Rasasvada

Rasasvada

rasavadaThe word roots of Rasasvada mean taste of appreciation or pleasure. In this context, the term means the taste of bliss, where bliss is experienced right in the sense of taste. This is related to soma (amrita) as both are produced in samadhi, hence some refer to rasasvada as ‘sipping of juice’.

While this quote suggests we experience bliss in the absence of thought aka samadhi, this is just how it first comes. Later bliss becomes a much more ongoing experience, along with rasasvada.

However, some do observe that pleasure can be a barrier to going deeper. But as this arises naturally in deep peace, this hindrance is normally brief. The samadhi process itself is not personally controlled. It simply goes where it goes so we have little to concern ourselves.

Rasasvada is also associated with healing as the deep peace and happiness can be profoundly healing and gives the opportunity for the release of deep resistance, what had once fed the noisy mind. In other words, the more we enjoy samadhi, the more we get. Ditto for rasasvada.

The net result – sat chit ananda aka nirvana. Rasasvada ongoing.
Davidya

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15 Comments

  1. Paula Harvey

    I had this big burst of joy while doing TM on Sidhis Course and this big Chesire Cat grin started to take over my face! Have experienced many times in activity.. Oh, how i wish to grin all the time. I can see how one would want to just dive in and drown in bliss!
    But, you know, besides cats’ grins (à la Carroll) they are known for their curiosity.
    You and I are nosey beyond description. We just might be missing something that is even closer to Godhead.. hmmm…. gonna check that out!.. LOL

    1. Beautiful, Paula.
      The feeling and goofy grin are delightful. Ironically, like other things ongoing bliss tends to arise when we cease wanting it. When the deep peace is rooted within.

      We can then have phases where we do have that grin all the time, and laugh at what others might see as inappropriate times. Life just becomes very funny when bliss is dominant.

      But sat chit ananda doesn’t mean we’re always bliss-ninnys or that bliss is always in the forefront. It just means its always with us like consciousness is.

      For example, there will be a bed of happiness underlying experiences of grief or anger. This allows us to process them more quickly and not get lost in them. But their liberation also means they can be fuller and richer in themselves. This can be a curious blend at first.

      I prefer “curious” (laughs)

      And yes, there are layers of bliss closer to Godhead. I wrote about that here. 🙂
      https://davidya.ca/2015/06/11/100x-the-bliss/

  2. To be clear, “taste of bliss” is not a reference to having an experience of bliss – although that can indeed be lovely.

    Rasasvada is a reference to the actual flavour of bliss. Where bliss experienced in the sense of taste. That is usually related to soma as both bliss and soma are produced with samadhi.

    I wasn’t very clear about that in the article before I wandered off into related topics. Will update.

    1. Amaryllis

      That’s a helpful clarification David. I was reading along thinking about the times I am pierced through with joy and light, but there is no taste involved, so I can see that what you are writing about, and what I experience, are different.

      In line with all the advice about not clinging to pleasant experiences, I don’t cling, but I do put in some effort not to, which kind of means that I am not as unclingy as I would like to be. Kind of confusing. I guess the teaching here is to return to asking who is the one who is clinging/having the experience? Ahh, a bit clearer now :).

      1. Hi Amaryllis
        When the perception refines a little more, then taste will be noticed. Thats where soma is most obvious. But it can be experienced as like swallowing light or a high vibration and so forth too.

        Don’t worry too much about enjoying the experience. The issue more is if you’re trying to hold onto the experience or dwelling too much on the memory of the experience.

        Effort can easily become subtle resistance vs the clinging. Just 2 sides of attachment. It’s a subtle dance of allowing.

        And yes, noticing where you are in relationship to the experience can be helpful. That is effortless.

  3. Blanche

    In the traditional Patanjali yoga, there is a distinction between soma and amrita. Soma is produced in the GI tracts, when the energy stimulated by the rising kundalini mixes with air and food. The resulting sensation is a minty, sparkling taste. Soma permeates the entire body, and it feels like an extatic radiating energy. Amrita is the nectar released in the nasal passages. It drips down the throat, and it has a sweet, flowery taste. Amrita is experienced as bliss-bliss-bliss, and it is associated with an inner luminosity – the light of a thousand suns. When amrita and soma mix, the entire being goes into a new way of functioning. 🙂

    1. Oh interesting, Blanche

      In the explanations I’ve seen, Soma is produced as the subtlest by-product of the digestion. But it’s produced in a subtle gland in the brain, drips down into the back of the throat where it’s tasted, then swallowed where it goes down into the digestion and from there is distributed throughout the body to feed the devas.

      I wouldn’t describe soma as flowery but certainly sweet. And yes, blissful for the person and their devas.

      The resulting clarity allows increasing luminosity, although there are several aspects to that.

      From what I’ve read, this is the more common story but both would be driven by experiences.

      Myself, I’ve experienced parts of it. Either could be true and it makes slightly more sense soma would be produced in the GUI if its the subtlest product of digestion (per Ayurveda).

      Thanks for mentioning this. We’ll see what unfolds.

  4. Blanche

    🙂 In this life, my practice is rooted in the Patanjali tradition – and my description is based on the teachings and my experience, with these very distinct elements for soma and amrita. More should unfold, so we’ll see what else happens.

    You write that “The resulting clarity allows increasing luminosity, although there are several aspects to that.” What do you mean? I am very curious, as the luminosity is beyond anything that I see in the physical world and it is difficult to put it into words.

    1. My practice comes out of the broader Vedic canon that includes the 6 systems, including Yoga and Vedanta.

      But there are variations in different branches of the same tradition. The local spiritual bookstore has dozens of translations of Patanjali, most of which have serious flaws – like seeing the 8 limbs as a ladder.

      On luminosity, we’re talking about light. As the divine descends into form, it lights up each layer. That aspect becomes more flowing and illuminated. So we can see inside the body, for example. Or see the geometry or fields underlying form.

      At some point, it can even become visible to the average person, although theres a siddhi to control that. This is why you see iconography worldwide with glowing beings and halos. There are historical records of beings that shone so bright they where hard to look upon.

  5. Blanche

    Some people describe amrita as sweet, but they do not mention anything flowery. Kechari mudra starts the flow of amrita to the point I can taste flowers 🙂 Some describe soma as having a metallic taste, but my experience is that it has a more mineral taste, with a sparkling quality. I guess there are variations in the experience. 🙂

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