Shloka 17
अध्यात्म-तत्त्व-निर्णयः
Adhyātma Taxonomy: Elements, Faculties, and Guṇas
अशब्दस्पर्शरूपं तदरसागन्धमव्ययम् | अशरीरं शरीरेषु निरीक्षेत निरिन्द्रियम्
aśabdasparśarūpaṃ tad arasāgandham avyayam | aśarīraṃ śarīreṣu nirīkṣeta nirindriyam ||
Vyāsa said: That Reality is devoid of sound, touch, and form; it is without taste and smell, and it is imperishable. Though bodiless and without senses, it should be sought and directly discerned within embodied beings—within the very field of the body—by inward inquiry into the Self.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The Self/ultimate Reality is not an object of the senses—free from sound, touch, form, taste, and smell—yet it is to be realized within embodied life through inward discernment rather than outward sensory pursuit.
In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa instructs the listener on the nature of the Self as imperishable and non-sensory, emphasizing contemplative inquiry within the body as the means to realization.