Shloka 3
धर्मलक्षण-प्रश्नः (Marks and Sources of Dharma) | Chapter 251: Inquiry into the Definition of Dharma
अन्तरात्मकमाकाशं तन्मयं श्रोत्रमिन्द्रियम् तस्य शब्दं गुणं विद्यान्मूर्तिशास्त्रविधानवित्
antarātmakam ākāśaṃ tanmayaṃ śrotram indriyam | tasya śabdaṃ guṇaṃ vidyān mūrtiśāstravidhānavit ||
ヴィヤーサは言った。「虚空（アーカーシャ）は、容れ、遍く行きわたらせるものの内なる自己である。聴覚の器官もまた、その虚空より成る。ゆえに、身体の理（形体の学）を知る者は、『音』を虚空の固有の徳（グナ）と知るべきである。」
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches an elemental correspondence: the sense of hearing arises from ākāśa (space), and sound (śabda) is the defining quality (guṇa) of ākāśa. This supports a disciplined understanding of the body and perception as structured by the mahābhūtas, aiding detachment and self-knowledge.
In the didactic discourse of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa explains metaphysical principles about the elements and the senses. Here he identifies ākāśa as the basis of the auditory faculty and establishes sound as its characteristic property, as part of a systematic teaching on embodied existence.