Shloka 13
Bhīṣma Parva, Adhyāya 4 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Vyāsa Saṃvāda on Kāla and Jayalakṣaṇa
Signs of Victory
ग्राम्याणां पुरुषा: श्रेष्ठा: सिंहाश्वारण्यवासिनाम् | सर्वेषामेव भूतानामन्योन्येनोपजीवनम्
grāmyāṇāṃ puruṣāḥ śreṣṭhāḥ siṃhāśvārṇyavāsinām | sarveṣām eva bhūtānām anyonyenopajīvanam ||
ग्राम्याणां पुरुषा: श्रेष्ठा: सिंहाश्वारण्यवासिनाम् । सर्वेषामेव भूतानामन्योन्येनोपजीवनम् ॥
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.