Shloka 26
Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality
जनमेजय उवाच किमर्थ भगवान् वद्ठिः प्रत्यमित्रो5$भवद् युधि | सहदेवस्य यज्ञार्थ घटमानस्य वै द्विज,जनमेजयने पूछा--ब्रह्मन्! सहदेव तो यज्ञके लिये ही चेष्टा कर रहे थे, फिर भगवान् अग्निदेव उस युद्धमें उनके विरोधी कैसे हो गये?
janamejaya uvāca kimarthaṁ bhagavān vahniḥ pratyamitraḥ ’bhavad yudhi | sahadevasya yajñārthaṁ ghaṭamānasya vai dvija ||
Janamejaya said: “For what reason did the blessed Fire-god Agni, though divine, become an adversary in that battle? O Brahmin, Sahadeva was striving only for the sake of a sacrifice; how, then, did Agni oppose him in the fight?”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata concern: even actions undertaken for a righteous end (yajña) can meet resistance from divine or cosmic forces, prompting reflection on hidden causes, prior obligations, and the complexity of dharma beyond surface intentions.
Janamejaya asks the Brahmin narrator to explain an apparent contradiction: Sahadeva is engaged in efforts connected with a sacrifice, yet Agni (Fire), who is central to yajña, becomes his opponent in a battle. The question seeks the backstory and causal logic behind Agni’s hostility.