Shloka 20
अग्निनाम-वंश-निरूपणम् | Agni-Names and Lineage Enumeration
चड़्क्रम्यमाणा जीवांश्व धरणीसंश्रितान् बहून् । पद्धयां घ्नन्ति नरा विप्र तत्र कि प्रतिभाति ते,“मनुष्य चलते-फिरते समय धरतीके बहुत-से जीव-जन्तुओंको (असावधानीपूर्वक) पैरोंसे मार देते हैं। ब्रह्म! उनके विषयमें आप क्या समझते हैं?
caṅkramyamāṇā jīvāṃś ca dharaṇī-saṃśritān bahūn | padbhyāṃ ghnanti narā vipra tatra kiṃ pratibhāti te ||
Mārkaṇḍeya nói: “Hỡi bà-la-môn, khi người đời đi lại, họ vô tình giẫm đạp và giết hại rất nhiều sinh linh nương trú trên mặt đất. Theo sự hiểu biết của ông, nên nghĩ thế nào về việc ấy?”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse raises an ethical problem of inadvertent harm (hiṃsā) in ordinary life: even routine actions like walking can destroy small ground-dwelling creatures. It invites reflection on intention, care (apramāda), and how dharma evaluates unavoidable or unintentional injury.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses a brāhmaṇa and poses a probing question: since humans, while moving about, crush many creatures on the ground, what judgment should be made about such acts? The question sets up a discussion on moral responsibility and the limits of non-violence in daily living.