Shloka 4
अग्निवंशवर्णनम् (Agni-vaṃśa-varṇana) / The Genealogy and Function of Agni
भूमि: पज्चगुणा ब्रह्मन्नुदकं च चतुर्गुणम् । गुणास्त्रयस्तेजसि च त्रयश्वाकाशवातयो:,विप्रवर! पृथ्वीमें पाँच गुण हैं, जल चार गुणोंसे युक्त है, तेजमें तीन गुण होते हैं, वायुमें दो और आकाशमें एक गुण है
bhūmiḥ pañcaguṇā brahmann udakaṃ ca caturguṇam | guṇās trayaḥ tejasī ca dvau vāyau ekaś cākāśe vipravara ||
„O Brahmane! Die Erde besitzt fünf Eigenschaften; das Wasser ist mit vieren begabt. Das Feuer hat drei; der Wind zwei; und der Äther nur eine, o Bester der Brahmanen.“
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
It presents a graded doctrine of the five great elements (pañca-mahābhūta) by their sensory qualities (guṇas): earth has five, water four, fire three, wind two, and ether one—supporting a philosophical explanation of how the world is constituted and perceived.
In the Vyādha’s instruction to a Brahmin, the speaker shifts into a philosophical mode, explaining elemental theory as part of a broader ethical and spiritual teaching that links right understanding of reality with right conduct (dharma).