Shloka 18
ब्रह्मचारी यतात्मा च सततं विपुलव्रत: । ब्राह्मणा: पूजयन्त्येनं पाकयज्ञेषु पावकम्,ये विश्वभुक् अग्नि ब्रह्मचारी, जितात्मा तथा सदा प्रचुर व्रतोंका पालन करनेवाले हैं। ब्राह्मणलोग पाकयज्ञोंमें इन्हींकी पूजा करते हैं
brahmacārī yatātmā ca satataṁ vipulavrataḥ | brāhmaṇāḥ pūjayanty enaṁ pākayajñeṣu pāvakam ||
This Agni, Viśvabhuk, is a lifelong celibate, self-restrained, ever steadfast, and devoted to many vows. Therefore the Brāhmaṇas worship him as the sacred Fire in the domestic pākayajñas.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links inner discipline (brahmacarya, self-restraint, steadfast vows) with ritual sanctity: Agni is revered not merely as a physical fire but as a moral-spiritual purifier, honored because of his disciplined, vow-bound nature and his role in receiving offerings for the welfare of all.
Mārkaṇḍeya is describing Agni’s qualities and why Brāhmaṇas worship him in household sacrificial rites (pākayajñas), portraying Agni as the purifier and universal consumer of offerings.