Shloka 4
चेष्टा वायु: खमाकाशमूष्माग्नि: सलिल द्रव: । पृथिवी चात्र संघात: शरीरं पाज्चभौतिकम्,प्राणियोंका शरीर इन पाँच महाभूतोंका ही संघात है। इसमें जो चेष्टा या गति है, वह वायुका भाग है। जो खोखलापन है, वह आकाशका अंश है। ऊष्मा (गर्मी) अग्निका अंश है। लोहू आदि तरल पदार्थ जलके अंश हैं और हड्डी, मांस आदि ठोस पदार्थ पृथ्वीके अंश हैं
ceṣṭā vāyuḥ khaṃ ākāśam ūṣmā agniḥ salilaṃ dravaḥ | pṛthivī cātra saṃghātaḥ śarīraṃ pañcabhautikam ||
Bharadvāja said: “In this body made of the five great elements, movement is the portion of Wind; the inner space and hollowness belong to Ether; heat is the share of Fire; the flowing, liquid constituents (such as blood and the like) arise from Water; and the compact, solid constituents (such as bone and flesh) are of Earth. Thus the living body is understood as a composite of the five elements, not an independent, permanent self.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The body is a pañcabhūta-saṃghāta (aggregate of five elements). Its functions and qualities—motion, space, heat, liquidity, and solidity—are traced to air, ether, fire, water, and earth respectively, encouraging discernment between the perishable body and the enduring principle of self.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional dialogue, Bharadvāja explains the elemental constitution of embodied beings, analyzing bodily features as expressions of the five great elements to support a broader teaching on understanding the body’s nature and cultivating detachment and right knowledge.