Shloka 6
भूमिगुण-प्रश्नः
Inquiry into the qualities of Earth and the classification of beings
चत्वारो5प्सु गुणा राजन् गन्धस्तत्र न विद्यते । शब्द: स्पर्शश्व॒ रूपं च तेजसो5थ गुणास्त्रय: । शब्द: स्पर्शश्ष॒ वायोस्तु आकाशे शब्द एव तु
sañjaya uvāca | catvāro 'psu guṇā rājan gandhas tatra na vidyate | śabdaḥ sparśaś ca rūpaṃ ca tejaso 'tha guṇās trayaḥ | śabdaḥ sparśaś ca vāyos tu ākāśe śabda eva tu |
قال سَنْجَيَا: «أيها الملك، في الماء أربعُ صفاتٍ حسّية؛ ولا وجودَ للرائحة فيه. وللنار ثلاثُ صفات: الصوتُ واللمسُ والصورة. وللريح صفتان فقط: الصوتُ واللمس. وأما الفضاء فله صفةٌ واحدة لا غير: الصوت.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse classifies the gross elements by their sensory qualities (guṇas): space has sound; wind has sound and touch; fire has sound, touch, and form; water has four qualities but lacks smell. The point is to map experience through perception and encourage discernment about the material field.
Sañjaya continues instructive discourse to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, presenting a philosophical enumeration of elemental qualities—typical of Sāṅkhya-style analysis—within the broader Bhīṣma Parva setting.