Shloka 48
Brahma-vidyā: Satya–Tapas and the Enumeration of Tattvas
Arjuna–Vāsudeva framed dialogue
विशेषा: पञ्च भूतानामिति सर्ग: सनातन: । चतुर्विशतिरेका च तत्त्वसंख्या प्रकीर्तिता
viśeṣāḥ pañca bhūtānām iti sargaḥ sanātanaḥ | caturviśatir ekā ca tattvasaṅkhyā prakīrtitā |
风神伐由说道：“五大各具其别相；此即永恒的显现之流。故诸原理之数被宣说为二十四；若再加上个体之我，则总数教为二十五。”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a Sāṅkhya-style ontology: creation proceeds through an eternal scheme in which the principles are counted as twenty-four (prakṛti and its evolutes), and when the conscious self (jīvātman/puruṣa) is included, the total becomes twenty-five.
Vāyudeva is instructing the listener by summarizing the traditional enumeration of reality’s constituents—highlighting the five elements and the standard tally of tattvas—framing it as an ancient, authoritative doctrine within the Ashvamedhika Parva discourse.