Shloka 20
अग्निनाम-वंश-निरूपणम् | Agni-Names and Lineage Enumeration
चड़्क्रम्यमाणा जीवांश्व धरणीसंश्रितान् बहून् । पद्धयां घ्नन्ति नरा विप्र तत्र कि प्रतिभाति ते,“मनुष्य चलते-फिरते समय धरतीके बहुत-से जीव-जन्तुओंको (असावधानीपूर्वक) पैरोंसे मार देते हैं। ब्रह्म! उनके विषयमें आप क्या समझते हैं?
caṅkramyamāṇā jīvāṃś ca dharaṇī-saṃśritān bahūn | padbhyāṃ ghnanti narā vipra tatra kiṃ pratibhāti te ||
Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: „O Brāhmaṇa, wenn Menschen umhergehen, zerdrücken und töten sie, ohne es zu merken, viele Lebewesen, die auf der Erde wohnen. Was, nach deinem Verständnis, ist darüber zu denken?“
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse raises an ethical problem of inadvertent harm (hiṃsā) in ordinary life: even routine actions like walking can destroy small ground-dwelling creatures. It invites reflection on intention, care (apramāda), and how dharma evaluates unavoidable or unintentional injury.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses a brāhmaṇa and poses a probing question: since humans, while moving about, crush many creatures on the ground, what judgment should be made about such acts? The question sets up a discussion on moral responsibility and the limits of non-violence in daily living.