Shloka 17
Pratyakṣa–Āgama–Ācāra: Doubt, Proof, and the Practice of Dharma (प्रत्यक्ष–आगम–आचारविचारः)
खुग्भाण्डपरमा नित्यं त्रेताग्निशरणा: सदा | सन्त: सत्पथनित्या ये ते यान्ति परमां गतिम्
khuḍbhāṇḍa-paramā nityaṃ tretāgni-śaraṇāḥ sadā | santaḥ satpatha-nityā ye te yānti paramāṃ gatim ||
Maheshvara dit : «Ceux qui tiennent toujours leurs instruments sacrés pour ce qu’il y a de plus éminent, qui se réfugient sans cesse auprès des trois feux védiques, qui demeurent continuellement à leur service, et qui marchent avec constance sur la voie des justes—ces hommes vertueux, dévoués à leur propre dharma, atteignent l’état suprême.»
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steadfast adherence to dharma—expressed through disciplined maintenance of the Vedic fires, reverence for sacrificial implements, and constant commitment to the righteous path—leads the virtuous to the highest attainment.
Maheshvara is describing the conduct of exemplary householders/ritualists: they keep the three sacred fires, serve them daily, and live by satpatha; as a result, they reach paramā gati, the supreme destination.