Shloka 15
Ācāra-vidhi (Rules of Conduct) — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Catalogue
प्रस्थिता हृदयात् सर्वे तिर्यगूर्ध्वमधस्तथा । वहन्त्यन्नरसात् नाड्यो दश प्राणप्रचोदिता:,वे समस्त प्राण हृदयसे इधर-उधर और ऊपर-नीचे प्रस्थान करते हैं; इसलिये दस- प्राणोंसे परिचालित होकर सारी नाड़ियाँ अन्नका रस वहन करती हैं
prasthitā hṛdayāt sarve tiryagūrdhvamadhastathā | vahanty annarasāt nāḍyo daśa prāṇapracoditāḥ ||
Bharadvāja said: From the heart they all set forth—moving sideways, upward, and downward. Driven by the ten vital airs, the nāḍīs carry the nutritive essence derived from food throughout the body.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Life is sustained through an organized inner system: from the heart, channels (nāḍīs) distribute nourishment, and this circulation is powered by the vital airs (prāṇas). The verse points to harmony of bodily functions as a basis for steadiness in dharma and disciplined living.
In a didactic discussion on the body and vital functions, Bharadvāja explains how the nāḍīs emanating from the heart move in all directions and, propelled by the ten prāṇas, carry the nutritive essence of food throughout the organism.