Shloka 16
सर्वभूतक्षयो मा भूत् सम्पादय विभोडनलम् । निष्पाप नरेश! जब शमीके गर्भमें छिप जानेके कारण कहीं अग्निदेवका दर्शन नहीं हो रहा था और सम्पूर्ण जगतके प्रकाश अथवा दृष्टिशक्तिके विनाशकी घड़ी उपस्थित हो गयी, तब सब देवता सर्वलोक-पितामह ब्रह्माजीकी सेवामें उपस्थित हुए और बोले--'प्रभो! भगवान् अग्निदेव अदृश्य हो गये हैं। इसका क्या कारण है, यह हमारी समझमें नहीं आता। सम्पूर्ण भूतोंका विनाश न हो जाय, इसके लिये अग्निदेवको प्रकट कीजिये” || १४-१५ || जनमेजय उवाच किमर्थ भगवानग्नि: प्रणष्टो लोकभावन:
Janamejaya uvāca: kimarthaṁ bhagavān agniḥ praṇaṣṭo lokabhāvanaḥ?
“Let there be no destruction of all beings; O Lord, bring forth the Fire (Anala).” O sinless king! When, because Agni had hidden himself within the womb of the śamī tree, he could be seen nowhere, and the hour had come for the ruin of the world’s light—or its power of sight—then all the gods appeared before Brahmā, the Grandsire of all the worlds, and said: “Lord, the venerable Agni has become invisible; we cannot discern the cause. Lest all creatures perish, make Agni manifest again.” Then Janamejaya asked: “For what reason has the venerable Fire-god, nourisher and sustainer of the worlds, disappeared?”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dependence of worldly stability on sustaining principles like Agni—symbolizing sacrificial order, illumination, and moral discernment. When such a principle is obscured, beings fear universal harm, prompting a dharmic response: seek the cause and restore balance rather than accept collapse.
Within the frame dialogue, Janamejaya asks why Agni has disappeared. The surrounding narrative (as reflected in the given passage) describes a crisis where Agni is not seen, threatening the world’s light and vision, leading the gods to approach Brahmā to have Agni revealed again.