Shloka 23
Adhyāya 42 — Mahābhūta–Indriya–Adhyātma-Vyavasthā
Brahmā’s Instruction on Elements and Faculties
एषु पञ्चसु भूतेषु त्रिषु यश्च विधि: स्मृता:,इन पाँच भूतोंमें अध्यात्म, अधिभूत और अधिदैवरूप तीन भेद माने गये हैं
eṣu pañcasu bhūteṣu triṣu yaś ca vidhiḥ smṛtaḥ
বায়ু বললেন— এই পাঁচ ভূতের বিষয়ে স্মৃতিতে ত্রিবিধ বিধান মানা হয়েছে—অধ্যাত্ম, অধিভূত ও অধিদৈব।
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a threefold lens for understanding reality: the same five elements can be viewed as inner experience (adhyātma), as external material phenomena (adhibhūta), and as governed by divine presiding principles (adhidaiva). This integrates self-discipline, empirical observation, and reverence for cosmic order.
Vāyu-deva is instructing the listener by laying out a traditional doctrinal framework. He introduces how the pañca-bhūtas are to be analyzed through three categories, preparing for a more detailed explanation of how body, world, and divine forces correspond.