Shloka 9
Soma Pacifies the Pracetās; Dakṣa’s Haṁsa-guhya Prayers; Hari Grants Creative Power
अन्नं चराणामचरा ह्यपद: पादचारिणाम् । अहस्ता हस्तयुक्तानां द्विपदां च चतुष्पद: ॥ ९ ॥
annaṁ carāṇām acarā hy apadaḥ pāda-cāriṇām ahastā hasta-yuktānāṁ dvi-padāṁ ca catuṣ-padaḥ
بحسب ترتيب الطبيعة، تكون الثمار والأزهار غذاءً للحشرات والطيور؛ ويكون العشب وسائر الكائنات عديمة الأرجل غذاءً لذوات الأربع كالبقر والجاموس؛ وتكون الحيوانات التي لا تستعمل قوائمها الأمامية كالأيدي فريسةً لذوات المخالب كالنمور؛ وتكون الظباء والماعز والحبوب غذاءً للإنسان.
By nature’s law, or the arrangement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one kind of living entity is eatable by other living entities. As mentioned herein, dvi-padāṁ ca catuṣ-padaḥ: the four-legged animals ( catuṣ-padaḥ ), as well as food grains, are eatables for human beings ( dvi-padām ). These four-legged animals are those such as deer and goats, not cows, which are meant to be protected. Generally the men of the higher classes of society — the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas — do not eat meat. Sometimes kṣatriyas go to the forest to kill animals like deer because they have to learn the art of killing, and sometimes they eat the animals also. Śūdras, too, eat animals such as goats. Cows, however, are never meant to be killed or eaten by human beings. In every śāstra, cow killing is vehemently condemned. Indeed, one who kills a cow must suffer for as many years as there are hairs on the body of a cow. Manu-saṁhitā says, pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā: we have many tendencies in this material world, but in human life one is meant to learn how to curb those tendencies. Those who desire to eat meat may satisfy the demands of their tongues by eating lower animals, but they should never kill cows, who are actually accepted as the mothers of human society because they supply milk. The śāstra especially recommends, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya: the vaiśya section of humanity should arrange for the food of the entire society through agricultural activities and should give full protection to the cows, which are the most useful animals because they supply milk to human society.
FAQs
This verse states that the Lord has arranged material nature so that one class of beings becomes food for another—moving for nonmoving, legged for legless, and so on—showing an ordered, governed system within the material world.
He highlights the structured conditions of material life—where survival is intertwined with consumption—so the listener understands the nature of saṁsāra and the need to seek a higher, spiritual purpose beyond mere maintenance.
Recognize the material world’s competitive structure, live responsibly with restraint and compassion, and prioritize spiritual progress so life is not reduced to only eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating.