Shloka 7
नारद! पाँच भूत और छठा काल--इन छ: तत्त्वोंको तुम प्रवाहरूपसे शाश्वत, अविचल और ध्रुव समझो। ये तेजोमय महत्तत्त्वकी स्वाभाविक कलाएँ हैं ।। आपश्चैवान्तरिक्षं च पृथिवी वायुपावकौ | नासीद्धि परम तेभ्यो भूतेभ्यो मुक्तसंशयम्
Nārada! pañca bhūtāni ṣaṣṭhaś ca kālaḥ—ime ṣaṭ tattvāni tvaṁ pravāharūpeṇa śāśvatāni, avicalāni, dhruvāṇi ca manyasva. etāni tejomayasya mahattattvasya svābhāvikāḥ kalāḥ. āpaś caivāntarikṣaṁ ca pṛthivī vāyupāvakau | nāsīd dhi param tebhyo bhūtebhyo mukta-saṁśayaḥ ||
Asita berkata: “Wahai Nārada, fahamilah lima unsur agung dan, sebagai yang keenam, Masa—enam prinsip ini—sebagai suatu aliran yang kekal, tidak terputus: teguh, tidak berganjak, dan mantap. Semuanya ialah bahagian-bahagian semula jadi daripada Prinsip Agung yang bercahaya (mahat). Sesungguhnya, di luar unsur-unsur ini—air, ruang, bumi, angin, dan api—tiada apa-apa lagi; buanglah segala keraguan.”
असित उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a cosmological framework: the five elements plus Time constitute a stable, eternal continuum and are natural manifestations of the luminous ‘mahat’ (Great Principle). It urges clarity and freedom from doubt about what is fundamental in the manifested order.
In a didactic exchange within Śānti Parva, Asita instructs Nārada on first principles—identifying the elemental constituents of the world and Time as the sixth principle, grounding the discussion in a Sāṅkhya-like metaphysical account.