Shloka 18
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
तेन तज्जलमादत्तं जरयत्यग्निमारुतौ । आहारपरिणामाच्च स्नेहो वृद्धिश्व जायते
tena taj jalam ādattaṃ jarayaty agnimārutau | āhārapariṇāmāc ca sneho vṛddhiś ca jāyate ||
Bharadvāja explique : «L’eau que l’arbre fait monter par ses racines est ‘digérée’ en lui par les agents intérieurs du feu et du vent. De la juste transformation de ce qu’il reçoit naît une nourriture onctueuse, et de cette nourriture procède la croissance de l’arbre.»
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Right assimilation is the basis of strength and growth: what is taken in (āhāra) must be properly transformed (pariṇāma) by inner forces (agni and vāyu). When digestion/processing is correct, it becomes nourishing ‘sneha’ and results in increase (vṛddhi).
In a didactic exchange in Śānti Parva, Bharadvāja uses a botanical-physiological analogy: a tree draws water through its roots, and internal ‘fire and wind’ process it; from that processed nourishment the tree becomes supple and grows.