Shloka 64

आचारप्रशंसा

Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity

Devanagari script

ऊर्ध्व प्राणा ह्ुत्क्रामन्ति यून: स्थविर आयति

Transliteration

ūrdhva-prāṇā hutkrāmanti yūnaḥ sthavira āyati

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“在年轻人身上，诸生命之息（prāṇa）多向上冲起，易于离散；在年老者身上，它们运行迟缓，来得艰难。”此偈以身之衰败为伦理省思，昭示老迈不可避免，故当以戒律自持、以离著自安，因为生命之力终不恒常。

Word by Word

• ऊर्ध्वम्: upwards
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऊर्ध्व
• Form: Avyaya (directional adverb)

• प्राणाः: vital breaths; life-breaths
• प्राणाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• उत्क्रामन्ति: depart; go out; ascend
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्-क्रम्
• Form: Present tense (Lat), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Plural

• यूनः: of a young man
• यूनः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युवन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• स्थविरः: an old man; an elder
• स्थविरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थविर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• आयाति: comes; arrives
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-या
• Form: Present tense (Lat), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Life’s energies are unstable and change with age: youth is marked by quick, upward-moving vitality that can suddenly depart, while old age brings slow, difficult bodily functioning. Recognizing this impermanence supports dharmic restraint, humility, and detachment from bodily pride.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, in his instruction during the Anuśāsana Parva, is describing physiological signs of youth and old age to ground a moral lesson: human life is transient, so one should live with discipline and awareness rather than complacency.