Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अपने-आप बछ। सा चतुरशीर्त्याधेकशततमो< ध्याय: पञ्चमहाभूतोंके गुणोंका विस्तारपूर्वक वर्णन भरद्वाज उवाच त एते धातव: पज्च ब्रह्मा यानसृजत्‌ पुरा । आवूृता यैरिमे लोका महाभूताभिसंज्ञिता:,भरद्वाजने पूछा--भगवन्‌! लोकमें ये पाँच धातु ही “महाभूत' कहलाते हैं, जिन्हें ब्रह्माने सृष्टिके आदिमें रचा था। ये ही इन समस्त लोकोंमें व्याप्त हैं

Transliteration

bharadvāja uvāca | te ete dhātavaḥ pañca brahmā yān asṛjat purā | āvṛtā yair ime lokā mahābhūtābhisaṃjñitāḥ ||

Translation

Bharadvāja said: “These are the five elemental constituents which Brahmā created in the beginning. By them all these worlds are pervaded; therefore they are known as the ‘great elements.’”

Word by Word

भरद्वाजःBharadvaja

उवाचsaid

तेthey/those

एतेthese

धातवःelements/constituents

पञ्चfive

ब्रह्माBrahmā

यान्which/whom

असृजत्created

पुराformerly/at first

आवृताःcovered/pervaded

यैःby which

इमेthese

लोकाःworlds

महाभूताभिसंज्ञिताःdesignated as 'great elements'

Speaker

भरद्वाज उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bharadvāja

Brahmā

mahābhūtas

lokas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames the five great elements as the fundamental constituents of the cosmos: created at the beginning by Brahmā and pervading all worlds, they are the basis for understanding embodied existence and material reality.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bharadvāja introduces a doctrinal question/statement about why the five constituents are called ‘mahābhūtas’: because Brahmā created them at the start and they permeate all realms, setting up a fuller exposition of their qualities.