Shloka 20
अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
विविधानां च भूतानां जड़मा: परमा नृप । जड़मानामपि तथा द्विपदा: परमा मता:,महाराज! संसारके विविध प्राणियोंमें चलने-फिरनेवाले जीव श्रेष्ठ माने गये हैं। इन जंगम प्राणियोंमें भी दो पैरवाले जीव (मनुष्य) श्रेष्ठ कहे गये हैं
vividhānāṁ ca bhūtānāṁ jaṅgamāḥ paramā nṛpa | jaṅgamānām api tathā dvipadāḥ paramā matāḥ ||
O großer König, unter den vielen Arten von Lebewesen gelten die beweglichen als höher. Und selbst unter den beweglichen Wesen werden die Zweifüßigen—die Menschen—als die höchsten angesehen.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a graded view of life: mobile beings are superior to immobile ones, and among mobile beings humans are highest—implying greater capacity and responsibility for ethical choice (dharma).
Parāśara addresses a king and frames an ethical-anthropological point about the status of beings, preparing the listener to understand human life as uniquely suited for dharma, restraint, and right conduct.