Shloka 4

अग्निनाम-वंश-निरूपणम् | Agni-Names and Lineage Enumeration

Devanagari script

निमित्तभूता हि वयं कर्मणो<स्य द्विजोत्तम | येषां हतानां मांसानि विक्रीणामीह वै द्विज,द्विजश्रेष्ठस इस कार्यमें हम निमित्तमात्र हैं। ब्रह्मन! मैं जिन मारे गये प्राणियोंका मांस बेचता हूँ, उनके जीते-जी यदि उनका सदुपयोग किया जाता तो बड़ा धर्म होता। मांस- भक्षणमें तो धर्मका नाम भी नहीं है (उलटे महान्‌ अधर्म होता है)। देवता, अतिथि, भरणीय कुटुम्बीजन और पितरोंका पूजन (आदर-सत्कार) अवश्य धर्म है

Transliteration

nimittabhūtā hi vayaṁ karmaṇo ’sya dvijottama | yeṣāṁ hatānāṁ māṁsāni vikrīṇāmiha vai dvija ||

Translation

摩罗迦ṇḍeya说道：“最胜二生者啊，在此事上我们不过是‘因’与工具而已。婆罗门啊，我在此所卖者，乃被杀之众生的肉。若在它们尚生之时能被正当地使用，那将是大法之行；然而食肉之事，连达摩之名都不配——反而成为大不法（adharma）。”

Word by Word

निमित्तभूताःhaving become mere instruments

हिindeed/for

वयम्we

कर्मणःof the act/deed

अस्यof this

द्विजोत्तमO best of the twice-born

येषाम्of whom/whose

हतानाम्of the slain

मांसानिflesh/meats

विक्रीणामिI sell

इहhere/in this world

वैindeed/verily

द्विजO twice-born (Brahmin)

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

dvija (brāhmaṇa addressee)

māṁsa (meat/flesh)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames moral agency: one may be only an instrument (nimitta) in an action, yet the ethical evaluation of practices like selling and especially consuming meat is emphasized—meat-eating is portrayed as adharma, while true dharma lies in proper, life-affirming use and conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya addresses a brāhmaṇa, explaining that he is merely an instrument in the deed and that the meat he sells comes from slain creatures; he then contrasts what would have been righteous use of living beings with the unrighteousness he associates with meat consumption.