以喻地水火風之四大也。仁王經下曰：「識神無形，假乘四蛇，無明保養，以為樂車。」智度論十二曰：「篋中有四蛇，王勅罪人令看禮養育。（中略）四毒蛇者，四大。」最勝王經曰：「地水火風共成身，隨彼因緣招異果。同在一處相違害，如四毒蛇居一篋。於此四種毒蛇中，地水二蛇多沈下，風火二蛇性輕舉，由此背違眾病生。」
idem 四毒蛇. The Fanyimingyiunder this heading gives the parable of a man who fled from the two bewildering forms of life and death, and climbed down a rope (of life) 命根, into the well of impermanence 無常, where two mice, night and day, gnawed the rattan rope; on the four sides four snakes 四蛇 sought to poison him, i. e. the 四大 or four elements of his physical nature); below were three dragons 三毒龍 breathing fire and trying to seize him. On looking up he saw that two 象 elephants (darkness and light) had come to the mouth of the well; he was in despair, when a bee flew by and dropped some honey (the five desires 五欲) into his mouth, which he ate and entirely forgot his peril.
四蛇 金光明經云：猶如四蛇，同處一篋，四大蚖蛇，其性各異。天台釋云：二上升是陽，二下沈是陰。何故相違？猶其性別，性別那能和合成身？故大集云：昔有一人，避二醉象（生死），緣藤（命根）入井（無常）。有黑白二鼠（日月），囓藤將斷，旁有四蛇欲螫（四大），下有三龍吐火，張爪拒之（三毒）。其人仰望二象，已臨井上，憂惱無託。忽有蜂過，遺蜜滴入口（五欲），是人唼蜜，全亡危懼。