Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 40
अग्नीषोमोत्पत्तिः
Agni–Soma Origin and the Brahmāgnīṣomīya Doctrine
योडद्धि: संयोज्य जीमूतान् पर्जन्याय प्रयच्छति । उद्वहो नाम बंहिष्ठस्तृतीय: स सदागति:
yo dadhīḥ saṃyojya jīmūtān parjanyāya prayacchati | udvaho nāma bahiṣṭhas tṛtīyaḥ sa sadāgatiḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“此生命之风，既聚水而合之于云，又将诸云交付于司雨之力——恒常前行不息——名为‘优陀婆诃’(Udvaha)。因其循‘第三道’而行，并在外界以广大规模运作，故称为第三。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links the inner life-wind (a prāṇa-function) with the outer cosmic process of rainfall, presenting nature’s cycles as orderly and purposeful. It implies that the same sustaining principle operates within the body and in the world, supporting life through regulated movement and distribution.
In Bhishma’s instruction, he describes a specific ‘wind’ called Udvaha: it lifts/collects waters, unites them with clouds (jīmūta), and consigns them to the rain-giving function (Parjanya). This is characterized as an outward, wide-ranging operation and therefore termed the ‘third course.’