Shloka 16
Kubera’s Arrival and the Disclosure of Agastya’s Curse
Vaiśaṃpāyana–Janamejaya Narrative
तिर्यग्योनिगताश्ैव अपि कीटपिपीलिका: । मनुष्यानुपजीवन्ति ततस्त्वमपि जीवसि
tiryagyoni-gatāś caiva api kīṭa-pipīlikāḥ | manuṣyān upajīvanti tatas tvam api jīvasi ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Even creatures born in lower wombs—worms and ants—manage to subsist by depending on human beings. Therefore you too are able to live.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Life is sustained through dependence and support; if even small creatures survive by relying on humans, one should recognize interdependence and avoid pride, cultivating humility and responsibility toward other beings.
Vaiśampāyana makes an illustrative observation about worms and ants living by relying on humans, using it to underscore a point about how the addressed person’s own survival is likewise enabled by broader support and conditions.