Shloka 40
अग्नीषोमोत्पत्तिः
Agni–Soma Origin and the Brahmāgnīṣomīya Doctrine
योडद्धि: संयोज्य जीमूतान् पर्जन्याय प्रयच्छति । उद्वहो नाम बंहिष्ठस्तृतीय: स सदागति:
yo dadhīḥ saṃyojya jīmūtān parjanyāya prayacchati | udvaho nāma bahiṣṭhas tṛtīyaḥ sa sadāgatiḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ce souffle vital qui, après avoir rassemblé les eaux et les avoir jointes aux nuées, remet ces nuées à la puissance porteuse de pluie—toujours en marche—est appelé Udvaha. Parce qu’il suit une “troisième voie” et agit au-dehors à grande échelle, on le dit le troisième.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links the inner life-wind (a prāṇa-function) with the outer cosmic process of rainfall, presenting nature’s cycles as orderly and purposeful. It implies that the same sustaining principle operates within the body and in the world, supporting life through regulated movement and distribution.
In Bhishma’s instruction, he describes a specific ‘wind’ called Udvaha: it lifts/collects waters, unites them with clouds (jīmūta), and consigns them to the rain-giving function (Parjanya). This is characterized as an outward, wide-ranging operation and therefore termed the ‘third course.’