Shloka 4
तुलाधार-उपदेशः
Tulādhāra’s Instruction to Jājali on Ahiṃsā and Abhaya-dāna
अपां शैत्यं रस: क्लेदो द्रवत्वं स्नेहसौम्यता । जिह्नदा विस्यन्दनं चापि भौमानां श्रपर्णं तथा
apāṃ śaityaṃ rasaḥ kledo dravatvaṃ sneha-saumyatā | jihvadā visyandanaṃ cāpi bhaumānāṃ śrapaṇaṃ tathā ||
毗湿摩阐明水的本性之德：水性本凉；具滋味与湿润；能融解而流动；滑润而柔和；能屈曲回旋，循曲折之道而行；能滴落渗出；亦能凝结为冰雹与寒冰；并能使地所生之物——如稻米与豆类——柔软而熟成。于此关于法与诸大之教诲中，他指出：万物各以其特有之作用而为人所识；洞察自然之理，足以资助正见与有序之生活。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines water by its characteristic functions—coolness, moistening, liquidity, unctuous gentleness, dripping/oozing, and even congealing—showing that right knowledge (viveka) begins with recognizing the intrinsic properties (guṇas) of things. Such discernment supports dharmic order by aligning conduct and understanding with nature’s realities.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira in a reflective, philosophical mode. Here he is enumerating the qualities of the element water as part of a broader exposition on the constituents of the world and how their properties can be known and classified.