Shloka 29

द्रौपदी–सत्यभामा संवादः

Draupadī and Satyabhāmā on ethical household conduct

Devanagari script

आर्तों न जुहुयादनिंे त्रिरात्र॑ यस्तु ब्राह्मण: । इष्टिरष्टाकपालेन कार्या स्वादुत्तराग्नये,जो ब्राह्मण किसी पीड़ासे आतुर होकर तीन राततक अनिनिहोत्र न करे, उसे मिट्टीके आठ पुरवोंमें संस्कृत चरुके द्वारा “उत्तरर नामक अग्निको आहुति देनी चाहिये

Transliteration

ārto na juhuyād agniṃ trirātraṃ yastu brāhmaṇaḥ | iṣṭir aṣṭākapālena kāryā svāduttarāgnaye ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya dijo: «Si un brāhmaṇa, abatido por el sufrimiento, deja de verter oblaciones en el fuego sagrado durante tres noches, entonces debe realizar una iṣṭi expiatoria: una ofrenda de charu consagrado, preparada en un recipiente de barro de ocho fragmentos (aṣṭākapāla), y presentarla al fuego llamado “Uttara”. Esta enseñanza subraya que, aun cuando la adversidad interrumpa los deberes sagrados cotidianos, debe restablecerse el orden ritual mediante la expiación prescrita, y no abandonar la disciplina.»

Word by Word

आर्तःdistressed, afflicted

नnot

जुहुयात्should offer (into fire), should perform oblation

अग्निम्fire (sacred fire)

त्रिरात्रम्for three nights (a three-night period)

यःwho

तुbut, however

ब्राह्मणःa Brahmin

इष्टिःa (prescribed) sacrifice/rite (iṣṭi)

अष्टाकपालेनwith an eight-pot-sherd (offering vessel arrangement)

कार्याto be done, should be performed

स्वादुत्तराग्नयेfor the (deity/)fire named Svāduttara (Uttarāgni)

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

brāhmaṇa

Agni (sacred fire)

Uttara (name of a fire)

iṣṭi (rite)

aṣṭākapāla (eight-shard earthen vessel)

caru (consecrated cooked oblation; implied by context)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when suffering causes a lapse in daily sacred obligations (like agnihotra), dharma provides a restorative path: one should acknowledge the break and perform the prescribed expiatory rite to re-establish ritual order and responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya instructs about the corrective ritual procedure for a brāhmaṇa who, due to distress, does not maintain the fire-offering for three nights: he should perform an iṣṭi using an eight-part earthen vessel and offer the prepared oblation to the fire called Uttara.