Shloka 11
मनु-उपदेशः — भूत-उत्पत्ति, इन्द्रिय-निवृत्ति, तथा पर-स्वभाव-विवेकः
Manu’s Instruction on Elemental Origination, Sense-Withdrawal, and Discrimination of the Supreme Nature
घ्रेयं प्राणं शरीरं च एते भूमिगुणास्त्रय: । महाभूतानि पज्चैव षष्ठं च मन उच्यते
ghreyaṃ prāṇaṃ śarīraṃ ca ete bhūmi-guṇās trayaḥ | mahābhūtāni pañcaiva ṣaṣṭhaṃ ca mana ucyate ||
Bhishma dijo: «El olor, el aliento vital (prāṇa) y el cuerpo: estos tres se describen como cualidades (es decir, efectos) de la tierra. Así, en este ser encarnado están los cinco grandes elementos y, como sexto, se menciona la mente (manas)».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse classifies constituents of embodied existence: the five great elements form the material basis, while mind is counted as a sixth principle; it also links smell, vital breath, and bodily form to the earth-element as its characteristic effects/attributes in this explanatory scheme.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues his philosophical exposition to Yudhishthira, explaining how the body and inner faculties can be analyzed into elemental components and the mind, supporting ethical life through clearer self-understanding and detachment.