Shlokas on Pancha Mahabhuta in Sanskrit:
1. Describing the five elements:
> पृथ्वी आपोऽनलो वायुः खं च पंचमहाभूतम् ।
> एतैर्जातं जगत् सर्वं तत्रैव च लयं गतम् ॥
* Translation: Earth, water, fire, air, and ether - these are the five great elements. The entire universe is born from them, and into them it ultimately dissolves.
2. Emphasizing the transformation:
> पृथिवी रूपं गृह्णाति वारि जलमिवानलः ।
> वायुः गन्धं गृह्णाति खं स्पर्शं ब्रह्मवद् धृतिः ॥
* Translation: Earth takes form, water takes taste, fire takes heat, air takes smell, and ether takes touch. The steadfastness of Brahman (Supreme Being) is like the ether.
3. Describing the characteristics of each element:
> स्थूलं पृथ्वी तमः स्थिरं च ।
> वारि द्रवम् आकर्षकं च ।
> अनलो द्योतमानं च ।
> वायुः गतिमानं च ।
> खं विस्तारं ब्रह्म च ॥
* Translation: Earth is gross, dark, and stable. Water is fluid and attractive. Fire is luminous. Air is mobile. Ether is expansive and represents Brahman.
4. From the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 7, Verse 4):
> भूमिरापोऽनलो वायुः खं मनो बुद्धिरेवा च ।
> अहंकार इति यान्यहं सांख्यैः संज्ञितानि धीराः ॥
* Translation: The wise ones who are learned in Sankhya philosophy understand that earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and ego are the different manifestations of Me.
5. From the Vishnu Purana (Chapter 1, Chapter 1):
> पृथिवी आपोऽनलो वायुः खं च पंचमहाभूतम् ।
> एतैर्जातं जगत् सर्वं तत्रैव च लयं गतम् ॥
* Translation: The entire universe is created from these five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. And into these same elements it eventually dissolves.
These are just a few examples, and many more shlokas can be found in various ancient Sanskrit scriptures that discuss the significance of Pancha Mahabhuta in cosmology, philosophy, and spirituality.