Shloka 22

Brahmopadeśa: Adhipatitva-kathana, Dharma-lakṣaṇa, and Kṣetra–Kṣetrajña Viveka

Book 14, Chapter 43

Devanagari script

शब्दलक्षणमाकाशं वायुस्तु स्पर्शलक्षण: । ज्योतिषां लक्षणं रूपमापश्ष रसलक्षणा:,शब्द आकाशका, वायु स्पर्शका, रूप तेजका और रस जलका लक्षण है

Transliteration

śabdalakṣaṇam ākāśaṁ vāyus tu sparśalakṣaṇaḥ | jyotiṣāṁ lakṣaṇaṁ rūpam āpaś ca rasalakṣaṇāḥ ||

Translation

Vāyu-deva said: “Sound is the defining mark of space (ākāśa). Touch is the defining mark of wind (vāyu). Form is the defining mark of light/fire (tejas). Taste is the defining mark of water (āpas).”

Word by Word

शब्दलक्षणम्having sound as its characteristic

आकाशम्ether/space

वायुःwind/air

तुbut/and (contrastive particle)

स्पर्शलक्षणःhaving touch as its characteristic

ज्योतिषाम्of lights / of fire (tejas)

लक्षणम्characteristic/mark

रूपम्form/color

आपःwaters

रसलक्षणाःhaving taste as their characteristic

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu-deva

ākāśa (space/ether)

vāyu (wind/air)

jyotis/tejas (light/fire)

āpas (water)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Each element is recognized by its characteristic sensory quality: space by sound, wind by touch, fire/light by form, and water by taste. The verse trains discernment (viveka) by mapping the world to fundamental qualities, a step toward understanding how perception relates to the constituents of nature.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu-deva is instructing the listener in a doctrinal explanation of the elements (tattvas), presenting a concise list of defining attributes as part of a broader philosophical discourse in the Ashvamedhika Parva.