Shloka 9
मनु-उपदेशः — भूत-उत्पत्ति, इन्द्रिय-निवृत्ति, तथा पर-स्वभाव-विवेकः
Manu’s Instruction on Elemental Origination, Sense-Withdrawal, and Discrimination of the Supreme Nature
शब्द: श्रोत्रं तथा खानि त्रयमाकाशयोनिजम् । वायो: स्पर्शस्तथा चेष्टा त्वक् चैव त्रितयं स्मृतम्
bhīṣma uvāca | śabdaḥ śrotraṃ tathā khāni trayam ākāśayonijam | vāyoḥ sparśas tathā ceṣṭā tvak caiva tritayaṃ smṛtam |
قال بيشما: «الصوتُ، وحاسّةُ السمع، ومنافذُ الجسد—هذه الثلاثة تُعَدّ من آثار الأثير (ākāśa). ومن الريح (vāyu) تُعرَف ثلاثة: اللمس، والحركة/النشاط، وعضو اللمس وهو الجلد».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse assigns specific sensory qualities and bodily functions to their elemental sources: ether gives rise to sound, hearing, and bodily openings; wind gives rise to touch, motion, and the skin. This supports a discriminative view of the body as a compound of elements, aiding detachment and self-knowledge.
In Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs on philosophical analysis (often Sāṅkhya-like), explaining how the senses and functions relate to the elements. The focus is didactic—mapping embodied experience to elemental principles rather than advancing plot.