Shloka 9
धर्मलक्षण-प्रश्नः (Marks and Sources of Dharma) | Chapter 251: Inquiry into the Definition of Dharma
उत्तरेषु गुणा: सन्ति सर्वसत्त्वेषु चोत्तरा:
uttareṣu guṇāḥ santi sarvasattveṣu cottarāḥ
ヴィヤーサは言った。後の段階（より発達したもの）には、先の段階の性質がすべて備わっている。ゆえに、あらゆる生きものにおいて、後に現れる形態は先行するものの属性を含む。このように、元素と有身の生命は、性質が段階的に増してゆく秩序を示す—虚空には音のみ、風には音と触、火には音・触・色相（形）、水には音・触・色相・味、地には音・触・色相・味・香（匂い）がある。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a principle of gradation: later or more complex entities retain the qualities of earlier ones while adding new qualities. Applied to the five great elements, each successive element includes the sensory properties of the previous and gains an additional one, culminating in earth possessing all five (sound, touch, form, taste, smell).
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Vyāsa explains a philosophical framework for understanding the constitution of the world and embodied experience. He illustrates how the elements and beings are ordered by increasing attributes, supporting a reflective, dharma-oriented inquiry into nature and the self.