Shloka 326
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
ज्योतिः पश्यति रूपाणि रूप॑ च बहुधा स्मृतम् । शब्द, स्पर्श और रूप--ये अग्निके तीन गुण बताये जाते हैं। ज्योतिर्मय नेत्र रूपको देखते हैं। अग्निके प्रधान गुण रूपको भी अनेक प्रकारका माना गया है
jyotiḥ paśyati rūpāṇi rūpaṃ ca bahudhā smṛtam |
ഭരദ്വാജൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“ജ്യോതി (പ്രകാശതത്ത്വം) രൂപങ്ങളെ കാണുന്നു; ‘രൂപം’ എന്നും പലവിധമായി സ്മരിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Perception is faculty-specific: light (and the eye empowered by light) apprehends form, and the category of ‘form’ is not single but manifold—so one should analyze appearances with discernment rather than treat them as uniform.
In Shanti Parva’s philosophical instruction, Bharadvāja is explaining how sensory knowledge relates to elemental qualities, using the example that light enables seeing and that ‘form’ has many expressions.