Shloka 26
Adhyāya 302: Guṇa-vicāra, Gati-bheda, and the Imperishable State
Yājñavalkya–Janaka
एवं युगपदुत्पन्न॑ं दशवर्गमसंशयम् । पज्चमं विद्धि राजेन्द्र भौतिकं सर्गमर्थवत्,इन दसोंकी उत्पत्ति एक ही साथ होती है, इसमें संशय नहीं है। राजेन्द्र! पाँचवाँ भौतिक सर्ग समझो। जो प्राणियोंके लिये विशेष प्रयोजनीय होनेके कारण सार्थक है
evaṁ yugapad utpannaṁ daśa-vargam asaṁśayam | pañcamaṁ viddhi rājendra bhautikaṁ sargam arthavat ||
Vasiṣṭha said: “These ten classes arise simultaneously—of this there is no doubt. O best of kings, understand the fifth to be the ‘material’ creation, meaningful and practically significant, because it is especially useful for embodied beings.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts an ordered understanding of creation: ten categories are said to arise together, and among the enumerated creations the fifth is identified as the ‘material’ (bhautikā) creation—called ‘meaningful’ because it directly serves the needs and experience of embodied beings.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Vasiṣṭha is explaining a cosmological scheme to a king (addressed as rājendra), clarifying that multiple classes of beings/categories emerge simultaneously and highlighting the practical relevance of the material level of creation.