A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c8.133

v1.c8.133

Bhadrakāpya advances that there is only one taste, not different from that of water.474 The brāhmaṇa Śākunteya distinguishes two tastes, chedanīya475 and upaśamanīya,476 Pūrṇākṣa Maudgalya three tastes, chedanīya, upaśamanīya and an intermediate one (sādhāraṇa). Hiraṇyākṣa Kauśika prefers a number of four tastes: palatable (svādu) and wholesome (hita), palatable and unwholesome, unpalatable and wholesome, unpalatable and unwholesome. Five tastes, derived from the five mahābhūtas, are acknowledged by Kumāraśiras Bharadvāja. The royal sage Vāryovida recognizes six tastes: guru (heavy), laghu (light), śīta (cold), uṣṇa (hot), snigdha (oleaginous), rūkṣa (dry). Nimi, the king of Videha, has a predilection for seven tastes: madhura (sweet), amla (acid), lavaṇa (salty), kaṭu (pungent), tikta (bitter), kaṣāya (astringent), and kṣāra (alkaline), while Baḍiśa Dhāmārgava opts for eight tastes, adding avyakta (indistinct) to the series of Nimi. Kānkāyana, the physician from Bāhlīka, claims that the tastes are innumerable (26.3–8).