Shloka 17
Ācāra-vidhi (Rules of Conduct) — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Catalogue
एवं सर्वेषु विहित: प्राणापानेषु देहिनाम् । तस्मिन् समिध्यते नित्यमग्नि: स्थाल्यामिवाहित:
evaṁ sarveṣu vihitaḥ prāṇāpāneṣu dehinām | tasmin samidhyate nityam agniḥ sthālyām ivāhitaḥ ||
婆罗陀婆阇说道：如是，在一切具身众生之中，生命之火依于普拉那与阿帕那的运行而得其安置。于彼处，内火恒常被点燃——住于身内——如同炉灶上烹煮之器中所护持的火焰。
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the body’s sustaining inner fire is continuously kindled through the proper establishment and functioning of prāṇa and apāna; disciplined regulation of the vital winds supports vitality, digestion, and steadiness.
Bharadvāja explains a physiological-yogic principle: within embodied beings, the vital breaths (prāṇa and apāna) provide the basis upon which the inner fire remains steadily alight, compared to a fire maintained in a cooking pot on a hearth.