Shloka 2
Adhyāya 262: Śabda-brahman, Para-brahman, and the Ethics of Tyāga
Kapila–Syūmaraśmi Saṃvāda
कृष्या ह्वान्नं प्रभवति ततस्त्वमपि जीवसि । पशुभिश्षौषधीभिशक्च मर्त्या जीवन्ति वाणिज
kṛṣyā hy annaṃ prabhavati tatastvam api jīvasi | paśubhiḥ śauṣadhībhiś ca martyā jīvanti vāṇija vaiśyaputra ||
秤主（Tulādhāra）说道：“粮食确由农耕而生，因此你也赖此而活。凡人凭借牲畜与草木（药草与庄稼）维系生命啊，商人哟，吠舍之子！”
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tulādhāra emphasizes human dependence on agriculture, cattle, and plant life for survival, reminding the merchant that even trade rests upon the foundational labor and resources that produce food and sustain society.
In the Śānti Parva’s ethical dialogue, Tulādhāra addresses a merchant (a Vaiśya’s son), instructing him about the practical basis of life—food arising from cultivation—and the broader interdependence of human livelihoods on animals and vegetation.