Shloka 10
अलोभोपाख्यानम् — शुनःसख-यातुधानी-संवादः
The Allegory of Non-Greed: Śunaḥsakha and the Yātudhānī
अग्निरुवाच सहितास्तात भोक्ष्यामो निवापे समुपस्थिते । जरयिष्यथ चाप्यन्नं मया सार्ध न संशय:,अग्नि बोले--देवताओे और पितरो! अबसे श्राद्धका अवसर उपस्थित होनेपर हमलोग साथ ही भोजन किया करेंगे। मेरे साथ रहनेसे आपलोग उस अन्नको पचा सकेंगे, इसमें संशय नहीं है
agnir uvāca sahitās tāta bhokṣyāmo nivāpe samupasthite | jarayiṣyatha cāpy annaṃ mayā sārdhaṃ na saṃśayaḥ ||
Agni said: “Dear ones, when the time for the śrāddha offering arrives, we shall partake together of the food placed as the offering. By remaining in union with me, you will be able to digest that food—of this there is no doubt.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual acts like śrāddha are sustained by cosmic cooperation: Agni, as the digestive and sacrificial fire, enables the offered food to be properly assimilated. The verse underscores faith in the ordained mechanism of offerings and the harmony between humans, deities, and ancestral beings.
Agni speaks, declaring that when the śrāddha offering is presented, he will partake along with the recipients of the offering, and that his presence will ensure the food is digested—affirming the efficacy of the rite.