Shloka 353
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
वायव्यस्तु गुण: स्पर्श: स्पर्शश्व॒ बहुधा स्मृतः । वायुके दो गुण जानने चाहिये--शब्द और स्पर्श। वायुका प्रमुख गुण स्पर्श ही है, जिसके अनेक भेद माने गये हैं--
vāyavyas tu guṇaḥ sparśaḥ | sparśaś ca bahudhā smṛtaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Bharadvāja: “Sa sangkap na Hangin (Vāyu), ang katangiang tumutukoy ay paghipo. At ang ‘paghipo’ na ito ay nauunawaang may maraming uri.” Sa aral tungkol sa mga sangkap ng daigdig at sa mga pandama, ang diwa ay matukoy kung paano nakikilala ang bawat sangkap sa pamamagitan ng sariling katangiang natatangi, upang malinang ang linaw at di-pagkapit, at hindi malito sa karanasang pandama.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Air (Vāyu) is chiefly characterized by the quality of touch (sparśa), and tactile experience is described as having multiple forms. The verse supports a systematic discernment of reality by mapping elements to their defining sensory qualities.
In a didactic dialogue within Śānti Parva, Bharadvāja is explaining a classificatory teaching about the elements and their qualities. Here he identifies the principal attribute of air as touch and notes its many varieties, continuing a broader exposition on how the world is known through sense-qualities.