Shloka 34
Matsya Purana — Genealogy and Classification of Sacred Fires
आयुषो महिमान्पुत्रो दहनस्तु ततः सुतः पाकयज्ञेष्व् अभीमानी हुतं हव्यं भुनक्ति यः //
āyuṣo mahimānputro dahanastu tataḥ sutaḥ pākayajñeṣv abhīmānī hutaṃ havyaṃ bhunakti yaḥ //
From Āyu was born the son Mahimān, and from him was born Dahana. He is the presiding deity in the pākayajñas (domestic rites), and it is he who consumes the offered havya poured into the fire.
FAQs
This verse does not describe pralaya; it focuses on sacred lineage and the ritual theology of fire—how a specific fire-deity (Dahana) is said to receive and consume offerings in domestic rites.
It supports gṛhastha-dharma by grounding pākayajñas (household offerings) in a doctrinal idea: the fire is not merely physical, but a presiding divine principle that receives havya, encouraging regular domestic worship and disciplined ritual life.
The ritual significance is explicit: pākayajñas are domestic sacrifices, and Dahana is named as their presiding fire who consumes the huta havya—useful for understanding Matsya Purana ritual classifications (types of yajña and the role of Agni).