Shloka 10
मनु-उपदेशः — भूत-उत्पत्ति, इन्द्रिय-निवृत्ति, तथा पर-स्वभाव-विवेकः
Manu’s Instruction on Elemental Origination, Sense-Withdrawal, and Discrimination of the Supreme Nature
रूप॑ चक्षुस्तथा पाकस्त्रिविधं तेज उच्यते । रस: क्लेदश्न जिह्दा च त्रयो जलगुणा: स्मृता:
rūpaṃ cakṣus tathā pākaḥ trividhaṃ teja ucyate | rasaḥ kledaś ca jihvā ca trayo jalaguṇāḥ smṛtāḥ ||
毗湿摩阐明：“火（tejas）之作用有三：色相（可见之形）、眼根，以及消化（烹炼与同化）。同样，水之作用亦有三：味、湿润，以及舌根。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches an elemental analysis of experience: certain sensory and bodily functions are traced to the principles of fire (form/visibility, sight, digestion) and water (taste, moisture, tongue). This supports ethical self-discipline by encouraging discernment (viveka) about the body’s processes rather than identification with them.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma continues his post-war instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, offering philosophical classification of the body and senses. Here he enumerates the three functions associated with tejas and the three associated with water as part of a broader teaching on nature, embodiment, and right understanding.