Shloka 4

जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः

Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry

Devanagari script

स तेषां गुणसंघात: शरीरं भरतर्षभ | सततं हि प्रलीयन्ते गुणास्ते प्रभवन्ति च,भरतश्रेष्ठ! प्राणियोंका शरीर उन्हीं पाँचों महाभूतोंका कार्यसमूह है। वे कार्यरूपमें परिणत भूतगण सदा लीन होते और प्रकट होते रहते हैं

Transliteration

sa teṣāṁ guṇasaṅghātaḥ śarīraṁ bharatarṣabha | satataṁ hi pralīyante guṇās te prabhavanti ca ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «Ô taureau parmi les Bharata, le corps n’est rien d’autre qu’un agrégat composé de ces constituants. En vérité, ces constituants se dissolvent sans cesse et sans cesse renaissent. Il faut donc comprendre l’existence incarnée comme un processus continu de formation et de dissolution, et ne pas prendre le corps pour un soi immuable.»

Word by Word

सःthat (he/it)

तेषाम्of those

गुण-संघातःaggregate/collection of qualities (elements)

शरीरम्body

भरत-ऋषभO bull among the Bharatas

सततम्always, continually

हिindeed, for

प्रलीयन्तेdissolve, merge (into)

गुणाःqualities; constituents

तेthose

प्रभवन्तिarise, come into being

चand

भरत-श्रेष्ठO best of the Bharatas

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Bharatarshabha (Yudhishthira)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The body is a temporary aggregate of material constituents that continually arise and dissolve; recognizing this supports detachment and clearer discernment of the self beyond bodily change.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhishma explains a philosophical view of embodiment: the body is formed from constituent elements and is perpetually undergoing dissolution and re-formation.