Shloka 17
जीवा हि बहवो ब्रह्मन् वृक्षेषु च फलेषु च । उदके बहवश्चापि तत्र कि प्रतिभाति ते,“विप्रवर! कितने ही मनुष्य पशुओंपर आक्रमण करके उन्हे मारते और खाते हैं। वृक्षों तथा ओषधियों (अन्तके पौधों)-को काटते हैं। वृक्षों और फलोंमें भी बहुत-से जीव रहते हैं। जलमें भी नाना प्रकारके जीव रहते हैं। ब्रह्म! उनके विषयमें आप क्या समझते हैं?
jīvā hi bahavo brahman vṛkṣeṣu ca phaleṣu ca | udake bahavaś cāpi tatra kiṃ pratibhāti te ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O Brahmin, living beings are indeed many—within trees and within fruits; and many are found in water as well. People attack animals, kill them, and eat them; they also cut down trees and medicinal plants. In view of the fact that life exists in these forms too, what understanding do you hold about this matter?”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical problem of harm by noting that life exists not only in animals but also in plants, fruits, and water. It presses the listener to reflect on dharma: how to judge actions like eating, cutting, and using natural resources when some form of injury to living beings seems unavoidable.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses a Brahmin interlocutor and raises a pointed question about everyday violence—killing animals for food and cutting vegetation—while emphasizing that living beings are present in trees, fruits, and water too. The statement sets up a discussion on moral discernment regarding necessary living and avoidable harm.