Rasa loka / Plane of taste

While in the lower chakras the sense of taste was predominantly a mode of sensory perception, in the fourth chakra it becomes purified — taste in the aesthetic sense. One who lands in this plane is able to penetrate into the world of ideas and meanings. This penetration gives the player direct experiential knowledge of the essence of emotions and sentiments.

Rasa is love, pleasure, grace, enjoyment, sentiment, taste, emotions, beauty, passion, spirit. It is the poetic sentiment, the essence ot poetry. Rasa is water in its purest form, the force that binds all creation together.

Up to the third chakra, taste — in all its shades of meaning — is devoted to lower-level activities. In the first chakra the sense of taste is totally dominated by the desire to make money. Power foods (meat especially) and prepared foods (convenience products) are the basis of the player’s diet. He uses a great deal of salt and spice. By the second chakra the energies are diverted toward sensuality, especially sex. Here foods that increase sexual stamina, such as eggs, ginseng, and fish, are his concern. In the third chakra he indulges taste for its own sake, consuming foods for different flavors and textures. But in the fourth chakra, the heart plane, the sense of taste becomes purified. He leaves salt and sweet tastes to understand the real essence of the food he consumes.

Once the player lands on the plane of taste, his taste improves in all dimensions. His tastes in food, music, and conversation are pleasing to all, regardless of their vibrational level. He becomes a master of good taste, appreciated by all. Thus he draws to himself a group of admirers who seek to vibrate in the same frequencies.