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 ||
भीष्म म्हणाले—येथे पृथ्वीच्या रूपापेक्षा जलाचे रूप अधिक महान आहे. जलापेक्षा तेज अधिक महान आहे; आणि तेजापेक्षा प्रबळ पवन महान आहे.
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.