Shloka 7
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
अनूष्मणामचेष्टानां घनानां चैव तत्त्वतः । वृक्षाणां नोपलभ्यन्ते शरीरे पजच धातव:,वृक्षोंके शरीरमें गर्मी नहीं है, कोई चेष्टा भी नहीं है तथा वास्तवमें वे घन हैं; अत: उनके शरीरमें पाँचों भूतोंकी उपलब्धि नहीं होती है
anūṣmaṇām aceṣṭānāṁ ghanānāṁ caiva tattvataḥ | vṛkṣāṇāṁ nopalabhyante śarīre pañca dhātavaḥ ||
قال بهاردفاجا: «إنه لا يُدرك في أجساد الأشجار دفءٌ محسوس، ولا حركةٌ ظاهرة، وهي في حقيقتها كثيفةٌ خامدة. لذلك لا تُستبان في جسد الشجرة العناصر الخمسة كما تُستبان في ذوات الأحياء.»
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse argues from observable signs—heat and activity—to question whether trees manifest the five elemental constituents in the same evident way as animals and humans. It frames a philosophical inquiry into what counts as “life” and how embodiment is recognized, using perception-based criteria (warmth, motion, density) to discuss the presence or absence of the pañca-mahābhūtas.
In the Shānti Parva’s reflective dialogues, Bharadvāja presents a reasoned claim about the nature of trees: since they appear cold, inactive, and solid, the five elements are not apprehended in their bodies. This functions as a step in a broader debate on ontology—how different beings are constituted and how one should understand life, soul, and matter.