Shloka 42
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
एवं बहुविधाकार: शब्द आकाशसम्भव: । आकाशगजं शब्दमाहुरेभिवायुगुणैः सह,इस प्रकार आकाशजनित शब्दके अनेक भेद हैं। वायुसम्बन्धी गुणोंके साथ ही आकाशजनित शब्द होता है; ऐसा विद्वान पुरुष कहते हैं
evaṁ bahuvidhākāraḥ śabda ākāśasambhavaḥ | ākāśaguṇaṁ śabdam āhur ebhir vāyuguṇaiḥ saha ||
Bharadvāja berkata: “Bunyi, yang timbul daripada ruang (ākāśa), mengambil pelbagai bentuk. Orang berilmu menyatakan bahawa bunyi ialah sifat khas ruang, dan ia ditanggapi bersama sifat-sifat yang berkaitan dengan angin (vāyu).”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a classical element-and-quality doctrine: sound (śabda) is said to originate from ākāśa and is regarded as ākāśa’s defining quality, while its manifestation and apprehension are discussed alongside the qualities associated with vāyu.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Bharadvāja is explaining a philosophical account of how sensory qualities relate to the elements—here focusing on sound, its origin in space (ākāśa), and its relation to air (vāyu).