Shloka 7
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
अनूष्मणामचेष्टानां घनानां चैव तत्त्वतः । वृक्षाणां नोपलभ्यन्ते शरीरे पजच धातव:
anūṣmaṇām aceṣṭānāṁ ghanānāṁ caiva tattvataḥ | vṛkṣāṇāṁ nopalabhyante śarīre pañca dhātavaḥ ||
婆罗堕阇说道：“树木之身不见可感之温热，不见明显之动作；其实它们稠密而迟钝。故在树身之中，五种元素并不像在有情身上那样可被觉知。”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse argues from observable signs—heat and activity—to question whether trees manifest the five elemental constituents in the same evident way as animals and humans. It frames a philosophical inquiry into what counts as “life” and how embodiment is recognized, using perception-based criteria (warmth, motion, density) to discuss the presence or absence of the pañca-mahābhūtas.
In the Shānti Parva’s reflective dialogues, Bharadvāja presents a reasoned claim about the nature of trees: since they appear cold, inactive, and solid, the five elements are not apprehended in their bodies. This functions as a step in a broader debate on ontology—how different beings are constituted and how one should understand life, soul, and matter.