Shloka 6
Qualities of the Five Great Elements; Description of Sudarśana-dvīpa and Mount Meru
चत्वारोप्सुगुणा विप्रा गंधस्तत्र न विद्यते । शब्दः स्पर्शश्च रूपं च तेजसोथ गुणास्त्रयः
catvāropsuguṇā viprā gaṃdhastatra na vidyate | śabdaḥ sparśaśca rūpaṃ ca tejasotha guṇāstrayaḥ
โอ้เหล่าวิปฺระ (พราหมณ์) น้ำมีคุณอยู่สี่ประการ; กลิ่นหาได้มีในนั้นไม่ ส่วนเสียง สัมผัส และรูป—นี่คือคุณสามประการของเตชัส (ธาตุไฟ)
Unspecified narrator (contextual instruction to brāhmaṇas)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चत्वारोप्सुगुणाः = चत्वारः + अप्सु + गुणाः; गंधस्तत्र = गन्धः + तत्र; स्पर्शश्च = स्पर्शः + च; तेजसोथ = तेजसः + अथ; गुणास्त्रयः = गुणाः + त्रयः.
FAQs
It summarizes a traditional scheme of elemental qualities (tanmātras/guṇas), stating that water has four qualities while fire has three—used in Purāṇic cosmology and philosophical explanation of matter.
Within the verse’s stated classification, smell (gandha) is not counted as an inherent quality of water; instead, the verse highlights other sensory qualities attributed to water and contrasts them with those of fire.
Svarga-khaṇḍa often includes cosmological and metaphysical descriptions; this verse supports that framework by outlining how the world is analyzed through elemental properties.