Shloka 29
Dyumatsena’s Restoration and Sāvitrī’s Disclosure of Yama’s Boons (आरण्यकपर्व, अध्याय २८२)
आहारभूतमस्माकं राममेवानुरुध्यसे,“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?
āhārabhūtam asmākaṁ rāmam evānurudhyase |
Mārkaṇḍeya disse: “Ainda agora persistes em demonstrar afeição apenas por aquele homem, Rāma—que, para nós, é fonte de alimento. Numa situação assim, que posso eu fazer?”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical tension: personal attachment can clash with harsh realities of survival or duty. It implicitly warns that affection alone may not resolve situations where interests are fundamentally opposed, urging discernment (viveka) alongside compassion.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses a woman who continues to show love toward Rāma, even though Rāma is described as ‘food’ for the speaker’s group. He expresses helplessness: given this contradiction—her attachment to someone they intend to consume—he cannot easily intervene or change the outcome.