Shloka 27
Marutta’s Sacrifice and Agni’s Embassy (मरुत्त-यज्ञे दूतत्वम्)
शक्र उवाच त्वमेवान्यान् दहसे जातवेदो न हि त्वदन्यो विद्यते भस्मकर्ता | त्वत्संस्पर्शात् सर्वलोको बिभेति अश्रद्धेयं वदसे हव्यवाह
śakra uvāca tvam evānyān dahase jātavedo na hi tvadanyo vidyate bhasmakartā | tvatsaṃsparśāt sarvaloko bibheti aśraddheyaṃ vadase havyavāha ||
Śakra dit : «Ô Jātavedas, toi seul consumes tous les autres ; hors de toi, nul n’est faiseur de cendres. À ton seul contact, le monde entier tremble de peur. Aussi, ô Havyavāha, ce que tu dis paraît incroyable.»
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a being universally feared for its power (Agni) can utter words that appear implausible to others; the verse highlights how reputation and perceived nature shape credibility, raising an ethical question about judging truth by the speaker’s known function rather than by careful inquiry.
Indra (Śakra) addresses Agni with his epithets Jātavedas and Havyavāha, challenging Agni’s statement as ‘hard to believe’ by pointing to Agni’s defining cosmic role: he alone burns and reduces things to ash, and all beings fear his touch.