Shloka 19
नारद–असित (देवल) संवादः — भूतप्रभवाप्यय, इन्द्रिय-गुण-विवेक, क्षेत्रज्ञ-तत्त्व
अजसश्नाश्वश्न मेषश्न गौश्व पक्षिगणाश्र ये । ग्राम्यारण्याश्नीषधय: प्राणस्यान्नमिति श्रुति:
ajasāśnāśvaśnā meṣaśnā gauś ca pakṣigaṇāś ca ye | grāmyāraṇyāś cāuṣadhayaḥ prāṇasyānnam iti śrutiḥ ||
Kapila dit : «Ceux qui mangent des chèvres, ceux qui mangent des chevaux, ceux qui mangent des moutons, ceux qui mangent du bétail, et ceux qui mangent diverses espèces d’oiseaux ; de même les grains, la nourriture des villages comme celle cueillie dans la forêt, et même les herbes médicinales : la Śruti déclare que tout cela est “nourriture” pour soutenir le souffle vital (prāṇa).»
कपिल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kapila frames ‘food’ broadly as whatever sustains prāṇa (life-breath). By invoking Śruti, he emphasizes that nourishment is defined by its life-supporting function, setting up an ethical discussion on sustenance, necessity, and the moral evaluation of what beings consume.
In the Śānti Parva’s philosophical discourse, Kapila is speaking and cites scriptural authority to classify many kinds of consumables—animal flesh, birds, domestic and wild produce, and herbs—as ‘food for life.’ This functions as a premise for further reflection on conduct, restraint, and the ethics of living.