Shloka 64

आचारप्रशंसा

Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity

Devanagari script

ऊर्ध्व प्राणा ह्ुत्क्रामन्ति यून: स्थविर आयति

Transliteration

ūrdhva-prāṇā hutkrāmanti yūnaḥ sthavira āyati

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “In the young, the vital breaths (prāṇa) tend to rise upward and depart; in the aged, they move slowly and come on with difficulty.” In this ethical reflection on the body’s decline, the verse underscores the inevitability of aging and the need for disciplined living and detachment, since life’s powers do not remain steady.

Word by Word

• ऊर्ध्वम्: upwards
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऊर्ध्व
• Form: Avyaya (directional adverb)

• प्राणाः: vital breaths; life-breaths
• प्राणाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• उत्क्रामन्ति: depart; go out; ascend
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्-क्रम्
• Form: Present tense (Lat), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Plural

• यूनः: of a young man
• यूनः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युवन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• स्थविरः: an old man; an elder
• स्थविरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थविर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• आयाति: comes; arrives
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-या
• Form: Present tense (Lat), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Life’s energies are unstable and change with age: youth is marked by quick, upward-moving vitality that can suddenly depart, while old age brings slow, difficult bodily functioning. Recognizing this impermanence supports dharmic restraint, humility, and detachment from bodily pride.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, in his instruction during the Anuśāsana Parva, is describing physiological signs of youth and old age to ground a moral lesson: human life is transient, so one should live with discipline and awareness rather than complacency.