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Shloka 226

Adhyāya 42 — Mahābhūta–Indriya–Adhyātma-Vyavasthā

Brahmā’s Instruction on Elements and Faculties

अधिभूतं तथा गन्धो वायुस्तत्राधिदैवतम्‌ । पृथ्वी पाँचवाँ भूत है। नासिका उसका अध्यात्म, गन्ध उसका अधिभूत और वायु उसका अधिदैवत कहा जाता है

adhibhūtaṁ tathā gandho vāyus tatrādhidaivatam |

Vāyu-deva sprach: „In diesem Zusammenhang wird der Duft als adhibhūta (das grobe, elementare Objekt) erklärt, und Vāyu (der Wind) ist dort das adhidaivata (die präsidierende Gottheit).“ Die Lehre ordnet den Geruchssinn in die Triade von innerer Grundlage, äußerem Objekt und göttlichem Regulator ein und führt den Hörer dazu, Wahrnehmung als dharmische Ordnung zu sehen, nicht als bloße Genusssucht. So ist für das Element Erde — das fünfte — die Nase das adhyātma; der Duft das adhibhūta; und Vāyu wird als sein adhidaivata bezeichnet.

अधिभूतम्the adhibhūta (pertaining to the elemental/physical plane)
अधिभूतम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअधिभूत
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
तथाand/likewise
तथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतथा
गन्धःsmell, odor
गन्धः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootगन्ध
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
वायुःwind; air
वायुः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootवायु
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
तत्रthere; in that (context/organ/element)
तत्र:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतत्र
अधिदैवतम्the adhidaivata (presiding deity principle)
अधिदैवतम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअधिदैवत
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular

वायुदेव उवाच

V
Vāyu (Wind-god)
G
gandha (smell/fragrance)

Educational Q&A

It maps perception into a threefold framework: the external object (adhibhūta: smell/fragrance), the divine regulator (adhidaivata: Vāyu), and implicitly the inner faculty (adhyātma, understood here as the nose/smell-sense). This encourages disciplined awareness and sense-restraint by recognizing a cosmic order behind sensory experience.

Vāyu-deva is instructing the listener in a doctrinal exposition on the elements and senses, specifying which external object and which presiding deity correspond to the domain of smell.