Shloka 25
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
उदानादुच्छवसिति च प्रतिभेदाच्च भाषते । इत्येते वायव: पज्च चेष्टयन्तीह देहिनम्
bharadvāja uvāca | prāṇena prāṇī calana-phirane kāmaṁ karoti, vyānena vyāyāmaṁ (bala-sādhya udyamaṁ) karoti, apāna-vāyuḥ ūrdhvād adhaḥ gacchati, samāna-vāyuḥ hṛdaye tiṣṭhati, udānena puruṣa ucchvāsaṁ gṛhṇāti ca pratibhedāc ca bhāṣate | ity ete vāyavaḥ pañca ceṣṭayantīha dehinam ||
Bharadvāja disse: “Pelo prāṇa o ser vivo realiza o movimento e a atividade comuns; pelo vyāna ele se empenha em esforço árduo; o apāna move-se para baixo desde o alto; o samāna permanece na região do coração; e pelo udāna o homem exala o sopro para fora e, pelas diferenciações da garganta, do palato e de outros órgãos, produz a fala — sons e sílabas. Assim operam aqui estes cinco ares vitais, pondo em ação o ser encarnado.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse explains that embodied life is animated by five vital airs—prāṇa, vyāna, apāna, samāna, and udāna—each governing specific functions such as movement, exertion, downward flow, inner balancing in the heart-region, and exhalation/speech. Understanding these functions supports self-knowledge and disciplined living.
In the didactic discourse of Śānti Parva, Bharadvāja is instructing about the inner workings of the body and life-force, detailing how the five vāyus operate to produce action and speech in the embodied being.