# anurasa (अनुरस)

> Canonical version of this page: https://nighantu.ageayurveda.com/lexicon/anurasa/

An Ayurvedic technical term, rendered into English in 4 different ways.
The renderings do not agree, and the difference between them changes what the term is taken
to mean.

## Identification

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Transliteration | anurasa |
| Devanagari | अनुरस |
| Also written | anu-rasa, secondary taste, subordinate taste, sub-taste, after-taste |
| Category, as gathered | dravyaguna-1 |
| Grouped under | Pharmacology and the action of substances |
| Classical citations | 2 |
| Citations checked | 2026-10-07 |

## How it is translated, and whether the translation holds

Each rendering is given with the source that uses it. The assessment is ours.

### Rasa(Taste) of a substance which is perceived towards the end or with less intensity or which is latent

WHO International Standard Terminologies on Ayurveda (2022) · code DG0033 'anurasa' · comparator

Three-part definition (late / faint / latent) which tracks Ca.Su.26.28 and Chakrapani.

Reproduced unaltered and attributed from the WHO International Standard Terminologies on Ayurveda, which is what that
licence permits, and deliberately absent from the downloadable dataset, which is CC BY 4.0.

### the subordinate or unmanifest taste; 'subordinate taste'

Charaka Samhita tr. A. C. Kaviratna, public domain · Su.26, his printed no. 43 (= standard 26.28) and his footnote citing Chakrapani · public-domain translation

'Unmanifest' conflates anurasa with avyakta (the 8th 'taste' of Vadisha-Dhamargava, Su.26.9/his 13) which he renders 'that which remains in an unmanifest form'.

### Anurasa (untranslated, paired with Rasa)

Vaghela et al., AYU 2012 (PMID 23723675) · modern literature

The source's own wording is not reproduced here: "Vaghela et al., AYU 2012 (PMID 23723675)" is not a source this project has cleared for quotation.

Shows field usage: anurasa as a second, weaker taste reported alongside the primary.

### secondary taste / sub-taste / after-taste

Common textbook and web renderings · textbook (not verified against a retrieved textbook page) · our paraphrase of the source, not its words

Listed because they are ubiquitous; no specific textbook page was retrieved to anchor them. Treat as unverified.

## The classical passages

### Charaka Samhita Sutrasthana 26:Standard 26.28 (carakasamhitaonline ||२८||); Kaviratna prints 43 AFTER the passage, i.e., fifteen AHEAD of standard here because he numbers prose paragraphs individually, checked against the source

> That taste which becomes manifest, of a dry or wet object, at the outset or at the end, is called its (true) taste. That taste which becomes perceptible otherwise or in succession is called the subordinate or unmanifest taste. There is, however nothing in such subordinate or unmanifest taste that can exclude it from the six original or independent Tastes, for there is no seventh taste as already explained.

tr. A. C. Kaviratna · https://archive.org/download/BIUSante_47357/BIUSante_47357_djvu.txt

The defining verse. Sanskrit as retrieved: व्यक्तः शुष्कस्य चादौ च रसो द्रव्यस्य लक्ष्यते| विपर्ययेणानुरसो रसो नास्ति हि सप्तमः||२८|| (https://www.carakasamhitaonline.com/index.php/Atreyabhadrakapyiya_Adhyaya). Kaviratna's footnote (translator's note, not text): 'Literally rendered, the verse, therefore, is this : "of a dry object or (the same when wet), at the outset or (at the end), that taste which is manifest, is (truly) the taste : the taste that is perceptible otherwise is the subordinate taste." Chakrapani goes on to explain : take Piper longum ; when drenched or soaked in water, its taste is sweet ; when dry, it is Pungent. The latter is its taste ; take dried grapes ; when dry, they are sweet ; when drenched, they are sweet. There being no difference, Sweet is its taste. Take any of the liquids, say, kanjika or sour gruel of rice. That taste which becomes perceptible at the outset is its true taste. That which is perceived afterwards is its subordinate taste.'

### Charaka Samhita Sutrasthana 26:Standard 26.9 (the Atreya prose unit ending ||९||); Kaviratna prints 18 for this sentence, checked against the source

> Without doubt, in their original refuge the unmanifest existence (or presence) of the Tastes. So also in their combinations where particular ones predominate. So too in objects in which are combinations (of the Tastes) with particular ones predominating.

tr. A. C. Kaviratna · https://archive.org/download/BIUSante_47357/BIUSante_47357_djvu.txt

First occurrence of anurasa in the chapter: tastes exist unmanifest (avyaktībhāva) in their prakṛti (water), in an anurasa, and in a substance possessing an anurasa. Sanskrit as retrieved: अव्यक्तीभावस्तु खलु रसानां प्रकृतौ भवत्यनुरसेऽनुरससमन्विते वा द्रव्ये. Kaviratna's footnote: 'The mention, in the text, of 'Anurasa-samanvite dravye' after that of 'Anurase' seems to be superfluous, unless it be the intention of the Rishi to refer to the abstract and the concrete separately. — T.' OCR quote has a damaged word ('tA unm^fest') normalised here as 'the unmanifest'.

## Not to be confused with

- **rasa (pradhāna/vyakta rasa).** The manifest taste in the dry state or at first contact (Ca.Su.26.28); anurasa is what is perceived otherwise.
- **avyakta rasa (the 'eighth taste' of Vadisha-Dhamargava).** Rejected by Atreya in Su.26; Kaviratna's word 'unmanifest' for anurasa blurs the two.
- **vipāka.** Post-digestive transformation of taste (Su.26: 'The Sour taste changes into the Sour'); often mislabelled 'after-taste'.
- **prabhāva.** Specific unexplained action, not a perceived taste.
- **saṁyukta/mixed rasas (the 63 combinations).** Combinations of co-equal tastes; anurasa is a subordinate perception within one substance.

## Renderings that do not hold

- after-taste. Captures only the 'at the end' criterion; Ca.Su.26.28 also uses dry vs. wet state and intensity, and WHO adds 'latent'.
- unmanifest taste. Kaviratna's gloss; avyakta is a different (rejected) category in the same chapter.
- seventh taste. The verse itself denies a seventh rasa; anurasa is one of the six at lower manifestation.

## Open questions

Recorded rather than resolved.

- Whether Sushruta Su.42 Sanskrit uses anurasa (Bhishagratna's English has no such passage); not checked in a Sanskrit edition.
- Textbook renderings ('secondary taste', 'sub-taste') need anchoring to a specific textbook page.

## Citation

Age Ayurveda Nighantu, "anurasa", https://nighantu.ageayurveda.com/lexicon/anurasa/, CC BY 4.0.
Whole lexicon: https://nighantu.ageayurveda.com/lexicon.json and https://nighantu.ageayurveda.com/lexicon.csv.

Educational reference only. A term entry explains what a word means and how it has been
translated. Nothing here is advice.