / lightening teaching proxy
- Kaṣāya rasa — astringent — Contracting / drying teaching proxy
Frequently asked
What is Madhura rasa — sweet?
Madhura, the sweet taste, is placed over an upper-abdominal digestive proxy to represent nourishment and the Kapha-associated teaching emphasis. The point maps a taste property of substances to a target-organ region, not to a literal sweet-receptor anatomy or a fixed spleen location.
What is Amla rasa — sour?
Amla, the sour taste, is shown beside a liver proxy to make its stimulating and Pitta-associated teaching language visible. This is a target-organ projection of a substance classification, not a claim that sourness is stored in or anatomically generated by the liver.
What is Lavaṇa rasa — salty?
Lavaṇa, the salty taste, is placed near a kidney and lower-abdominal proxy to evoke fluid and softening language used in teaching summaries. The locus is a target-organ projection of a taste property, not an anatomical salt reservoir or a clinical kidney assessment.
What is Kaṭu rasa — pungent?
Kaṭu, the pungent taste, is represented at the navel and digestive-fire proxy because its standard description emphasises sharpness and heating action. This target-organ projection visualises a substance property and must not be read as a direct anatomical map of digestion.
What is Tikta rasa — bitter?
Tikta, the bitter taste, is shown near a liver-side digestive proxy to represent the clearing and lightening vocabulary of common Ayurvedic teaching. It remains a target-organ projection of a substance classification, not a claim that bitterness is located in the liver or lower abdomen.
What is Kaṣāya rasa — astringent?
Kaṣāya, the astringent taste, is placed at a lower-abdominal and colon proxy to make its contracting and drying teaching language legible. This is a target-organ projection of a substance classification, not an anatomical map of colonic function or a diagnostic sign.