Shloka 3
जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः
Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry
पृथिवी वायुराकाशमापो ज्योतिश्व पठ्चमम् । महाभूतानि भूतानां सर्वेषां प्रभवाप्ययौ,पृथ्वी, वायु, आकाश, जल और तेज--ये पाँच महाभूत समस्त प्राणियोंकी उत्पत्ति और प्रलयके स्थान हैं
pṛthivī vāyur ākāśam āpo jyotiś ca pañcamam | mahābhūtāni bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ prabhavāpyayau ||
Bhīṣma said: Earth, wind, space, water, and fire as the fifth—these are the five great elements. From them all beings arise, and into them they finally dissolve. Therefore, knowing the elemental ground of life, one should see the world as ruled by natural law rather than by personal whim, and cultivate steadiness and restraint amid gain and loss.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
All embodied life is constituted by the five great elements and returns to them; recognizing this supports detachment, steadiness, and a dharmic outlook grounded in the impermanent nature of material existence.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on principles of right living and knowledge; here he turns to a cosmological explanation, identifying the five elements as the common source and end of all beings.