Shloka 8
धर्मलक्षण-प्रश्नः (Marks and Sources of Dharma) | Chapter 251: Inquiry into the Definition of Dharma
श्मश्रु रोम च केशाश्व शिरा स्नायु च चर्म च । इन्द्रियं प्राणसंज्ञातं नासिकेत्यभिसंज्ञिता
śmaśru roma ca keśāś ca śirā snāyu ca carma ca | indriyaṁ prāṇasaṁjñātaṁ nāsikety abhisajñitā ||
毗耶娑说：“须髯、体毛与头发；脉络、筋腱与皮肤——并且那被称为‘普拉那’（prāṇa，生命之息）的机能，此处尤以鼻为其所依：列举这些，是为显示此身乃聚合所成、终归败坏。若能了知真我与这些身分与作用迥然有别，便能趋向离著，并于法（dharma）中安住不动。”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse itemizes bodily components and functions to emphasize that the body is a composite and perishable, while the true self should be understood as distinct from these parts; this supports ethical steadiness and detachment in dharma.
Vyāsa is explaining a reflective analysis of the body—listing hair, veins, sinews, skin, and the life-breath associated with the nose—as part of a broader instruction in Shānti Parva aimed at cultivating insight and dispassion.