Shloka 56
तस्माद ब्रह्मविदो वेदान् नाधीयन्तेडतिवायति । वायोर्वायुभयं हाक्तं ब्रह्म तत्पीडितं॑ भवेत्,“इसलिये ब्रह्मवेत्ता पुरुष प्रचण्ड वायु (आँधी) चलनेपर वेदका पाठ नहीं करते हैं। वेद भी भगवानका नि:श्वास ही है। उस समय वेदपाठ करनेपर वायुको वायुसे भय प्राप्त होता है और उस वेदको भी पीड़ा होती है”
tasmād brahmavido vedān nādhīyante ’tivāyati | vāyor vāyubhayaṃ hy uktaṃ brahma tat pīḍitaṃ bhavet ||
Bhishma said: “Therefore, those who know Brahman do not recite the Vedas when a violent windstorm is blowing. The Veda is spoken of as the very breath of the Lord; if one recites at such a time, the wind is said to become ‘afraid of wind’ (i.e., disturbed by its own turbulence), and that sacred Brahman—embodied as the Veda—also suffers injury.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vedic recitation should follow conditions of reverence and stability; during violent winds one should refrain, because the Veda is treated as sacred, living sound—identified with Brahman—and careless recitation amid disturbance is considered disrespectful and harmful.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma and proper conduct, he explains a specific rule of Vedic practice: when a strong gale is blowing, brahmavids do not recite the Veda, since the turbulent wind is said to disturb the act of recitation and thereby ‘afflict’ the sacred word.