पित्त (pitta) is both अग्नि (agni, heat) and जल (jala, water). In my last letter, we circled the role of heat in our body’s kitchen. Today, let’s circle the role of जल (jala, water).
If heat implies our bodies ability to cook food, then water implies our bodies ability to feel this. In this letter, I want to get into this watery side of पित्त (pitta) - ie, the relationship between our metabolism (how we cook) and our emotions (what we feel as a result of all this cooking). This relationship between emotions and metabolism in Ayurveda is called रस (rasa, juice / flavor / taste).
What is रस?
There is this scene from the Korean drama ‘Itaewon Class’ where the protagonist, a young man in his 20s is sat with his friend at a bar, late into the night. When asked about why he named his bar ‘Sweet night’, he shares how currently, he feels his nights are bitter because he feels nostalgic, lonely and unable to sleep at night - and how his hope is for more sweetness in his life.
The hope he expresses for more sweetness in his life feels to me an apt way to understand रस (rasa, juice / flavor / taste).
Another quote that addresses रस in a wider context of Natyashastra (study of theatre / drama / dance) hints at this interdisciplinary use of the word रस.
“Our emotions are the gastric juices which transform this world of appearance into the more intimate world of sentiments…” Rabindranath Tagore
How does Ayurveda understand रस (rasa, juice / flavor / taste)?
It begins by organising it into six tastes:
मधुर (madhura, sweet) अमल (amala, sour) लवण (lavana, salty)
कटु (katu, pungent) तिक्त (tikta, bitter) and कषाय (kashaya, astringent)
These six, when in turn, form a योग (yoga, combination) with each other, gives rise to 63 different kinds. These 63 form the properties of all food. When this food is prepared and consumed to promote longevity, it is called रसायन (rasAyana). The word रस also refers to lymph, blood plasma, semen and milk, for similar reasons.
Modern western research additionally confirms this ‘path to a juicy’ life is achievable in three ways: Lowering body temperature, lowering mental temperature and resting from food. In this Substack, we have circled around उपवास (upavasa, resting the body) quite a bit, whilst briefly touching upon उपासन (upAsana, resting the mind).
Ayurvedic texts speak of आचार रसायन - ie, the practices of promoting longevity that include being truthful, free from anger, calm, soft-spoken, relaxed, loving and compassionate whilst also regularly practicing meditation, brahmacharya (resting from sexual practices), cleanliness and proper sleep.
Longevity as described in the word रसायन which is made up of two words - रस (rasa, juice/flavor/plasma…) and अयन (ayana, circulating / following a path) is therefore not a state but a moving target inside us. Ayurveda further sees this as a progressive build of ‘juice’ from plasma to blood, then into muscles, that in turn becomes fat, then bones, to marrow & nerves and finally yielding ओजस् (ojas, vitality).
All of this just from how we approach our food? Yes! and more.
Let’s take a practical example:
Sometime last year, I consulted with an Ayurvedic doctor. She asked me to take हरीतकी (harItakI, Yellow Myrobalan). She mentioned that this was something I would benefit from taking for the rest of my life because it was a रसायन (rasayana).
Let’s understand why:
हरीतकी (harItakI, Yellow Myrobalan) has five out of six रस (rasa, juice / flavor / taste) - all but लवण (lavana, salty). Ayurvedic texts describe it to have the following qualities:
Hot, light, wholesome, builds appetite, aids in digestion, carminative, a tonic, life promoting, youthfulness, relieves all diseases, strengthens sense organs.
It is used in treating skin disorders, anemia, heart disease, head disease, diarrhea, anorexia, cough, diabetes and flatulence.
हरीतकी (harItakI, Yellow Myrobalan) is also one of the three phalas (fruits) in the ubiquitous त्रिफला (triphala, three fruits) - another Ayurvedic herbal formulation that promotes health.
As illustrated with this example of a single dried fruit, there is plenty of natural ‘juice’ about that can help us practice longevity every day. This, magnified across a host of other natural herbal combinations that promote longevity, in Ayurveda, is through the study of रसायन (rasayana).
Understanding the ‘juice’ that we prepare in our kitchens, that ultimately is cooked in the kitchen inside our body is a lifelong practice in experiencing health in each moment.
एतस्य अभ्यासं कुर्वन्तु | (Let’s practice this!)
First, let’s sound out loud some of the words we’ve learnt today:
रस (rasa, juice / flavor / taste)
मधुर (madhura, sweet) अमल (amala, sour) लवण (lavana, salty)
कटु (katu, pungent) तिक्त (tikta, bitter) and कषाय (kashaya, astringent)
रसायन (rasayana)
Next, pick a couple of days this next week to observe the six रस in the food you eat & in parallel the many emotions you experience on those days.
Then, consider how you might use रस to restore a sense of being open, calm and compassionate.
For example, if you want to feel inspired and creative instead of being frazzled & confused, why not consider increasing the मधुर (madhura, sweet) and अमल (amala, sour) tastes in your food.
Or perhaps if you want to feel loving and generous instead of being depressed & envious, why not consider increasing the कटु (katu, pungent) and तिक्त (tikta, bitter) tastes in your food.
Lastly, to close out our two-part focus on पित्त (pitta), if you want to feel calm and focused instead of being angry and overwhelmed, why not consider increasing the मधुर (madhura, sweet) and कषाय (kashaya, astringent) tastes in your food.
Oh yes, this circles us right back to वात (vAta), पित्त (pitta) and कफ (kapha). Each रस shares a few qualities with one of more of our triad, and thus directly impacts it.
Let’s end today’s letter by listing these relationships between रस and वात (vAta), पित्त (pitta) and कफ (kapha).
मधुर (madhura, sweet) is cold, oily & heavy; thus increases कफ (kapha) and decreases both वात (vAta) and पित्त (pitta).
अमल (amala, sour) is hot, oily and light; thus increasing कफ (kapha) and पित्त (pitta) while decreasing वात (vAta).
लवण (lavana, salty) is hot, oily and heavy; thus increasing कफ (kapha) and पित्त (pitta) while decreasing वात (vAta).
कटु (katu, pungent) is hot, dry and light; thus increasing पित्त (pitta) and वात (vAta) while decreasing कफ (kapha).
तिक्त (tikta, bitter) is cold, dry and light; thus increasing वात (vAta) while decreasing कफ (kapha) and पित्त (pitta).
कषाय (kashaya, astringent) is cold, dry and heavy; thus increasing वात (vAta) while decreasing कफ (kapha) and पित्त (pitta)
Next fortnight, I will finish this circle with a two part post on कफ (kapha).
Be well folks and I hope you experience the juice of longevity in your practice this fortnight.