Shloka 11
Śānti-parva 206: Guṇa-hetu Moha, Kāma-krodha Chain, Indriya-utpatti, and Nirodha
पवनाच्च महद् व्योम तस्मात् परतरं मन: । मनसो महती बुद्धिर्बुद्धे: कालो महान् स्मृत:
pavanāc ca mahad vyoma tasmāt parataraṁ manaḥ | manaso mahatī buddhir buddheḥ kālo mahān smṛtaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “From wind arises the vast expanse of space; beyond that is the mind. Greater than the mind is the mighty intellect, and greater than the intellect is Time, remembered as the great power.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a hierarchy: wind → space → mind → intellect → Time. It emphasizes that inner faculties (mind and especially intellect) are subtler and more powerful than gross elements, and that Time ultimately surpasses even intellect as the great governing force behind transformation and consequence.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and higher knowledge. Here he is explaining a philosophical ordering of principles—moving from physical elements to psychological faculties and finally to Time—to guide the listener toward discernment and a broader, less ego-bound view of events.