Shloka 21

Adhyāya 42 — Mahābhūta–Indriya–Adhyātma-Vyavasthā

Brahmā’s Instruction on Elements and Faculties

Devanagari script

चतुर्थमापो विज्ञेयं जिह्दा चाध्यात्ममुच्यते

Transliteration

caturtham āpo vijñeyaṃ jihvā cādhyātmam ucyate

Translation

వాయుదేవుడు పలికెను— నాలుగవ తత్త్వము జలమని తెలుసుకొనుము; జిహ్వ కూడా అధ్యాత్మ-క్షేత్రమునకు చెందినదని చెప్పబడును.

Word by Word

• चतुर्थम्: the fourth (as an object to be known)
• चतुर्थम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आपः: waters
• आपः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• विज्ञेयम्: to be known / should be understood
• विज्ञेयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-ज्ञा
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• जिह्वा: tongue
• जिह्वा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जिह्वा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अध्यात्मम्: the inner self / pertaining to the self (spiritual)
• अध्यात्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्यात्म
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उच्यते: is said / is called
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Passive

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu-deva
• Water (Āpaḥ)
• Tongue (Jihvā)
• Adhyātma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links cosmological principles (the elements) with the inner human constitution: Water is identified as the fourth element, and the tongue is classified under adhyātma—an inward, self-related framework—encouraging self-knowledge through mapping the outer world to inner faculties.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu-deva is instructing an interlocutor in a doctrinal exposition, enumerating categories: he specifies the fourth element as Water and simultaneously assigns the tongue to the adhyātma (inner) domain as part of a systematic teaching on elements and faculties.