Shloka 29

Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)

Devanagari script

ज्योति: पश्यति चक्षुर्भ्या स्पर्श वेत्ति च वायुना,मनुष्य दोनों नेत्रोंसे रूपको देखता है और त्वगिन्द्रियसे स्पर्शका अनुभव करता है। शब्द, स्पर्श, रूप और रस--ये जलके गुण माने गये हैं। उनमें प्रधान गुण रस है, उसकी जानकारीके लिये अब मैं उसके भेदोंका वर्णन करता हूँ। तुम उसे मेरे मुहसे सुनो

Transliteration

jyotiḥ paśyati cakṣurbhyāṃ sparśaṃ vetti ca vāyunā | manuṣyo netrābhyāṃ rūpaṃ paśyati tvagindriyeṇa sparśam anubhavati | śabda-sparśa-rūpa-rasa—ete jalasya guṇāḥ manyante | teṣu pradhāno guṇo rasaḥ | tasya vijñānārthaṃ idānīṃ tasya bhedān varṇayiṣyāmi | tvaṃ tan mama mukhāt śṛṇu ||

Translation

Bharadvāja sprach: „Licht wird von den Augen erfasst, und Berührung wird durch das Wirken der Luft erkannt. So sieht der Mensch die Gestalt mit beiden Augen und erfährt den Kontakt durch den Hautsinn. Klang, Berührung, Gestalt und Geschmack gelten als Qualitäten, die mit dem Wasser verbunden sind; unter ihnen ist der Geschmack der vornehmste. Darum will ich, damit der Geschmack recht verstanden werde, nun seine Arten beschreiben — hört es aus meinem Mund.“

Word by Word

• {'jyotiḥ': 'light

• luminosity', 'paśyati': 'sees

• perceives', 'cakṣus / cakṣurbhyām': 'eye / with (both) eyes', 'sparśa': 'touch

• tactile sensation', 'vetti': 'knows

• cognizes', 'vāyunā': 'by/through air (as medium or agency)', 'manuṣyaḥ': 'a human being', 'rūpa': 'form

• visible appearance', 'tvagindriya': 'the skin-sense

• tactile organ', 'śabda': 'sound', 'guṇa': 'quality

• attribute', 'jala': 'water', 'rasa': 'taste

• flavor (also aesthetic ‘rasa’ in other contexts)', 'pradhāna': 'chief

• principal', 'bheda': 'types

• varieties', 'varṇayiṣyāmi': 'I shall describe/explain', 'mukha': 'mouth', 'śṛṇu': 'listen'}

Speaker

भरद्वाज उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bharadvaja
• jyotiḥ (light)
• vāyu (air)
• jala (water)
• cakṣus (eyes)
• tvak (skin-sense)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links sense-perception to specific media and elemental qualities: sight apprehends light through the eyes, touch is known through air, and water is discussed in terms of its associated qualities—highlighting taste (rasa) as primary and preparing for a classification of tastes.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva’s instructional discourse, Bharadvaja continues a philosophical explanation of how humans perceive the world and how the elements are characterized by their qualities, transitioning into a detailed teaching on the varieties of taste.