Shloka 11
त्वमेवैकस्तपसे जातवेदो नान्यस्तप्ता विद्यते गोषु देव । ऋषीनस्मान् बालकान् पालयस्व परेणास्मान् प्रेहि वै हव्यवाह,जातवेदा! एकमात्र आप ही सर्वत्र तपते हैं। देव! सूर्यकी किरणोंमें तपनेवाला पुरुष भी आपसे भिन्न नहीं है। हव्यवाहन! हम बालक ऋषि हैं; हमारी रक्षा कीजिये। हमसे दूर चले जाइये
tvam evaikaḥ tapase jātavedo nānyas taptā vidyate goṣu deva | ṛṣīn asmān bālakān pālayasva pareṇāsmān prehi vai havyavāha, jātavedā ||
You alone, O Jātavedas, are the one who truly burns with ascetic heat; among all beings there is no other burner apart from you, O divine one. Protect us—young ṛṣis still like children. O Havyavāha, depart far away from us, O Jātavedas. (The speakers both praise Agni’s cosmic power and, fearing his consuming force, beg him to withdraw while safeguarding them.)
सारियुक्क उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights Agni’s unique, all-pervading power as the embodiment of tapas (burning ascetic energy) and teaches a balanced attitude: reverence for divine force along with a prudent request for protection and restraint when that force becomes dangerous.
A group of young ṛṣis addresses Agni by his epithets Jātavedas and Havyavāha. They praise him as the sole true ‘burner’ and then urgently ask him to protect them while moving away, implying that his presence or flames threaten to consume or harm them.