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 nói: “Ngay đến bây giờ nàng vẫn cứ chỉ bày tỏ tình luyến ái đối với người ấy—Rāma—kẻ đối với chúng ta là nguồn lương thực. Trong cảnh thế này, ta còn có thể làm gì được nữa?”
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.