Shloka 10
Śānti-parva 206: Guṇa-hetu Moha, Kāma-krodha Chain, Indriya-utpatti, and Nirodha
पृथिवीरूपतो रूपमपामिह महत्तरम् । अद्धों महत्तरं तेजस्तेजस: पवनो महान्
pṛthivīrūpato rūpam apām iha mahattaram | addho mahattaraṃ tejas tejasāḥ pavano mahān ||
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇവിടെ ഭൂമിയുടെ രൂപത്തേക്കാൾ ജലത്തിന്റെ രൂപം മഹത്തരം. ജലത്തേക്കാൾ അഗ്നി മഹത്തരം; അഗ്നിയേക്കാൾ മഹത്തായ വായു മഹത്തരം.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a graded hierarchy among the classical elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—implying increasing subtlety and power. In Śānti Parva’s ethical-philosophical setting, such hierarchies support reflection on what truly governs the world and the self: not mere gross form, but progressively more potent forces.
Bhīṣma, instructing in Śānti Parva, shifts into a cosmological-philosophical explanation. He enumerates elements in ascending order of superiority, using them as a teaching device within his broader counsel on right understanding and disciplined living.