Shloka 6
तुलाधार-उपदेशः
Tulādhāra’s Instruction to Jājali on Ahiṃsā and Abhaya-dāna
वायोरनियमस्पर्शों वादस्थानं स्वतन्त्रता । बलं शैघ्र्यं च मोक्ष च कर्म चेष्टा55त्मता भव:,अनियत स्पर्श, वाक्-इन्द्रियकी स्थिति, चलने-फिरने आदिकी स्वतन्त्रता, बल, शीघ्रगामिता, मल-मूत्र आदिको शरीरसे बाहर निकालना, उत्क्षेपण आदि कर्म, क्रिया- शक्ति, प्राण और जन्म-मृत्यु--ये सब वायुके गुण हैं
bhīṣma uvāca | vāyor aniyata-sparśo vāg-adhisthānaṃ svatantratā | balaṃ śaighryaṃ ca mokṣaś ca karma ceṣṭātmatā bhavaḥ | aniyata-sparśaḥ vāk-indriyasya sthitiḥ calana-phirana-ādīnāṃ svatantratā balaṃ śīghra-gamitā mala-mūtra-ādīnāṃ śarīrāt bahiḥ niṣkāsanaṃ utkṣepaṇa-ādi karma kriyā-śaktiḥ prāṇaḥ janma-mṛtyū ca—ete sarve vāyoḥ guṇāḥ |
Bhishma said: The qualities of Vāyu (the vital wind) are these—its touch is not fixed to one place; it serves as the seat and support of speech; it grants freedom of movement; it gives strength and swiftness; it enables the expulsion of wastes; it powers actions such as lifting and throwing; it is the very principle of activity and life-breath; and it is bound up with birth and death. Thus, understanding the functions of the vital wind, one sees how embodied life is sustained and how discipline of the inner forces becomes a basis for self-mastery and right conduct.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse enumerates the functional ‘qualities’ of the vital wind (vāyu/prāṇa) that sustain embodied life—speech, movement, strength, swift activity, excretion, and the general power of action—showing that life and bodily agency depend on regulated inner forces; hence discipline and understanding of these forces support ethical self-control.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he explains to the listener the constituents and operations within the body from an adhyātmika (inner, philosophical-physiological) perspective, here focusing specifically on the functions attributed to vāyu as a key sustaining principle.