Shloka 40
स पञ्चाधा पञ्चजनोपपन्नं संचोदयन् विश्वमिदं सिसुक्षु: । ततश्चलकारावनिमारुतौ च खं ज्योतिरम्भश्ष॒ तथैव पार्थ
sa pañcadhā pañcajanopapannaṃ saṃcodayan viśvam idaṃ sisukṣuḥ | tataś calakārāvanimārutau ca khaṃ jyotir ambhaś ca tathaiva pārtha kuntīkumarāḥ |
Bhīṣma dit : Désirant faire naître cet univers tout entier, le Suprême Impulseur—présent en cinq modalités et lié aux cinq classes d’êtres—mit le monde en mouvement et tint toutes les créatures sous son gouvernement. Puis il façonna, dans l’ordre voulu, les cinq grands éléments : la terre, l’eau, le feu (la lumière), le vent et l’espace.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the universe and its diverse orders of beings arise from a single governing principle that impels and sustains creation. The five great elements are produced in an ordered sequence, implying a cosmos structured by law and purpose—an ethical-metaphysical backdrop for dharma.
Bhishma, instructing the Pandavas (addressing Arjuna as Partha), explains a doctrine of creation: the Supreme creator, intending to manifest the world, brings forth the five elements and thereby supports the five classes of beings (gods, asuras, humans, ancestors, and animals).