Shloka 653
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
अग्निकार्येषु वै तेषां हव्यं नाश्नाति पावक: । जो प्रज्वलित यज्ञाग्निमें समिधाकी आहुति नहीं देते
agnikāryeṣu vai teṣāṃ havyaṃ nāśnāti pāvakaḥ |
Śakra dijo: «A quienes descuidan los actos debidos en torno al fuego sagrado, Agni no les acepta la oblación. Por ello, las ofrendas han de hacerse conforme al rito: encender y mantener el fuego consagrado, y ofrecer debidamente la leña y el havis; de otro modo, el sacrificio queda sin eficacia ética y espiritual.»
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Offerings bear fruit only when performed according to dharma: the sacred fire must be properly kindled and tended, and oblations offered in the prescribed way; otherwise even a nominal offering is not truly ‘received’ by Agni.
Indra (Śakra) states a rule of sacrificial propriety: people who fail in the duties connected with maintaining and serving the ritual fire find that Agni does not accept their havya, underscoring the importance of correct observance in yajña.