Shloka 29

Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)

Devanagari script

ज्योति: पश्यति चक्षुर्भ्या स्पर्श वेत्ति च वायुना,मनुष्य दोनों नेत्रोंसे रूपको देखता है और त्वगिन्द्रियसे स्पर्शका अनुभव करता है। शब्द, स्पर्श, रूप और रस--ये जलके गुण माने गये हैं। उनमें प्रधान गुण रस है, उसकी जानकारीके लिये अब मैं उसके भेदोंका वर्णन करता हूँ। तुम उसे मेरे मुहसे सुनो

Transliteration

jyotiḥ paśyati cakṣurbhyāṃ sparśaṃ vetti ca vāyunā | manuṣyo netrābhyāṃ rūpaṃ paśyati tvagindriyeṇa sparśam anubhavati | śabda-sparśa-rūpa-rasa—ete jalasya guṇāḥ manyante | teṣu pradhāno guṇo rasaḥ | tasya vijñānārthaṃ idānīṃ tasya bhedān varṇayiṣyāmi | tvaṃ tan mama mukhāt śṛṇu ||

Translation

ಭರದ್ವಾಜನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಮಾನವನು ಎರಡೂ ಕಣ್ಣುಗಳಿಂದ ರೂಪವನ್ನು ಕಾಣುತ್ತಾನೆ; ವಾಯುವಿನ ಆಧಾರದಿಂದ ತ್ವಗಿಂದ್ರಿಯದ ಮೂಲಕ ಸ್ಪರ್ಶವನ್ನು ಅನುಭವಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಶಬ್ದ, ಸ್ಪರ್ಶ, ರೂಪ ಮತ್ತು ರಸ—ಇವು ಜಲಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಸಿದ ಗುಣಗಳೆಂದು ಹೇಳಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿವೆ; ಅವುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ರಸವೇ ಪ್ರಧಾನ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ರಸವನ್ನು ಸಮ್ಯಕವಾಗಿ ತಿಳಿಯಲು ನಾನು ಈಗ ಅದರ ಭೇದಗಳನ್ನು ವಿವರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ—ನನ್ನ ಮಾತನ್ನು ಗಮನದಿಂದ ಕೇಳಿರಿ।

Word by Word

• {'jyotiḥ': 'light

• luminosity', 'paśyati': 'sees

• perceives', 'cakṣus / cakṣurbhyām': 'eye / with (both) eyes', 'sparśa': 'touch

• tactile sensation', 'vetti': 'knows

• cognizes', 'vāyunā': 'by/through air (as medium or agency)', 'manuṣyaḥ': 'a human being', 'rūpa': 'form

• visible appearance', 'tvagindriya': 'the skin-sense

• tactile organ', 'śabda': 'sound', 'guṇa': 'quality

• attribute', 'jala': 'water', 'rasa': 'taste

• flavor (also aesthetic ‘rasa’ in other contexts)', 'pradhāna': 'chief

• principal', 'bheda': 'types

• varieties', 'varṇayiṣyāmi': 'I shall describe/explain', 'mukha': 'mouth', 'śṛṇu': 'listen'}

Speaker

भरद्वाज उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bharadvaja
• jyotiḥ (light)
• vāyu (air)
• jala (water)
• cakṣus (eyes)
• tvak (skin-sense)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links sense-perception to specific media and elemental qualities: sight apprehends light through the eyes, touch is known through air, and water is discussed in terms of its associated qualities—highlighting taste (rasa) as primary and preparing for a classification of tastes.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva’s instructional discourse, Bharadvaja continues a philosophical explanation of how humans perceive the world and how the elements are characterized by their qualities, transitioning into a detailed teaching on the varieties of taste.