Adhyāya 42 — Mahābhūta–Indriya–Adhyātma-Vyavasthā
Brahmā’s Instruction on Elements and Faculties
रोगशोकसमाविदष्टं पज्चस्रोत:समावृतम् पजञ्चभूतसमायुक्तं नदद्वारं द्विदिवतम्
rogaśokasamāviḍaṣṭaṃ pañcasrotaḥsamāvṛtaṃ pañcabhūtasamāyuktaṃ navadvāraṃ dvidhāvitam
Raga ini digigit dan disiksa oleh penyakit serta duka; ia terkurung oleh lima arus (arus pengalaman indria), tersusun dari lima unsur agung, memiliki sembilan gerbang, dan digerakkan secara ganda—ditarik oleh kecenderungan yang saling berlawanan.
वायुदेव उवाच
The verse frames the body as a constructed, element-made ‘city’ with nine openings, vulnerable to illness and sorrow and swept along by sensory currents. Ethically, it urges discernment and restraint: do not mistake the body’s changing conditions and sense-flows for the true Self, and cultivate steadiness amid dual pulls.
Vāyu-deva is describing the condition of embodied life in instructive, metaphorical terms—highlighting how the jīva, while dwelling in the body, is constrained by elemental composition, sense-channels, and the inevitable experiences of pain such as disease and grief.