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
Disse Mārkaṇḍeya: “Que posso eu fazer, se ainda agora continuas a mostrar afeição por aquele humano, Rāma—que para nós é fonte de alimento? Em tal estado, que ação me é possível?”
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.