Shloka 2
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
यदासृजत् सहस्राणि भूतानां स महामति: । पज्चानामेव भूतत्वं कथं समुपपद्यते,परंतु जब महाबुद्धिमान् ब्रह्माजीनी और भी हजारों भूतोंकी रचना की है, तब इन पाँचको ही “भूत” कहना कहाँतक युक्तिसंगत है?
yadāsṛjat sahasrāṇi bhūtānāṃ sa mahāmatiḥ | pañcānām eva bhūtatvaṃ kathaṃ samupapadyate ||
Bharadvāja dijo: «Si ese Creador de gran mente hizo surgir miles de seres, ¿cómo puede justificarse lógicamente que sólo estos cinco sean distinguidos y llamados ‘elementos’ (bhūtas)?»
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a rational inquiry into terminology and ontology: if innumerable beings are created, why are only five principles granted the technical designation ‘bhūtas’ (elements)? It invites a clarification of the special role of the five elements as foundational constituents, distinct from individual living beings.
In the Śānti Parva’s philosophical discussion, Bharadvāja challenges a cosmological classification. Addressing the Creator’s act of producing countless beings, he questions the consistency of calling only the five (earth, water, fire, wind, space—implied) ‘bhūtas,’ prompting the teacher to explain the doctrine of the five great elements.