Shloka 86
धर्मलक्षण-प्रश्नः (Marks and Sources of Dharma) | Chapter 251: Inquiry into the Definition of Dharma
गन्धश्षेवेन्द्रियार्थोडयं विज्ञेयः पृथिवीमय: । इसी प्रकार दाढ़ी-मूँछ
gandhaś śrotrendriyārtho 'yaṃ vijñeyaḥ pṛthivīmayaḥ | tathā śmaśru-loma-keśa-nāḍī-snāyu-carmaṇāṃ ca sarveṣāṃ pṛthivīto 'tpattiḥ | nāsikā-nāmnā prasiddhaṃ prāṇendriyaṃ tad api pṛthivy-aṃśaḥ | gandha-nāmakaṃ viṣayaṃ ca pārthiva-guṇam eva vijānīyāt ||
Vyāsa explique que l’odeur—l’objet saisi par la faculté sensorielle—doit être comprise comme relevant de l’élément terre. De même, la barbe et la moustache, les poils du corps, les cheveux de la tête, les canaux (nāḍīs), les tendons et la peau proviennent tous de la terre. Le sens vital connu sous le nom de nez est lui aussi une part de la terre. Ainsi, l’objet appelé « odeur » doit être reconnu comme une qualité terrestre.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Smell (gandha) and the nasal faculty are classified as belonging to the earth-element; many bodily structures (hair, skin, sinews, channels) are likewise said to arise from earth. The passage trains the reader to analyze experience and the body in terms of elemental constituents, supporting detachment and discriminative knowledge.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Vyāsa continues an analytical exposition of the body, senses, and elements. He identifies smell as an earthy quality and links related bodily features and the nose to the earth-element as part of a broader metaphysical teaching.