Shloka 1
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
अपने-आप बछ। सा चतुरशीर्त्याधेकशततमो< ध्याय: पञ्चमहाभूतोंके गुणोंका विस्तारपूर्वक वर्णन भरद्वाज उवाच त एते धातव: पज्च ब्रह्मा यानसृजत् पुरा । आवूृता यैरिमे लोका महाभूताभिसंज्ञिता:
bharadvāja uvāca | te ete dhātavaḥ pañca brahmā yān asṛjat purā | āvṛtā yair ime lokā mahābhūtābhisaṃjñitāḥ ||
Bharadvāja disse: “Estes são os cinco constituintes elementares que Brahmā criou no princípio. Por eles todos estes mundos são permeados; por isso são conhecidos como os ‘grandes elementos’.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the five great elements as the fundamental constituents of the cosmos: created at the beginning by Brahmā and pervading all worlds, they are the basis for understanding embodied existence and material reality.
Bharadvāja introduces a doctrinal question/statement about why the five constituents are called ‘mahābhūtas’: because Brahmā created them at the start and they permeate all realms, setting up a fuller exposition of their qualities.