Shloka 26
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
भूमेर्गन्धगुणान् वेत्ति रसं चादभ्य: शरीरवान् । ज्योतिषा चक्षुषा रूपं स्पर्श वेत्ति च वाहिना
bhūmer gandhaguṇān vetti rasaṃ cādbhyaḥ śarīravān | jyotiṣā cakṣuṣā rūpaṃ sparśaṃ vetti ca vāhinā ||
バーラドヴァージャは言った。「身を具えた者は地の元素によって香の性質を知り、水の元素によって味を味わう。火より生じた光ある眼によって形色を見、風を触の原理として接触を知る。かくして、諸元素に根ざす諸感官は、それぞれの対象を明らかにするのである。」
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sense-knowledge operates through an elemental basis: smell is rooted in earth, taste in water, sight in fire/light, and touch in air. The verse highlights how the embodied self experiences the world via element-linked faculties, a common Shanti Parva move toward discriminating body, senses, and deeper self.
Bharadvāja is instructing his listener in a philosophical analysis of perception, enumerating how each sensory cognition corresponds to a particular element. This supports the broader Shanti Parva discourse on understanding embodiment and cultivating discernment.