Shloka 3
Ācāra-vidhi (Rules of Conduct) — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Catalogue
श्रितो मूर्धानमात्मा तु शरीरं परिपालयन् । प्राणो मूर्थनि चाग्नौ च वर्तमानो विचेष्टते,आत्मा मस्तकके रन्ध्रस्थानमें स्थित होकर सम्पूर्ण शरीरकी रक्षा करता है और प्राण मस्तक तथा अग्नि दोनोंमें स्थित होकर शरीरको चेष्टाशील बनाता है
śrito mūrdhānam ātmā tu śarīraṃ paripālayan | prāṇo mūrdhani cāgnau ca vartamāno viceṣṭate ||
“आत्मा मस्तकाचा आश्रय घेऊन संपूर्ण शरीराचे पालन-रक्षण करतो. आणि प्राण मस्तक व जठराग्नी—दोन्ही ठिकाणी विद्यमान राहून देहाला चेष्टाशील करतो.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a psycho-physical model: the Ātman is described as stationed in the head as the preserver of the body, while Prāṇa—linked with both the head and the inner fire (agni)—is the dynamic force that animates bodily activity. Ethically, it supports the Shānti Parva’s emphasis on self-knowledge and disciplined care of the embodied life as a basis for dharma.
In a didactic exchange within Śānti Parva, Bharadvāja explains how life is sustained in the body: the Self is portrayed as the guardian principle located in the head, and the vital breath, operating through the head and the inner fire, enables motion and function. The passage is part of a broader instruction on the constituents and governance of embodied existence.