Shloka 2
Adhyāya 42 — Mahābhūta–Indriya–Adhyātma-Vyavasthā
Brahmā’s Instruction on Elements and Faculties
तेषु भूतानि मुहान्ति महाभूतेषु पजचसु । शब्दस्पर्शनरूपेषु रसगन्धक्रियासु च,इन्हीं पञ्च महाभूतोंमें अर्थात् इनके शब्द, स्पर्श, रूप, रस और गन्ध नामक विषयोंमें समस्त प्राणी मोहित रहते हैं
teṣu bhūtāni muhyanti mahābhūteṣu pañcasu | śabda-sparśana-rūpeṣu rasa-gandha-kriyāsu ca ||
Vāyu-deva berkata: “Makhluk hidup menjadi terpedaya terhadap lima unsur agung. Mereka terpikat pada objek yang lahir daripadanya—bunyi, sentuhan, rupa, rasa, dan bau—serta pada perbuatan yang digerakkan oleh objek-objek indera itu.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that delusion arises when beings identify with and chase the sensory objects connected to the five elements—sound, touch, form, taste, and smell. Ethical clarity and self-mastery require seeing these as transient and not as the true basis of happiness or identity.
Vāyu-deva is speaking as an instructor, explaining why embodied beings get trapped in worldly experience: they are captivated by the elemental, sense-based field of life and the actions it provokes.