Shloka 9
उत्तरेषु गुणा: सन्ति सर्वसत्त्वेषु चोत्तरा:
uttareṣu guṇāḥ santi sarvasattveṣu cottarāḥ
Vyāsa disse: Nas formas posteriores (mais desenvolvidas), estão presentes as qualidades das anteriores; assim, em todos os seres, o que sucede contém os atributos do que precede. Desse modo, os elementos e a vida corporificada mostram um aumento graduado de propriedades: o espaço tem apenas o som; o vento tem som e tato; o fogo tem som, tato e forma; a água tem som, tato, forma e sabor; e a terra tem som, tato, forma, sabor e cheiro.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a principle of gradation: later or more complex entities retain the qualities of earlier ones while adding new qualities. Applied to the five great elements, each successive element includes the sensory properties of the previous and gains an additional one, culminating in earth possessing all five (sound, touch, form, taste, smell).
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Vyāsa explains a philosophical framework for understanding the constitution of the world and embodied experience. He illustrates how the elements and beings are ordered by increasing attributes, supporting a reflective, dharma-oriented inquiry into nature and the self.