Shloka 23
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
तेजो हाग्निस्तथा क्रोधश्चक्षुरूष्मा तथैव च । अग्निर्जरयते यश्नल पञज्चाग्नेया: शरीरिण:
bharadvāja uvāca | tejo hy agnis tathā krodhaś cakṣur ūṣmā tathaiva ca | agnir jarayate yasmāt pañcāgneyaḥ śarīriṇaḥ || śleṣmā pittam atha svedo vasā śoṇitam eva ca | ity āpaḥ pañcadhā dehe bhavanti prāṇināṃ sadā ||
婆罗多婆阇说道：“生命之辉即是火；嗔怒、眼与身热亦皆为火。因火能成就消化并催生衰老，故具身众生被说有五种‘火性’之因。又如痰、胆汁、汗、脂与血——此五者乃常住于众生之身的五种‘水性’湿质。”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse classifies bodily and psychological functions into elemental groups: five ‘fiery’ factors (including tejas and anger) and five ‘watery’ substances (phlegm, bile, sweat, fat, blood). By seeing anger and heat as elemental forces, one is encouraged to cultivate restraint and discernment rather than identify with these impulses.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Bharadvāja explains a physiological-ethical analysis of the embodied being, describing how fire and water principles manifest in the body. This supports broader counsel on self-mastery and understanding the constituents of embodied life.