Shloka 15
भद्रवटगमनम् — स्कन्देन महिषदानवनिग्रहः
Bhadravaṭa Procession and Skanda’s Neutralization of Mahiṣa
तेषामिष्टं हरन्त्येते निघ्नन्ति च महद्धवि: । स्पर्थया हव्यवाहानां निध्नन्त्येते हरन्ति च,ये विनायकगण अग्नियोंके लिये अभीष्ट महान् हविष्यका अपहरण तो करते ही हैं, उसे नष्ट भी कर डालते हैं। अग्निगणोंके साथ लाग-डाँट रखनेके कारण ही ये हविष्यका अपहरण और विध्वंस करते हैं
teṣām iṣṭaṃ haranty ete nighnanti ca mahad haviḥ | spardhayā havyavāhānāṃ nighnanty ete haranti ca ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “These beings seize what is offered as the desired oblation and even destroy the great sacrificial offering. Out of rivalry with the carriers of the oblation—the fires—they both snatch away and ruin the havis.” The verse warns that ritual offerings, when disrupted by hostile forces and by contention surrounding the sacred fire, can be rendered fruitless, underscoring the need for disciplined, dharmic conduct in sacrifice.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
That sacred acts like yajña require order, purity, and restraint; when offerings are approached with rivalry, disorder, or hostile intent, the intended spiritual fruit is obstructed and the offering itself may be spoiled.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes disruptive beings who interfere with sacrifice: they seize the intended oblations and even destroy them, motivated by rivalry with the sacrificial fires (Agni), the traditional carriers of offerings to the gods.