Shloka 51
धर्मद्वारबहुत्वविमर्शः — Reflection on the Many ‘Doors’ of Dharma (Śānti-parva 342)
अपि हि पुराणे भवति एकयोन्यात्मकावग्नीषोमौ देवाश्लाग्निमुखा इति एकयोनित्वाच्च परस्परमर्हन्तो लोकान् धारयन्त इति
api hi purāṇe bhavati ekayonyātmakāv agnīṣomau devāś cāgnimukhā iti | ekayonitvāc ca parasparam arhanto lokān dhārayanta iti ||
Arjuna sprach: „Wahrlich, die alte Überlieferung verkündet, dass Agni und Soma aus einer einzigen Quelle hervorgehen, und dass Agni für alle Götter der ‘Mund’ ist, durch den die Opfergaben empfangen werden. Weil sie einen Ursprung teilen, stützen und erfreuen Agni und Soma einander, und durch diese wechselseitige Stütze tragen sie die Welten.“
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Agni and Soma are presented as a complementary pair sharing one origin; their mutual support symbolizes interdependence in the cosmic order, and ritual exchange (offerings through Agni, nourishment through Soma) is portrayed as sustaining the worlds.
Arjuna cites an ancient authoritative tradition (purāṇa) to justify a doctrinal point: that Agni is the channel by which gods receive offerings and that Agni–Soma together uphold cosmic stability through their reciprocal relationship.