Shloka 19
अग्निनाम-वंश-निरूपणम् | Agni-Names and Lineage Enumeration
सत्त्वै: सत्त्वानि जीवन्ति बहुधा द्विजसत्तम | प्राणिनो<न्योन्यभक्षाक्ष तत्र कि प्रतिभाति ते,'द्विजश्रेष्ठीी बहुधा जीव जीवोंसे ही जीवन धारण करते हैं और प्राणी स्वयं ही एक- दूसरेको अपना आहार बना लेते हैं। उनके विषयमें आप क्या समझते हैं?
sattvaiḥ sattvāni jīvanti bahudhā dvijasattama | prāṇino 'nyonyabhakṣāś ca tatra kiṃ pratibhāti te ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O best of the twice-born, in many ways living beings subsist upon other living beings; creatures become one another’s food. What understanding do you form about this—how does it appear to you?”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a fundamental fact of embodied existence: beings sustain themselves through other beings, often through mutual predation. It invites ethical reflection on how one should understand and respond to this natural interdependence within the framework of dharma.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses a learned brāhmaṇa and poses a probing question: since creatures live by consuming other creatures in many ways, what conclusion or insight does the listener draw from this reality?