Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 26
Jīva–Ātman Inquiry; Kṣetrajña Doctrine; Karma-based Varṇa; Four Āśramas and Sannyāsa Discipline
वायुसंधारणो ह्यग्निर्नश्यत्युच्छ्वासनिग्रहात् । तस्मिन्नष्टे शरीराग्नौ ततो देहमचेतनम् ॥ २६ ॥
vāyusaṃdhāraṇo hyagnirnaśyatyucchvāsanigrahāt | tasminnaṣṭe śarīrāgnau tato dehamacetanam || 26 ||
The bodily fire (digestive vitality) is sustained by the vital air, yet it is destroyed when exhalation is forcibly restrained. When that bodily fire is extinguished, the body then becomes insentient.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in Moksha-dharma context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It teaches that prāṇa (vital air) supports the body’s inner fire and thus the functioning of embodied life; reckless breath-restraint can collapse vitality, so yogic practice must preserve the body as an instrument for mokṣa.
By warning against harmful austerities, it implies that sādhana should be sattvic and sustainable so one can continue nāma-smaraṇa and worship; devotion is supported by a healthy, steady life-force rather than extreme self-injury.
While not a direct Vedāṅga lesson, it reflects applied yogic physiology used in Dharma/Moksha teachings—guiding disciplined breath practice (prāṇāyāma) with awareness of agni and bodily stability.