Shloka 148
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
अग्न्यभावे च कुरुते वह्निस्थानेषु काउ्चनम् | जामदग्न्य प्रमाणज्ञो वेदश्रुतिनिदर्शनात्
agnyabhāve ca kurute vahnistāneṣu kāñcanam | jāmadagnyaḥ pramāṇajño vedaśrutinidarśanāt ||
Vasiṣṭha sprach: „Wenn Feuer nicht verfügbar ist, darf ein Kenner gültiger Autorität (pramāṇa) — wie es die vedische Offenbarung zeigt — Gold an der Stelle verwenden, wo Feuer erforderlich wäre. O Paraśurāma, Sohn des Jamadagni, dies veranschaulicht, dass Dharma gewahrt wird, indem man vedischem Präzedenzfall folgt und einen gebilligten Ersatz annimmt, wenn die Umstände das Hauptopfer verhindern.“
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma and ritual duty are guided by Vedic authority; when the primary requirement (fire) is genuinely unavailable, one may use an approved substitute (gold) as supported by śruti-based precedent, preserving the intent of the rite rather than abandoning it.
Vasiṣṭha addresses Paraśurāma (Jāmadagnya), citing a Vedic-style example: in the absence of fire, gold may be used in the ritual context where fire would normally be employed, demonstrating how learned authorities apply śruti-backed alternatives under constraint.