Shloka 14
Jvarotpatti — The Origin and Distribution of Jvara
Fever
रूप॑ गन्धो रस: स्पर्श: शब्दश्वैवाथ तद्गुणा: । इन्द्रियेरूपल भ्यन्ते पजचधा पड्च पञ्चभि:,नेत्र आदि पाँच इन्द्रियोंद्वारा रूप, गन्ध, रस, स्पर्श और शब्द--ये पाँच गुण दर्शन आदि पाँच प्रकारोंसे उपलब्ध किये जाते हैं
rūpa-gandho rasaḥ sparśaḥ śabdaś caivātha tad-guṇāḥ | indriyai rūpalabhyante pañcadhā pañca pañcabhiḥ ||
Asita said: Form, smell, taste, touch, and sound—these are the five sensory qualities. They are apprehended in five distinct ways by the five senses, beginning with the eye. Thus, experience is structured through the disciplined recognition of how each sense grasps its own object, a point meant to guide discernment and self-control in the pursuit of dharma.
असित उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that perception is organized through five senses, each grasping a specific sensory quality—form, smell, taste, touch, and sound. Recognizing this mapping supports viveka (discernment) and restraint, since ethical living depends on understanding how sense-contact generates experience and desire.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Asita explains a philosophical account of perception: the five sensory qualities are known through the five senses (eye and the rest). This forms part of a broader teaching aimed at inner discipline and right understanding.