Shloka 6
अग्निनाम-वंश-निरूपणम् | Agni-Names and Lineage Enumeration
ओषध्यो वीरुधश्चैव पशवो मृगपक्षिण: । अनादिभूता भूतानामित्यपि श्रूयते श्रुति:,ओषधियाँ, अन्न, तृण, लता, पशु, मृग और पक्षी आदि सभी वस्तुएँ सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके अनादि-कालसे उपयोगमें आती रहती हैं--ऐसी श्रुति भी सुनी जाती है
oṣadhyo vīrudhaś caiva paśavo mṛgapakṣiṇaḥ | anādibhūtā bhūtānām ity api śrūyate śrutiḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: „Heilkräuter und Pflanzen, Gräser und Ranken, ebenso Vieh, wilde Tiere und Vögel — in der śruti, der heiligen Überlieferung, werden sie als anfangslose Vorräte für die Lebewesen genannt, stets verfügbar zu ihrer Erhaltung.“
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse grounds human use of plants and animals in a Śruti-backed cosmological claim: the resources of nature—herbs, vegetation, livestock, and wild creatures—are described as ‘beginningless’ supports for beings. Ethically, it frames sustenance as part of an ordered world, implying responsible, dharmic use rather than arbitrary exploitation.
Mārkaṇḍeya is speaking and cites Śruti as authority. He lists categories of living resources (plants and animals) and states that tradition teaches they have been available from time without beginning for the use and maintenance of creatures.