Shloka 40
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
शब्द: स्पर्शस्तथा रूप॑ रसो गन्धक्षु पञजचम: । एते पज्च गुणा भूमेवविज्ञेया द्विजसत्तमा:,विप्रवरो! शब्द, स्पर्श, रूप, रस और पाँचवाँ गन्ध--ये ही पृथ्वीके पाँच गुण जानने चाहिये
śabdaḥ sparśas tathā rūpaṃ raso gandhaś ca pañcamaḥ | ete pañca guṇā bhūmer vijñeyā dvijasattama vipravara ||
Vāyu-deva said: “Sound, touch, form, taste, and as the fifth, smell—these five are to be understood as the qualities of the earth, O best of the twice-born, O foremost brāhmaṇa.” In this instruction, the discourse frames ethical clarity through right knowledge: discerning the constituents of embodied experience supports steadiness of mind and discrimination on the path of dharma.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Earth (bhūmi) is characterized by five sensory qualities—sound, touch, form, taste, and smell—presented as a framework for correct discernment of material experience.
Vāyu-deva addresses a learned brāhmaṇa, giving a concise doctrinal instruction about the elemental qualities, as part of a broader didactic conversation in the Ashvamedhika Parva.