Shloka 24
नरनारायण-नारदसंवादः
Nara-Nārāyaṇa–Nārada Discourse on Vision, Elements, and Entry into Vāsudeva
अन्नपानानि जीर्यन्ते यत्र भक्षाश्न भक्षिता: | तस्मिन्नेवोदरे गर्भ: कि नान्नमिव जीर्यते
annapānāni jīryante yatra bhakṣāśna bhakṣitāḥ | tasminnevōdare garbhaḥ kiṃ nānnam iva jīryate ||
नारद उवाच—यत्रैव भक्ष्यं भुङ्क्ते भोक्ता, तत्रैव अन्नपानानि जीर्यन्ते। तस्मिन्नेवोदरे गर्भो वर्तते—किं न स अन्नमिव जीर्यते?
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a pointed question about the special protection and distinct status of the fetus within the body: although digestion transforms food in the belly, the embryo is preserved. This invites reflection on the hidden governance of dharma/natural law and the sanctity of life developing under a higher order rather than being treated as mere matter.
Nārada poses a rhetorical, almost scientific question to advance a discussion in Śānti Parva about the nature of the body, generation, and the principles that sustain life. By contrasting digestion with gestation, he sets up an explanation of how the embryo is maintained and why it is not subject to the same process as food.