Shloka 11
Jvarotpatti — The Origin and Distribution of Jvara
Fever
तस्य भूमिमयो देह: श्रोत्रमाकाशसम्भवम् । सूर्याच्चक्षुरसुर्वायोरद्भ्यस्तु खलु शोणितम्,प्राणियोंका शरीर पृथ्वीका विकार है, श्रोत्रेन्द्रिय आकाशसे उत्पन्न हुई है, नेत्रेन्द्रिय सूर्यसे, प्राण वायुसे और रक्त जलसे उत्पन्न हुए हैं
tasya bhūmimayo dehaḥ śrotram ākāśasambhavam | sūryāc cakṣur asur vāyor adbhyas tu khalu śoṇitam ||
Asita said: “The embodied being’s body is a modification of earth. Hearing arises from space; sight from the sun; the vital breath from wind; and blood, indeed, from water.”
असित उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches an elemental analysis of the human body and faculties: the body is earth-derived, hearing is space-derived, sight is sun-derived, breath is air-derived, and blood is water-derived. This supports ethical detachment by showing the body as a compound of impersonal elements rather than the true self.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, the sage Asita is explaining the constitution of embodied life. He enumerates the elemental sources of bodily components and sense faculties as part of a broader discourse aimed at wisdom, restraint, and right understanding.