Shloka 38
अग्नीषोमोत्पत्तिः
Agni–Soma Origin and the Brahmāgnīṣomīya Doctrine
उदयं ज्योतिषां शश्वत् सोमादीनां करोति यः । अन्तर्देहेषु चोदानं यं वदन्ति मनीषिण:
udayaṁ jyotiṣāṁ śaśvat somādīnāṁ karoti yaḥ | antardeheṣu codānaṁ yaṁ vadanti manīṣiṇaḥ ||
भीष्म उवाच—यः सोमादीनां ज्योतिषामुदयं शश्वत् करोति, यं च मनीषिणो देहान्तःस्थितं प्राणवृत्तिम् ‘उदानम्’ इति वदन्ति; स एवोर्ध्वगमनाधिपो महान् वायुः, अन्तःप्राणस्य बाह्यजगतः खगोलीयव्यवस्थया सह सम्बन्धं दर्शयन्, निरूप्यते।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links macrocosm and microcosm: the same governing principle that orders the rising of celestial lights is present within living beings as Udāna, the upward-moving vital force. It suggests an ethical-spiritual vision where understanding inner discipline (prāṇa) aligns one with cosmic order (ṛta/dharma).
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on higher knowledge and the foundations of order. Here he identifies a cosmic function—causing the luminaries to rise—and equates it with the internal life-current called Udāna, presenting a contemplative teaching on how universal forces operate within the body.