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
Vāyu sprach: „Hinsichtlich dieser fünf Elemente erkennt die Überlieferung eine dreifache Ordnung an: das Innere (adhyātma), das Elementare bzw. Phänomenale (adhibhūta) und das göttliche, vorstehende Prinzip (adhidaiva).“
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.