Shloka 41
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
मृदड्भभेरीशड्खानां स्तनयित्नो रथस्य च | यः वश्चिच्छुयते शब्द: प्राणिनो5प्राणिनो5पि वा । एतेषामेव सर्वेषां विषये सम्प्रकीर्तित:,अपने व्यापक स्वरूपसे तो शब्द सर्वत्र है, किंतु पटह (नगाड़े) आदिमें इसकी विशेषरूपसे अभिव्यक्ति होती है। मृदंग, भेरी, शंख, मेघ तथा रथकी घर्घराहट आदिमें जो कुछ शब्द सुना जाता है और जड या चेतनका जो कुछ भी शब्द श्रवणगोचर होता है, वह सब इन सात भेदोंके ही अन्तर्गत बताया गया है
mṛdaṅga-bherī-śaṅkhānāṁ stanayitno rathasya ca | yaś cec chūyate śabdaḥ prāṇino 'prāṇino 'pi vā | eteṣām eva sarveṣāṁ viṣaye samprakīrtitaḥ ||
Bharadvāja disse: “Seja o som do tambor mṛdaṅga, do tambor bherī, da concha sagrada, o trovão das nuvens ou o ribombar de um carro—na verdade, qualquer som que se ouça, provenha de seres vivos ou de coisas inanimadas, tudo isso é declarado caber no âmbito dessas mesmas categorias (enumeradas).”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
All audible phenomena—whether produced by instruments, nature, vehicles, living beings, or inert objects—can be comprehensively accounted for within a defined set of categories of sound. The verse emphasizes the universality of śabda and the usefulness of systematic classification.
In a didactic exchange in Śānti Parva, Bharadvāja is explaining a doctrinal analysis of sound (śabda). He illustrates the teaching with familiar examples—drums, conch, thunder, and chariot-noise—to show that every heard sound, animate or inanimate, is included within the previously stated framework.