Shloka 28
सप्त वातांस्तथा ज्ञात्वा सप्तधा विहितान् पुनः । प्रजापतीनृषींश्रैव मार्गाश्वेव बहून् वरान्,प्राण, अपान, समान, व्यान और उदान--से पाँच प्राणवायु हैं। अधोगामी वायु छठा और ऊर्ध्वगामी प्रवह नामक वायु सातवाँ है। ये वायुके जो सात भेद हैं, इनमेंसे प्रत्येकके सात-सात भेद और हो जाते हैं। इस प्रकार कुल उनचास वायु होते हैं। अनेक प्रजापति, अनेक ऋषि तथा मुक्तिके अनेकानेक उत्तम मार्ग हैं। इन सबकी जानकारी प्राप्त करनी चाहिये
sapta vātāṁs tathā jñātvā saptadhā vihitān punaḥ | prajāpātīn ṛṣīṁś caiva mārgāṁś caiva bahūn varān ||
Bhīṣma said: “Having understood the seven vital airs, and again their sevenfold arrangement, one should also come to know the many Prajāpatis, the seers, and the numerous excellent paths (leading toward liberation).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes comprehensive spiritual understanding: one should know the structure of the vital airs (vāyus/prāṇas) and, along with that inner physiology of yoga, also understand the cosmological and scriptural authorities (Prajāpatis and Ṛṣis) and the many excellent paths that lead toward liberation.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues his didactic discourse to Yudhiṣṭhira, shifting into a knowledge-oriented (jñāna/yoga) register: he lists what a seeker should learn—subtle bodily principles (vital airs) and the broader map of sacred lineages and liberating disciplines.