Shloka 86
धर्मलक्षण-प्रश्नः (Marks and Sources of Dharma) | Chapter 251: Inquiry into the Definition of Dharma
गन्धश्षेवेन्द्रियार्थोडयं विज्ञेयः पृथिवीमय: । इसी प्रकार दाढ़ी-मूँछ
gandhaś śrotrendriyārtho 'yaṃ vijñeyaḥ pṛthivīmayaḥ | tathā śmaśru-loma-keśa-nāḍī-snāyu-carmaṇāṃ ca sarveṣāṃ pṛthivīto 'tpattiḥ | nāsikā-nāmnā prasiddhaṃ prāṇendriyaṃ tad api pṛthivy-aṃśaḥ | gandha-nāmakaṃ viṣayaṃ ca pārthiva-guṇam eva vijānīyāt ||
Vyāsa erklärt, dass der Geruch—das Objekt, das von der Sinnesfähigkeit erfasst wird—als dem Erdelement zugehörig zu verstehen ist. Ebenso entstehen Bart und Schnurrbart, die Körperhaare, das Haupthaar, die Kanäle (nāḍīs), die Sehnen und die Haut allesamt aus der Erde. Der Lebenssinn, der als Nase bekannt ist, ist gleichfalls ein Anteil der Erde. Darum ist das Objekt namens „Geruch“ als eine erdhafte Eigenschaft zu erkennen.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Smell (gandha) and the nasal faculty are classified as belonging to the earth-element; many bodily structures (hair, skin, sinews, channels) are likewise said to arise from earth. The passage trains the reader to analyze experience and the body in terms of elemental constituents, supporting detachment and discriminative knowledge.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Vyāsa continues an analytical exposition of the body, senses, and elements. He identifies smell as an earthy quality and links related bodily features and the nose to the earth-element as part of a broader metaphysical teaching.