Shloka 15
अग्निशाप-प्रसंगः
Agni’s Curse and the Restoration of Ritual Order
अग्निनाशात् क्रियाभ्रंशाद् भ्रान्ता लोकास्त्रयो5नघा: । विदध्वमत्र यत् कार्य न स्यात् कालात्ययो यथा,“पापरहित देवगण! अग्निके अदृश्य हो जानेसे अग्निहोत्र आदि सम्पूर्ण क्रियाओंका लोप हो गया है। इससे तीनों लोकोंके प्राणी किंकर्तव्यविमूढ़ हो गये हैं; अतः इस विषयमें जो आवश्यक कर्तव्य हो, उसे आपलोग करें। इसमें अधिक विलम्ब नहीं होना चाहिये”
agnināśāt kriyābhraṁśād bhrāntā lokās trayo 'naghāḥ | vidadhvam atra yat kāryaṁ na syāt kālātyayo yathā ||
Śaunaka said: “O sinless divine ones! With the disappearance of Agni, the sacrificial rites—Agnihotra and the rest—have fallen into ruin. Because of this, beings in the three worlds have become bewildered about what ought to be done. Therefore, do here whatever action is necessary, so that there may be no delay and no loss of the proper time.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
When the sustaining structures of dharma (here, sacrificial fire and ritual) are disrupted, confusion spreads; those responsible must act promptly to restore order, because delay itself becomes a moral and practical failure (kālātyaya).
Śaunaka addresses the blameless divine beings, explaining that Agni has vanished and therefore Agnihotra and related rites have ceased; as a result, the three worlds are bewildered, and he urges immediate action to prevent harmful delay.