Shloka 44
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
तदेवायतन चक्कु: पुण्यं सर्वक्रियास्वपि । ततः प्रभृति चाप्यग्नि: शमीगर्भेषु दृश्यते
tad evāyatanaṃ cakṣuḥ puṇyaṃ sarvakriyāsv api | tataḥ prabhṛti cāpy agniḥ śamīgarbheṣu dṛśyate ||
Bhishma said: “That very śamī became the sacred abode and visible sign for all rites. From that time onward, Agni is seen dwelling within the womb (hollow/heart) of the śamī tree.” The passage frames śamī as a ritually pure locus for fire, grounding sacrificial action in a sanctioned, dharmic source and emphasizing purity and proper means in religious practice.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual action should be grounded in a pure, sanctioned source: śamī is established as a holy locus for Agni, highlighting dharmic propriety, purity, and the right means in sacred rites.
Bhishma recounts that the gods, having perceived Agni within the śamī, designated śamī as Agni’s sacred seat for all ritual acts; thereafter Agni is said to be visible within the śamī’s interior.