Shloka 22
अग्निनाम-वंश-निरूपणम् | Agni-Names and Lineage Enumeration
जीवैग्ग्रस्तमिदं सर्वमाकाशं पृथिवी तथा । अविज्ञानाच्च हिंसन्ति तत्र कि प्रतिभाति ते,“आकाशसे लेकर पृथ्वीतक यह सारा जगत् जीवोंसे भरा हुआ है। कितने ही मनुष्य अनजानमें भी जीवहिंसा करते हैं। इस विषयमें आप क्या समझते हैं?
jīvair grastam idaṁ sarvam ākāśaṁ pṛthivī tathā | avijñānāc ca hiṁsanti tatra kiṁ pratibhāti te ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “From the sky down to the earth, this entire world is pervaded by living beings. Yet many people, out of ignorance, commit injury to life. What understanding do you have regarding this matter?”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that life pervades the entire cosmos, so harming beings is easy to do unintentionally; therefore one must cultivate knowledge and careful discernment to minimize violence and act in accordance with dharma.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses his listener with a probing ethical question: since living beings are everywhere and people often harm them through ignorance, he asks what the listener’s considered view is—setting up a discussion on right conduct and non-injury.