Shloka 148
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
अग्न्यभावे च कुरुते वह्निस्थानेषु काउ्चनम् | जामदग्न्य प्रमाणज्ञो वेदश्रुतिनिदर्शनात्
agnyabhāve ca kurute vahnistāneṣu kāñcanam | jāmadagnyaḥ pramāṇajño vedaśrutinidarśanāt ||
वसिष्ठ बोले—अग्नि के अभाव में, जहाँ अग्नि का स्थान हो, वहाँ सुवर्ण का प्रयोग किया जा सकता है—यह वेद-श्रुति के दृष्टान्त से प्रमाणित है। हे जामदग्न्य परशुराम, प्रमाण-ज्ञ पुरुष ऐसा करता है।
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma and ritual duty are guided by Vedic authority; when the primary requirement (fire) is genuinely unavailable, one may use an approved substitute (gold) as supported by śruti-based precedent, preserving the intent of the rite rather than abandoning it.
Vasiṣṭha addresses Paraśurāma (Jāmadagnya), citing a Vedic-style example: in the absence of fire, gold may be used in the ritual context where fire would normally be employed, demonstrating how learned authorities apply śruti-backed alternatives under constraint.