Shloka 9
मनु-उपदेशः — भूत-उत्पत्ति, इन्द्रिय-निवृत्ति, तथा पर-स्वभाव-विवेकः
Manu’s Instruction on Elemental Origination, Sense-Withdrawal, and Discrimination of the Supreme Nature
शब्द: श्रोत्रं तथा खानि त्रयमाकाशयोनिजम् । वायो: स्पर्शस्तथा चेष्टा त्वक् चैव त्रितयं स्मृतम्,शब्दगुण, श्रोत्र इन्द्रिय और शरीरके सम्पूर्ण छिद्र--ये तीन आकाशके कार्य हैं। स्पर्श, चेष्टा और त्वगिन्द्रिय--ये तीन वायुके कार्य माने गये हैं
bhīṣma uvāca | śabdaḥ śrotraṃ tathā khāni trayam ākāśayonijam | vāyoḥ sparśas tathā ceṣṭā tvak caiva tritayaṃ smṛtam |
ശബ്ദം, ശ്രോത്രേന്ദ്രിയം, ശരീരത്തിലെ രന്ധ്രങ്ങൾ—ഇവ മൂന്നും ആകാശജന്യമാണ്. സ്പർശം, ചേഷ്ട (ചലനം/പ്രവർത്തനം), ത്വക്ക്—ഇവ മൂന്നും വായുവിന്റെ പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങളായി സ്മൃതിയിൽ പറയപ്പെടുന്നു।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse assigns specific sensory qualities and bodily functions to their elemental sources: ether gives rise to sound, hearing, and bodily openings; wind gives rise to touch, motion, and the skin. This supports a discriminative view of the body as a compound of elements, aiding detachment and self-knowledge.
In Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs on philosophical analysis (often Sāṅkhya-like), explaining how the senses and functions relate to the elements. The focus is didactic—mapping embodied experience to elemental principles rather than advancing plot.