Shloka 24
महाभिष-गङ्गा-दर्शनं वसूनां शापकथनं च
Mahābhiṣa Encounters Gaṅgā; The Vasus Explain Their Curse
चत्वारि कर्माण्यभयंकराणि भयं प्रयच्छन्त्ययथाकृतानि । मानाग्निहोत्रमुत मानमौनं मानेनाधीतमुत मानयज्ञ:,अग्निहोत्र, मौन, अध्ययन और यज्ञ--ये चार कर्म मनुष्यको भयसे मुक्त करनेवाले हैं; परंतु वे ही ठीकसे न किये जाये, अभिमानपूर्वक उनका अनुष्ठान किया जाय तो वे उलटे भय प्रदान करते हैं
catvāri karmāṇy abhayankarāṇi bhayaṁ prayacchanty ayathākṛtāni | mānāgnihotram uta mānamaunaṁ mānenādhītam uta mānayajñaḥ ||
Aṣṭaka said: “There are four acts that, when rightly performed, are meant to make one fearless; but when done improperly, they instead produce fear. These are: the fire-offering (agnihotra) performed with pride, silence (mauna) observed with pride, study (adhyayana) pursued with pride, and sacrifice (yajña) undertaken with pride.” The verse warns that sacred disciplines lose their protective, purifying power when corrupted by vanity; ritual and restraint become sources of anxiety and downfall when they are used to inflate the ego rather than to uphold dharma.
अष्टक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Practices like agnihotra, silence, study, and sacrifice are meant to purify and protect, but if performed incorrectly—especially with pride (māna)—they become spiritually harmful and generate fear rather than fearlessness.
In Aṣṭaka’s discourse, he instructs about the inner conditions required for dharmic acts. He highlights that the moral quality of intention—humility versus ego—determines whether revered disciplines uplift a person or lead to distress.