Shloka 10
Śānti-parva 206: Guṇa-hetu Moha, Kāma-krodha Chain, Indriya-utpatti, and Nirodha
पृथिवीरूपतो रूपमपामिह महत्तरम् । अद्धों महत्तरं तेजस्तेजस: पवनो महान्
pṛthivīrūpato rūpam apām iha mahattaram | addho mahattaraṃ tejas tejasāḥ pavano mahān ||
भीष्म बोले—यहाँ पृथ्वी के रूप से जल का रूप अधिक महान है। जल से भी अधिक महान तेज है, और तेज से भी महान प्रबल पवन है।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a graded hierarchy among the classical elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—implying increasing subtlety and power. In Śānti Parva’s ethical-philosophical setting, such hierarchies support reflection on what truly governs the world and the self: not mere gross form, but progressively more potent forces.
Bhīṣma, instructing in Śānti Parva, shifts into a cosmological-philosophical explanation. He enumerates elements in ascending order of superiority, using them as a teaching device within his broader counsel on right understanding and disciplined living.