Shloka 30

सत्य–अनृत, प्रकाश–तमस्, स्वर्ग–नरक विवेचनम्

Truth and Untruth as Light and Darkness; Svarga and Naraka as Ethical Consequences

Devanagari script

अग्निमारुततोयानां वर्णा: क्षितितलस्य च | आकाशादवगृहान्ते भिद्यन्ते5तत्त्वदर्शनात्‌

Transliteration

agnimārutatoyānāṁ varṇāḥ kṣititalasya ca | ākāśād avagṛhānte bhidyante tattvadarśanāt |

Translation

Bharadvāja berkata: “Sifat-sifat khas api, angin, dan air—serta permukaan bumi—difahami sebagai terbeza, dari ruang hingga ke bentuk terkecil yang terkurung, melalui penglihatan hakiki terhadap kenyataan. Dengan melihat prinsip-prinsip sebagaimana adanya, seseorang mengenal bagaimana unsur-unsur dan bentuk-bentuk berjasad dipisahkan oleh tabiatnya sendiri.”

Word by Word

अग्नि-मारुत-तोयानाम्of fire, wind, and water

वर्णाःcolors/qualities

क्षितितलस्यof the earth’s surface

चand

आकाशात्from space/ether

अवगृहान्तेat the end of avagraha (i.e., at the point of separation/cessation)

भिद्यन्तेare distinguished/separated

तत्त्व-दर्शनात्by/through the vision of reality (true principles)

Speaker

भरद्वाज उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bharadvāja

Agni (fire)

Māruta/Vāyu (wind)

Toya (water)

Kṣiti/Pṛthivī (earth)

Ākāśa (space/ether)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True knowledge (tattva-darśana) enables one to discriminate the distinct natures of the elements and embodied forms—seeing how each is defined by its own characteristic qualities rather than being confused as one undifferentiated mass.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, Bharadvāja is explaining a framework of reality: from ākāśa (space) down through the elements and into bounded forms, their differences become clear to one who has insight into principles (tattvas).