Brahmā’s Enumeration of Primacies (Ādi) and the Supremacy of Knowledge
Jñāna
भूमिरादिस्तु गन्धानां रसानामाप एव च | रूपाणां ज्योतिरादित्य: स्पर्शानां वायुरुच्यते
bhūmir ādis tu gandhānāṃ rasānām āpa eva ca | rūpāṇāṃ jyotir ādityaḥ sparśānāṃ vāyur ucyate
વાયુદેવે કહ્યું— ગંધનો આદિ સ્ત્રોત પૃથ્વી છે અને રસનો જળ. રૂપનો આદિ જ્યોતિર્મય આદિત્ય છે, અને સ્પર્શનો આદિ વાયુ કહેવાય છે.
वायुदेव उवाच
Each sense-quality is traced to its elemental source: smell to earth, taste to water, form/visibility to the sun’s radiance (fire/light), and touch to wind. The implied ethical lesson is discernment—knowing the basis of sensory experience helps one restrain craving and act with steadiness and dharmic clarity.
Vāyu-deva is speaking as an instructor, presenting a compact cosmological mapping between elements and sense-objects. The verse functions as doctrinal guidance within the dialogue, shifting attention from external attractions to their underlying principles.