Shloka 5
तुलाधार-उपदेशः
Tulādhāra’s Instruction to Jājali on Ahiṃsā and Abhaya-dāna
अननेर्दूर्धर्षता ज्योतिस्ताप: पाक: प्रकाशनम् | शोको रागो लघुस्तैक्ष्णयं सततं चोर्ध्वभासिता
anagner durdharṣatā jyotis tāpaḥ pākaḥ prakāśanam | śoko rāgo laghutā tīkṣṇatvaṃ satataṃ cordhvabhāsitā ||
भीष्म ने कहा—अग्नि के गुण हैं: दुर्धर्षता (जिसे सहना कठिन हो), ज्योति, ताप, पाक (पकाना), प्रकाश करना; तथा शोक-सदृश दाह, राग-सदृश लालिमा, लघुता, तीक्ष्णता, और उसकी ज्वाला का निरन्तर ऊपर की ओर उठते हुए प्रकाशित होना—ये सब अग्नि के लक्षण हैं।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches recognition of a thing’s svabhāva (intrinsic nature) through its guṇas (observable qualities). Fire is defined not by name but by effects—heat, light, transformation, sharpness, and upward-rising radiance—encouraging ethical discernment by attending to consequences and characteristics.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Bhīṣma continues a didactic exposition, listing the defining properties of fire (agni) as part of a broader discussion that classifies and explains the qualities of entities in the world for reflective understanding.