Shloka 29

द्रौपदी–सत्यभामा संवादः

Draupadī and Satyabhāmā on ethical household conduct

Devanagari script

आर्तों न जुहुयादनिंे त्रिरात्र॑ यस्तु ब्राह्मण: । इष्टिरष्टाकपालेन कार्या स्वादुत्तराग्नये,जो ब्राह्मण किसी पीड़ासे आतुर होकर तीन राततक अनिनिहोत्र न करे, उसे मिट्टीके आठ पुरवोंमें संस्कृत चरुके द्वारा “उत्तरर नामक अग्निको आहुति देनी चाहिये

Transliteration

ārto na juhuyād agniṃ trirātraṃ yastu brāhmaṇaḥ | iṣṭir aṣṭākapālena kāryā svāduttarāgnaye ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: „Wenn ein Brāhmaṇa, von Leid bedrängt, drei Nächte lang keine Oblationen in das heilige Feuer darbringt, dann soll er eine Sühne‑iṣṭi vollziehen: eine geweihte charu‑Gabe, bereitet in einem irdenen Gefäß aus acht Scherben (aṣṭākapāla), und sie dem Feuer darbringen, das ‘Uttara’ heißt. Die Lehre betont: Selbst wenn Not die täglichen heiligen Pflichten unterbricht, ist die rituelle Ordnung durch die vorgeschriebene Sühne wiederherzustellen, nicht durch Preisgabe der Zucht.“

Word by Word

आर्तःdistressed, afflicted

नnot

जुहुयात्should offer (into fire), should perform oblation

अग्निम्fire (sacred fire)

त्रिरात्रम्for three nights (a three-night period)

यःwho

तुbut, however

ब्राह्मणःa Brahmin

इष्टिःa (prescribed) sacrifice/rite (iṣṭi)

अष्टाकपालेनwith an eight-pot-sherd (offering vessel arrangement)

कार्याto be done, should be performed

स्वादुत्तराग्नयेfor the (deity/)fire named Svāduttara (Uttarāgni)

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

brāhmaṇa

Agni (sacred fire)

Uttara (name of a fire)

iṣṭi (rite)

aṣṭākapāla (eight-shard earthen vessel)

caru (consecrated cooked oblation; implied by context)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when suffering causes a lapse in daily sacred obligations (like agnihotra), dharma provides a restorative path: one should acknowledge the break and perform the prescribed expiatory rite to re-establish ritual order and responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya instructs about the corrective ritual procedure for a brāhmaṇa who, due to distress, does not maintain the fire-offering for three nights: he should perform an iṣṭi using an eight-part earthen vessel and offer the prepared oblation to the fire called Uttara.