Shloka 56
वश्चित् क्रीडितुकामो वै भोक्तुकामस्तथापर: । अभिकामस्तथैवान्य इत्येष त्रिविधो ग्रह:,कोई ग्रह क्रीडा-विनोदकी, कोई भोजनकी और कोई कामोपभोगकी इच्छा रखता है, इस प्रकार ग्रहोंकी प्रकृति तीन प्रकारकी है
vaś cit krīḍitukāmo vai bhoktukāmas tathāparaḥ | abhikāmas tathaivānya ity eṣa trividho grahaḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “One (type) is driven by the wish to play and sport; another is driven by the wish to eat; and yet another is driven by the wish for sensual enjoyment. Thus, the ‘seizing force’ (graha) is of three kinds.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse classifies the forces that ‘seize’ or drive beings into three desire-patterns—play/amusement, food/consumption, and sensual pleasure—implying that ethical life requires recognizing these impulses and governing them rather than being governed by them.
Mārkaṇḍeya is explaining a typology of ‘grahas’ (grasping/afflicting drives or agencies) by describing how they manifest through distinct dominant cravings, thereby instructing the listener on how to understand and diagnose such influences.