Shloka 12
Satya-lakṣaṇa (The Characteristics and Forms of Truth) | सत्यलक्षणम्
एष चेष्टयते सम्यक् प्राणिन: सम्यगायतः: । असम्यगायतो भूयश्चनेष्टते विकृतं नूषु
eṣa ceṣṭayate samyak prāṇinaḥ samyag-āyataḥ | asamyag-āyato bhūyaś ceṣṭate vikṛtaṃ nṛṣu ||
Nārada dit : «Lorsque ce principe vital, déployé et agissant comme le souffle de vie et autres fonctions dans le corps, opère avec justesse et équilibre, il rend tous les êtres capables d’une activité ordonnée. Mais lorsqu’il ne fonctionne pas comme il se doit, il engendre de nouveau des actes dévoyés et le désordre du corps chez les hommes.»
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rightly regulated prāṇa (vital force) sustains orderly action and well-being; when prāṇa becomes imbalanced or improperly directed, it produces disorder—both as bodily विकृति (abnormality) and as distorted activity—implying an ethical need for self-regulation and balance.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Nārada explains a principle of embodied life: the properly functioning life-breath animates all beings, while its improper functioning leads to dysfunction and disturbance in humans.