Shloka 14
अन्योन्यमतिवर्तन्ते अन्योन्यस्पर्थिनस्तथा । ते वध्यमाना हान्योन्यं गुणै्हारिभिरव्ययै:,पृथ्वीनाथ! प्रवाहरूपसे सदा विद्यमान रहनेवाले इन मनोहर शब्द आदि विषयोंसे आविष्ट होकर सभी प्राणी प्रतिदिन कभी एक-दूसरेको चाहते हैं, कभी पारस्परिक हितसाधनमें तत्पर रहते हैं, कभी एक-दूसरेको नीचा दिखानेकी चेष्टा करते हैं, कभी आपसमें ईर्ष्या रखते हैं और कभी परस्पर प्रहार भी कर बैठते हैं
anyonyam ativartante anyonya-sparthinas tathā | te vadhyamānā hy anyonyaṁ guṇair hāribhir avyayaiḥ, pṛthvīnātha |
Yājñavalkya said: “O lord of the earth, beings continually overstep one another and remain in mutual rivalry. Though they are being struck down (by the consequences of such conduct), they still assail one another—drawn on by alluring and seemingly inexhaustible ‘qualities’ (the attractions of sense-objects).”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse diagnoses the root of social strife: beings, captivated by attractive sense-objects and the play of guṇas, fall into rivalry, envy, and mutual harm—even while suffering the consequences. Ethical restraint and discernment are implied as the remedy.
In a didactic exchange within Śānti Parva, the sage Yājñavalkya addresses a king (“lord of the earth”), explaining why creatures repeatedly clash with one another: mutual competition and the irresistible pull of alluring objects drive them into continual conflict.