Shloka 48
Brahma-vidyā: Satya–Tapas and the Enumeration of Tattvas
Arjuna–Vāsudeva framed dialogue
विशेषा: पञ्च भूतानामिति सर्ग: सनातन: । चतुर्विशतिरेका च तत्त्वसंख्या प्रकीर्तिता
viśeṣāḥ pañca bhūtānām iti sargaḥ sanātanaḥ | caturviśatir ekā ca tattvasaṅkhyā prakīrtitā |
বায়ু বললেন—পঞ্চ মহাভূতের নিজ নিজ বিশেষ ধর্ম আছে; এটাই সনাতন সৃষ্টিপ্রক্রিয়া। অতএব তত্ত্বসংখ্যা চব্বিশ ঘোষিত; আর জীবাত্মা যুক্ত হলে সেটাই পঁচিশ বলা হয়।
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a Sāṅkhya-style ontology: creation proceeds through an eternal scheme in which the principles are counted as twenty-four (prakṛti and its evolutes), and when the conscious self (jīvātman/puruṣa) is included, the total becomes twenty-five.
Vāyudeva is instructing the listener by summarizing the traditional enumeration of reality’s constituents—highlighting the five elements and the standard tally of tattvas—framing it as an ancient, authoritative doctrine within the Ashvamedhika Parva discourse.