Shloka 3
धर्मलक्षण-प्रश्नः (Marks and Sources of Dharma) | Chapter 251: Inquiry into the Definition of Dharma
अन्तरात्मकमाकाशं तन्मयं श्रोत्रमिन्द्रियम् तस्य शब्दं गुणं विद्यान्मूर्तिशास्त्रविधानवित्,आकाश अवकाशस्वरूप है और श्रवणेन्द्रिय आकाशमय है। शरीर-शास्त्रके विधानको जाननेवाला मनुष्य शब्दको आकाशका गुण जाने
antarātmakam ākāśaṃ tanmayaṃ śrotram indriyam | tasya śabdaṃ guṇaṃ vidyān mūrtiśāstravidhānavit ||
Vyāsa said: “Space (ākāśa) is the inner self of all that gives room and pervasion; the organ of hearing is constituted of that very space. Therefore, one who understands the principles laid down in the science of embodied form should know ‘sound’ to be the specific quality of space.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches an elemental correspondence: the sense of hearing arises from ākāśa (space), and sound (śabda) is the defining quality (guṇa) of ākāśa. This supports a disciplined understanding of the body and perception as structured by the mahābhūtas, aiding detachment and self-knowledge.
In the didactic discourse of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa explains metaphysical principles about the elements and the senses. Here he identifies ākāśa as the basis of the auditory faculty and establishes sound as its characteristic property, as part of a systematic teaching on embodied existence.