Shloka 44
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
आपोडग्निर्मारुतश्वैव नित्यं जाग्रति देहिषु । मूलमेते शरीरस्य व्याप्य प्राणानिह स्थिता:
āpo 'gnir mārutaś caiva nityaṁ jāgrati dehiṣu | mūlam ete śarīrasya vyāpya prāṇān iha sthitāḥ ||
Bharadvāja berkata: “Air, api, dan angin sentiasa berjaga dalam diri makhluk yang berjasad. Inilah akar-akar tubuh; meresapi nafas-nafas hayat, ia tetap tegak di sini dalam rangka jasad yang hidup.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that fundamental elemental principles—water, fire, and wind—are continuously active within living beings and function as the body’s foundation by permeating and sustaining the prāṇas (vital forces).
In the Śānti Parva’s instructional dialogue, Bharadvāja explains the inner constitution of embodied life, describing how elemental forces remain ever operative in the body and uphold vitality through the prāṇas.