Shloka 28
Dyumatsena’s Restoration and Sāvitrī’s Disclosure of Yama’s Boons (आरण्यकपर्व, अध्याय २८२)
कि नु शकक्यं मया कर्तु यत् त्वमद्यापि मानुषम्,“तुम आज भी उस मनुष्य रामके प्रति ही, जो हम लोगोंका आहार है, अनुराग दिखाती जा रही हो; ऐसी दशामें मैं क्या कर सकता हूँ?
ki nu śakyaṃ mayā kartuṃ yat tvam adyāpi mānuṣam
マールカンデーヤは言った。「いったい私は何ができようか。今なおお前は、人間のラーマ――我らにとっては糧となる者――に愛情を示し続けているのだから。そのような有様で、私に何ができるというのか。」
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical tension: when someone’s attachment or compassion persists even toward what one’s group treats as prey or resource, ordinary action becomes morally and practically constrained. It points to the difficulty of acting when loyalties and instincts conflict.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses a female interlocutor who continues to feel affection for the human Rāma. He expresses helplessness: since she remains attached to Rama—despite Rama being regarded as “food” for their kind—he cannot proceed as expected and questions what he can do.