Shloka 17
अग्निशाप-प्रसंगः
Agni’s Curse and the Restoration of Ritual Order
भगुणा वै महाभाग शप्तो<ग्नि: कारणान्तरे | कथं देवमुखो भूत्वा यज्ञभागाग्रभुक् तथा
bhaguṇā vai mahābhāga śapto 'gniḥ kāraṇāntare | kathaṃ devamukho bhūtvā yajñabhāgāgrabhuk tathā ||
Śaunaka said: “O highly fortunate one, Agni was indeed cursed by Bhṛgu on another occasion. How did that Fire-god, becoming the ‘mouth of the gods’, also come to be the foremost consumer of the sacrificial portions?”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and ritual logic of the Vedic world: even when a deity is subject to a curse, Agni’s ordained function in sustaining yajña remains central—he is the channel through which offerings reach the gods, illustrating how cosmic order (ṛta/dharma) integrates both fault and restoration.
Śaunaka asks the narrator to explain a seeming paradox: Agni was cursed by the sage Bhṛgu in a separate incident, yet Agni is still known as the ‘mouth of the gods’ and the chief consumer of sacrificial offerings. The question sets up the backstory that reconciles the curse with Agni’s ritual supremacy.