Shloka 23
Bhūta-guṇa-saṃkhyāna
Enumeration of the Properties of the Elements and Cognitive Faculties
यथा मत्स्योडद्धिरन्य: स्यात् सम्प्रयुक्तो तथैव तौ । मशकोदुम्बरौ वापि सम्प्रयुक्तो यथा सह
yathā matsyo ’bdhir anyaḥ syāt samprayukto tathaiva tau | maśakodumbarau vāpi samprayukto yathā saha ||
যেমন মাছ ও সমুদ্র ভিন্ন প্রকৃতির, তবু স্বাভাবিক সম্পর্কেই যুক্ত থাকে—তেমনি তারা দুজন। অথবা যেমন মশা ও উদুম্বর (গোলর) একত্র হলে—অত্যন্ত অমিল হয়েও—সংযুক্ত থাকে।
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that association or linkage can exist even between fundamentally dissimilar beings; difference in nature does not prevent a real connection, whether by dependence, proximity, or circumstance.
Vyāsa illustrates a point through vivid comparisons—fish with the sea, and a mosquito with an udumbara—showing how ‘those two’ (previously mentioned in the discourse) are connected despite being unlike.