Shloka 25
Adhyāya 302: Guṇa-vicāra, Gati-bheda, and the Imperishable State
Yājñavalkya–Janaka
महर्षि वसिष्ठका राजा कराल जनकको उपदेश वायुज्योतिरथाकाशमापो5थ पृथिवी तथा । शब्द: स्पर्शक्षु रूपं च रसो गन्धस्तथैव च
vāsiṣṭha uvāca | vāyujyotirathākāśam āpo 'tha pṛthivī tathā | śabdaḥ sparśaś ca rūpaṃ ca raso gandhas tathaiva ca |
வசிஷ்டர் கூறினார்— “வாயு, தீ (தேஜஸ்), ஆகாயம்; பின்னர் நீர் மற்றும் பூமி—இவை ஐந்து மகாபூதங்கள். சப்தம், ஸ்பரிசம், ரூபம், ரசம், கந்தம்—இவை ஐந்து விஷயங்கள்; இவையும் வைக்ருத-ஸர்க்கத்தின் எல்லைக்குள் தோன்றுகின்றன।”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse classifies experience into (1) the five great elements—space, air, fire, water, earth—and (2) the five sense-objects—sound, touch, form, taste, smell—presenting them as products of the manifest creation. This supports discernment (viveka): one should not mistake these changing constituents for the enduring Self, and ethical calm arises from non-attachment to sensory objects.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, the sage Vasiṣṭha is delivering a doctrinal explanation—listing the elemental and sensory categories—to ground the listener in a philosophical map of the world. The teaching functions as a step toward renunciation and inner steadiness by explaining how the field of experience is constituted.