Shloka 9
धर्मलक्षण-प्रश्नः (Marks and Sources of Dharma) | Chapter 251: Inquiry into the Definition of Dharma
उत्तरेषु गुणा: सन्ति सर्वसत्त्वेषु चोत्तरा:
uttareṣu guṇāḥ santi sarvasattveṣu cottarāḥ
毗耶娑说：在后起（更为发展）的诸类之中，先起者的德相皆具足；因此，于一切众生，后者含摄前者之属性。由此，诸大与有身之生命呈现出性质层层增益的次第：虚空唯有声；风具声与触；火具声、触与色相；水具声、触、色相与味；地具声、触、色相、味与香（嗅）。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a principle of gradation: later or more complex entities retain the qualities of earlier ones while adding new qualities. Applied to the five great elements, each successive element includes the sensory properties of the previous and gains an additional one, culminating in earth possessing all five (sound, touch, form, taste, smell).
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Vyāsa explains a philosophical framework for understanding the constitution of the world and embodied experience. He illustrates how the elements and beings are ordered by increasing attributes, supporting a reflective, dharma-oriented inquiry into nature and the self.