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 ||
नारद बोले—जब यह प्राणतत्त्व शरीर में सम्यक् रूप से विस्तृत होकर ठीक प्रकार से कार्य करता है, तब समस्त प्राणियों को सुव्यवस्थित चेष्टा-शक्ति देता है; और जब यह सम्यक् नहीं रहता, तब मनुष्यों में विकृत चेष्टा और शरीर-व्याधि उत्पन्न करता है।
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.