Shloka 25
अग्निशाप-प्रसंगः
Agni’s Curse and the Restoration of Ritual Order
स्वतेजसैव तं शापं कुरु सत्यमृषेर्विभो । देवानां चात्मनो भागं गृहाण त्वं मुखे हुतम्,“इसके सिवा जो तुम्हारी क्रव्याद मूर्ति है (कच्चा मांस या मुर्दा जलानेवाली जो चिताकी आग है) वही सब कुछ भक्षण करेगी। जैसे सूर्यकी किरणोंसे स्पर्श होनेपर सब वस्तुएँ शुद्ध मानी जाती हैं, उसी प्रकार तुम्हारी ज्वालाओंसे दग्ध होनेपर सब कुछ शुद्ध हो जायगा। अग्निदेव! तुम अपने प्रभावसे ही प्रकट हुए उत्कृष्ट तेज हो; अतः विभो! अपने तेजसे ही महर्षिके उस शापको सत्य कर दिखाओ और अपने मुखमें आहुतिके रूपमें पड़े हुए देवताओंके तथा अपने भागको भी ग्रहण करो”
svatejasāiva taṃ śāpaṃ kuru satyam ṛṣer vibho | devānāṃ cātmano bhāgaṃ gṛhāṇa tvaṃ mukhe hutam ||
Śaunaka said: “O mighty one, by your own innate radiance make the sage’s curse come true. And do you accept—into your mouth as the offered oblation—the share due to the gods and the share due to yourself.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that cosmic and ritual order is upheld when divine power operates in alignment with truth: a sage’s utterance is to be made effective, and sacrificial shares are to be properly received. It links tejas (inner potency) with satya (fulfillment of what is spoken) and with the yajña-system of rightful portions.
Śaunaka addresses a powerful being—contextually Agni—urging him to validate a ṛṣi’s curse through his own fiery potency and to resume/accept the sacrificial portions offered into his mouth, i.e., to function again as the proper receiver and conveyor of oblations for the gods and for himself.