Shloka 12
Satya-lakṣaṇa (The Characteristics and Forms of Truth) | सत्यलक्षणम्
एष चेष्टयते सम्यक् प्राणिन: सम्यगायतः: । असम्यगायतो भूयश्चनेष्टते विकृतं नूषु,ये जब शरीरमें ठीक ढंगसे प्राण आदिके रूपमें विस्तारको प्राप्त होते हैं, तब समस्त प्राणियोंको चेष्टाशील बनाते हैं और जब ये ठीक ढंगसे काम नहीं करते हैं, तब प्राणियोंके शरीरमें विकृति आने लगती है
eṣa ceṣṭayate samyak prāṇinaḥ samyag-āyataḥ | asamyag-āyato bhūyaś ceṣṭate vikṛtaṃ nṛṣu ||
Nārada disse: “Quando este princípio vital, devidamente expandido e atuando no corpo como o alento de vida e afins, opera de modo equilibrado, torna todos os seres capazes de uma atividade ordenada. Mas quando não funciona corretamente, volta a produzir ações distorcidas e desordem corporal entre os homens.”
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.