Shloka 13
Bhīṣma Parva, Adhyāya 4 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Vyāsa Saṃvāda on Kāla and Jayalakṣaṇa
Signs of Victory
ग्राम्याणां पुरुषा: श्रेष्ठा: सिंहाश्वारण्यवासिनाम् | सर्वेषामेव भूतानामन्योन्येनोपजीवनम्,ग्रामवासी पशु और मनुष्योंमें मनुष्य श्रेष्ठ हैं और वनवासी पशुओंमें सिंह श्रेष्ठ हैं। समस्त प्राणियोंका जीवन-निर्वाह एक-दूसरेके सहयोगसे होता है
grāmyāṇāṃ puruṣāḥ śreṣṭhāḥ siṃhāśvārṇyavāsinām | sarveṣām eva bhūtānām anyonyenopajīvanam ||
Sañjaya said: Among those who dwell in villages, human beings are the foremost; and among the wild creatures that live in the forest, the lion is the foremost. Indeed, the sustenance of all living beings depends upon mutual support—each lives by the help of another.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
All beings sustain themselves through mutual dependence; life is maintained by cooperation and interconnected support, which frames an ethical vision of society and nature.
Sañjaya offers a general observation about hierarchy and excellence (humans among village-dwellers, the lion among forest creatures) and then draws a broader principle: the world functions through reciprocal support among living beings.