Shloka 27
द्रोणेन दुर्योधनस्य कवचबन्धनम् — Drona’s Mantra-Bound Armor for Duryodhana
एवं निकायैस्तैर्दुग्धा पयो<भीष्ट हि सा विराट् यैर्वर्तयन्ति ते हााद्य पात्रैर्वत्सैशज्ष नित्यश:,सूंजय! इस प्रकार सभी प्राणियोंने बछड़ों और पात्रोंकी कल्पना करके पृथ्वीसे अपने अभीष्ट दूधका दोहन किया था, जिससे वे आजतक निरन्तर जीवन-निर्वाह करते हैं
evaṁ nikāyais tair dugdhā payo ’bhīṣṭaṁ hi sā virāṭ yair vartayanti te hādyapātrair vatsaiś ca nityaśaḥ, saṁjaya
Nārada said: “Thus, by those various classes of beings, that vast Earth was milked of the desired ‘milk’—each according to its own aim—by imagining suitable calves and vessels. By that provision they continue, even to this day, to sustain their lives.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the world’s resources can yield different benefits to different beings depending on their aims and methods; ethical livelihood is framed as drawing sustenance from Earth through appropriate ‘means’ (vessels) and motivating principles (calves), implying responsible, ordered extraction rather than reckless exploitation.
Nārada explains to Saṁjaya a traditional cosmological metaphor: various groups of beings ‘milk’ the Earth like a cow, each obtaining its desired nourishment by employing imagined calves and vessels, and thereby they continue to live and sustain themselves.