Chapter XVII · Śloka 9
Śrī Kṛṣṇa uvāca
कट्वम्ललवणात्युष्णतीक्ष्णरूक्षविदाहिनः |
आहारा राजसस्येष्टा दुःखशोकामयप्रदाः ||
आहारा राजसस्येष्टा दुःखशोकामयप्रदाः ||
kaṭv-amla-lavaṇāty-uṣṇa-tīkṣṇa-rūkṣa-vidāhinaḥ |
āhārā rājasasyeṣṭā duḥkha-śokāmaya-pradāḥ ||
āhārā rājasasyeṣṭā duḥkha-śokāmaya-pradāḥ ||
Foods that are bitter, sour, salty, very hot, pungent, dry, and burning — these are dear to the rājasika and produce pain, grief, and disease.
Rājasika food excites and agitates — its flavors are aggressive, its effects inflammatory. The person dominated by rajas craves stimulation; these foods feed the appetite for intensity while simultaneously generating the suffering that rajas always accumulates.