Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 40
Pānīya-dāna and Anna-dāna: The Primacy of Life-Sustaining Gifts (पानीयदान-प्रशंसा / अन्नदान-प्रशंसा)
सम्भवन्ति तत: शुक्रात् प्राणिन: पृथिवीपते । अग्नीषोमौ हि तच्छुक्रे सृजतः पुष्यतश्न ह,पृथ्वीनाथ! उस वीर्यसे प्राणी उत्पन्न होते हैं। इस प्रकार अग्नि और सोम उस वीर्यकी सृष्टि और पुष्टि करते हैं
nārada uvāca | sambhavanti tataḥ śukrāt prāṇinaḥ pṛthivīpate | agnīṣomau hi tacchukre sṛjataḥ puṣyataś ca ||
Wika ni Nārada: “O panginoon ng lupa, mula sa semilyang iyon nagkakaroon ng mga nilalang. Tunay na naroon sa binhing iyon sina Agni at Soma: sila ang nagpapasibol nito at siya ring nagpapalusog, upang sumilang ang buhay na may katawan.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links human generation to cosmic principles: life arises from śukra (seed), and within it Agni and Soma symbolize the forces of production and nourishment. It frames procreation as a dharmic, cosmically supported process rather than a merely physical act.
Narada addresses a king (“lord of the earth”) and explains how living beings originate. He describes the seed as the immediate cause of birth and identifies Agni and Soma as the sustaining powers that generate and strengthen that seed so conception and growth can occur.