Shloka 423

Devanagari script

एवं दशविधो ज्ञेय: पार्थिवो गन्ध इत्युत । इष्ट (सुगन्ध), अनिष्ट (दुर्गन्‍्ध), मधुर, अम्ल, कटु, निहारी (दुरतक फैलनेवाली), मिश्रित, स्निग्ध, रूक्ष और विशद--ये पार्थिव गन्धके दस भेद समझने चाहिये

Transliteration

evaṁ daśavidho jñeyaḥ pārthivo gandha ity uta | iṣṭaḥ (sugandhaḥ), aniṣṭaḥ (durgandhaḥ), madhuraḥ, amlaḥ, kaṭuḥ, nihārī (dūratakaphailanavālī), miśritaḥ, snigdhaḥ, rūkṣaḥ ca viśadaḥ—ete pārthiva-gandhasya daśa bhedā jñeyāḥ |

Translation

Vāyu-deva said: “Thus the earthly (material) smell is to be understood as tenfold. It may be pleasing (fragrant) or unpleasing (foul); sweet, sour, or pungent; far-spreading; mixed; unctuous, dry, or clear. These are the ten varieties of the earth-born odor that one should recognize.”

Word by Word

एवम्thus

दशविधःtenfold

ज्ञेयःto be known; should be understood

पार्थिवःearthy; belonging to earth

गन्धःsmell; odor

इतिthus; as (it is said)

उतand; also

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

व

वायुदेव (Vāyu-deva)

प

पार्थिव गन्ध (earthly odor)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse classifies the earth-element’s sensory property—smell—into ten recognizable types, training discernment of material qualities as part of a broader philosophical/educational exposition.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu-deva is speaking in a didactic context, enumerating and defining categories of ‘earthly odor’ to instruct the listener in the analysis of elemental and sensory properties.