Shloka 14
Jvarotpatti — The Origin and Distribution of Jvara
Fever
रूप॑ गन्धो रस: स्पर्श: शब्दश्वैवाथ तद्गुणा: । इन्द्रियेरूपल भ्यन्ते पजचधा पड्च पञ्चभि:,नेत्र आदि पाँच इन्द्रियोंद्वारा रूप, गन्ध, रस, स्पर्श और शब्द--ये पाँच गुण दर्शन आदि पाँच प्रकारोंसे उपलब्ध किये जाते हैं
rūpa-gandho rasaḥ sparśaḥ śabdaś caivātha tad-guṇāḥ | indriyai rūpalabhyante pañcadhā pañca pañcabhiḥ ||
Asita disse: “Forma, cheiro, sabor, toque e som—essas são as cinco qualidades sensoriais. Elas são apreendidas de cinco modos distintos pelos cinco sentidos, começando pelo olho. Assim, a experiência é estruturada pelo reconhecimento disciplinado de como cada sentido apreende o seu próprio objeto, ponto destinado a orientar o discernimento e o autocontrole na busca do dharma.”
असित उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that perception is organized through five senses, each grasping a specific sensory quality—form, smell, taste, touch, and sound. Recognizing this mapping supports viveka (discernment) and restraint, since ethical living depends on understanding how sense-contact generates experience and desire.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Asita explains a philosophical account of perception: the five sensory qualities are known through the five senses (eye and the rest). This forms part of a broader teaching aimed at inner discipline and right understanding.