Shloka 26
त्वदृते हि जगत् कृत्स्नं सद्यो नश्येद् हुताशन । तुभ्यं कृत्वा नमो विप्रा: स्वकर्मविजितां गतिम्
tvadṛte hi jagat kṛtsnaṃ sadyo naśyed hutāśana | tubhyaṃ kṛtvā namo viprāḥ svakarmavijitāṃ gatim ||
Māṇḍapāla said: “Without you, O Hutāśana (Fire), this entire world would at once perish. Therefore the brahmins, having bowed to you, attain the blessed state won through the merit of their own rites and duties.”
मन्दपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores Agni’s indispensable role in sustaining the world and in Vedic dharma: through honoring Fire—central to sacrifice and daily rites—brahmins fulfill their prescribed duties and thereby attain a meritorious spiritual destiny.
Māṇḍapāla addresses Agni directly, praising Fire’s cosmic necessity and affirming that brahmins, by offering salutations and performing rites centered on Agni, reach the ‘gati’ (attained state) earned by their own religious actions.