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 berkata: “Bagi mereka yang mengabaikan kewajiban-kewajiban terkait api suci, Pāvaka (Agni) tidak menerima persembahan mereka. Mereka yang tidak mempersembahkan samidhā (kayu bakar suci) ke dalam api yajña yang telah menyala, dalam agnihotra mereka Agni tidak menerima havis; karena itu, api harus dinyalakan dengan semestinya barulah persembahan diberikan.”
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.