Shloka 1
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
अपने-आप बछ। सा चतुरशीर्त्याधेकशततमो< ध्याय: पञ्चमहाभूतोंके गुणोंका विस्तारपूर्वक वर्णन भरद्वाज उवाच त एते धातव: पज्च ब्रह्मा यानसृजत् पुरा । आवूृता यैरिमे लोका महाभूताभिसंज्ञिता:
bharadvāja uvāca | te ete dhātavaḥ pañca brahmā yān asṛjat purā | āvṛtā yair ime lokā mahābhūtābhisaṃjñitāḥ ||
Bharadvāja nói: “Đây là năm yếu tố cấu thành (đại chủng) mà Phạm Thiên (Brahmā) đã tạo ra từ thuở ban sơ. Nhờ chúng mà mọi thế giới đều được thấm nhuần, bao trùm khắp; vì thế chúng được gọi là ‘đại chủng’.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the five great elements as the fundamental constituents of the cosmos: created at the beginning by Brahmā and pervading all worlds, they are the basis for understanding embodied existence and material reality.
Bharadvāja introduces a doctrinal question/statement about why the five constituents are called ‘mahābhūtas’: because Brahmā created them at the start and they permeate all realms, setting up a fuller exposition of their qualities.