Shloka 15
पावकश्च तदा दावं दग्ध्वा समृगपक्षिणम् । अहानि पज्च चैकं च विरराम सुतर्पित:,अग्निदेव भी मृगों और पक्षियोंसहित सम्पूर्ण वनको जलाकर पूर्ण तृप्त हो छः दिनोंतक विश्राम करते रहे
pāvakaś ca tadā dāvaṃ dagdhvā samṛgapakṣiṇam | ahāni pañca caikaṃ ca virarāma sutarpitaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then Pāvaka (Agni), having burned the forest-conflagration area together with the beasts and birds within it, became fully satiated and ceased (his burning), resting for six days. The episode underscores the fearful, indiscriminate force of fire when driven by divine purpose, and hints at the ethical tension between cosmic necessity and the suffering of innocent creatures caught in it.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming power of divine fire and the moral complexity of large-scale destruction: even when an act serves a larger cosmic or narrative purpose, innocent beings (animals and birds) may suffer, prompting reflection on dharma, necessity, and compassion.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Agni (Pāvaka) burned the forest area along with its creatures and, once satiated, stopped and rested for six days.