Shloka 6
Ācāra-vidhi (Rules of Conduct) — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Catalogue
बस्तिमूलं गुदं चैव पावकं समुपाश्रित: । वहन्मूत्रं पुरीषं चाप्यपान: परिवर्तते,अपान वायु जठरानल, मूत्राशय और गुदाका आश्रय ले मल एवं मूत्रको निकालता हुआ ऊपरसे नीचेको घूमता रहता है
bastimūlaṃ gudaṃ caiva pāvakaṃ samupāśritaḥ | vahanmūtraṃ purīṣaṃ cāpyapānaḥ parivartate ||
Bharadvāja berkata: Apāna-vāyu, yang bernaung pada kawasan pangkal pundi kencing, dubur, dan api pencernaan, sentiasa bergerak ke bawah; membawa air kencing dan najis, lalu mengeluarkannya dari tubuh. Ajaran ini menegaskan pemahaman yang berdisiplin dan bersahaja tentang fungsi jasmani sebagai sebahagian daripada mengenal diri dan menahan diri, menyokong kehidupan beretika melalui kejernihan tentang keadaan bertubuh.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a clear understanding of the apāna-vāyu as the vital force responsible for downward movement and elimination. Such knowledge supports self-mastery: recognizing the body’s processes without attachment helps cultivate restraint, purity, and steadiness in dharmic living.
In a didactic explanation, Bharadvāja describes how apāna operates in the body—taking support near the bladder-root, anus, and digestive fire, and moving downward to carry and expel urine and feces—within a broader Shānti Parva discussion on inner discipline and the constituents of embodied life.