Shloka 30
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
शब्द: स्पर्शश्ष रूपं च रसश्वापि गुणा: स्मृता: । रसज्ञानं तु वक्ष्यामि तन््मे निगदत: शूणु
bharadvāja uvāca | śabdaḥ sparśaś ca rūpaṃ ca rasaś cāpi guṇāḥ smṛtāḥ | rasa-jñānaṃ tu vakṣyāmi tan me nigadataḥ śṛṇu ||
शब्दः स्पर्शश्च रूपं च रसश्चापि गुणाः स्मृताः । रसज्ञानं तु वक्ष्यामि तन्मे निगदतः शृणु ॥
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse introduces a doctrinal move from naming sensory qualities (sound, touch, form, taste) to a deeper explanation of rasa (taste) and its varieties, framing careful listening and discernment as the method for understanding sense-qualities within a broader analysis of nature.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, the sage Bharadvāja is speaking and begins a focused exposition on ‘taste’ after listing the sensory qualities, signaling a transition into a more detailed classification and explanation.