Shloka 8
Adhyātma-nirdeśa
Definition of Adhyātma): Mahābhūtas, Indriyas, Guṇas, and the Witness (Kṣetrajña
नश्यन्त्यापो हानाहाराद् वायुरुच्छवासनिग्रहात् । नश्यते कोष्ठ भेदात् खमन्निर्नश्यत्यभोजनात्,जलका सर्वथा त्याग करनेसे शरीरके जलीय अंशका नाश हो जाता है, श्वास रुक जानेसे वायुका नाश होता है। उदरका भेदन होनेसे आकाशतत्त्व नष्ट होता है और भोजन बंद कर देनेसे शरीरके अग्नितत्त्वका नाश हो जाता है
bharadvāja uvāca | naśyanty āpo hānāhārād vāyur ucchvāsa-nigrahāt | naśyate koṣṭha-bhedāt khaṁ agnir naśyaty abhojanāt ||
Bharadvāja said: “When one wholly abandons the intake that sustains the body, the watery element is depleted; when the breath is forcibly restrained, the vital wind is impaired. When the belly is ruptured, the element of space is destroyed; and when eating is stopped, the bodily fire is extinguished.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extreme bodily practices—total fasting, harsh breath-suppression, or self-injury—damage the elemental supports of life (water, wind, space, fire). The verse cautions that dharma is not served by self-destructive austerity; discipline should preserve life and clarity rather than dismantle the body.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Bharadvāja speaks as a teacher, explaining in elemental terms how certain severe ascetic acts lead to bodily collapse. The statement functions as a reasoned warning within a broader ethical discussion on right conduct and proper restraint.