Shloka 33
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
हस्वो दीर्घस्तथा स्थूलश्षतुरस्रो5णुवृत्तवान्
bharadvāja uvāca | hrasvo dīrghas tathā sthūlaś caturaśro 'ṇuvṛttavān | evaṃ ṣoḍaśa-vistāro jyotī-rūpa-guṇaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
Bharadvāja disse: “Curto e longo, espesso, de quatro cantos, e também diminuto e arredondado—assim se recorda que a qualidade chamada ‘forma luminosa’ possui um alcance de manifestação em dezesseis.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that what is perceived as ‘form’ (rūpa), here termed a ‘luminous form-quality’ (jyotī-rūpa-guṇa), manifests in many distinguishable modes (e.g., short/long, thick, square, minute/round). The ethical-spiritual point in Śānti Parva is to cultivate discrimination: recognize changing attributes as qualities of phenomena, not as the unchanging Self.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, the sage Bharadvāja is explaining a doctrinal classification of qualities. He enumerates basic shape/size modalities as part of a broader scheme said to extend to sixteen varieties, supporting a systematic understanding of how the world of experience is analyzed in traditional teaching.