Shloka 15
स्कन्दसेनापत्याभिषेकः
Skanda’s Consecration as Devasenāpati
अग्निर॒वाच नष्टकीर्तिरहं लोके भवान् जातो हुताशन: । भवन्तमेव ज्ञास्यन्ति पावकं न तु मां जना:,अग्निदेव बोले--मुने! संसारमें मेरी कीर्ति नष्ट हो गयी है। अब आप ही अग्निके पदपर प्रतिष्ठित हैं। आपको ही लोग अग्नि समझेंगे, आपके सामने मुझे कोई अग्नि नहीं मानेगा
agnir uvāca naṣṭakīrtir ahaṃ loke bhavān jāto hutāśanaḥ | bhavantam eva jñāsyanti pāvakaṃ na tu māṃ janāḥ ||
Agni berkata: “Kemasyhuranku di dunia telah hancur. Kini engkau berdiri pada kedudukan Hutaśana sendiri. Orang-orang akan mengenal engkau sajalah sebagai api penyuci; di hadapanmu, mereka takkan mengakui aku sebagai Agni.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how public recognition (kīrti) shapes perceived authority: when a worthy person embodies a role, society may transfer that identity to them, reminding readers to value inner reality over mere reputation.
Agni laments that his standing among people has diminished and declares that the addressed person has effectively taken Agni’s place; hence people will identify that person as ‘Pāvaka’ and not acknowledge Agni in their presence.