Shloka 5
तुलाधार-उपदेशः
Tulādhāra’s Instruction to Jājali on Ahiṃsā and Abhaya-dāna
अननेर्दूर्धर्षता ज्योतिस्ताप: पाक: प्रकाशनम् | शोको रागो लघुस्तैक्ष्णयं सततं चोर्ध्वभासिता,दुर्धष होना, जलना, ताप देना, पकाना, प्रकाश करना, शोक, राग, हलकापन, तीक्ष्णता और आगकी लपटोंका सदा ऊपरकी ओर उठना एवं प्रकाशित होना--ये सब अग्निके गुण हैं
anagner durdharṣatā jyotis tāpaḥ pākaḥ prakāśanam | śoko rāgo laghutā tīkṣṇatvaṃ satataṃ cordhvabhāsitā ||
Bhīṣma said: Fire is known by these inherent traits: it is hard to withstand; it shines; it gives heat; it cooks and ripens; it illuminates. It also bears the marks of burning grief-like intensity and passionate redness, its lightness and sharpness, and its flame that continually rises upward and keeps radiating. Thus are the qualities of fire described—so one may recognize its nature and effects in the world.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches recognition of a thing’s svabhāva (intrinsic nature) through its guṇas (observable qualities). Fire is defined not by name but by effects—heat, light, transformation, sharpness, and upward-rising radiance—encouraging ethical discernment by attending to consequences and characteristics.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Bhīṣma continues a didactic exposition, listing the defining properties of fire (agni) as part of a broader discussion that classifies and explains the qualities of entities in the world for reflective understanding.