Shloka 22
श्मशाने हापि तेजस्वी पावको नैव दुष्यति । हविर्यज्ञे च विधिवद् गृह एवातिशोभते
śmaśāne hāpi tejasvī pāvako naiva duṣyati | havir-yajñe ca vidhivad gṛha evātiśobhate ||
ビーシュマは言った。「火葬場にあっても、光り輝く火神は汚れない。供物が法にかなって祭祀に捧げられるとき、また家の内においても、同じ火はいよいよ輝きを増す。真の卓越は不浄の場にあっても損なわれず、ダルマに従って用いられるとき、ことさらに吉祥となり、尊ばれるべきである。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Genuine brilliance and purity (symbolized by Agni) are not inherently corrupted by a polluted environment; when the same power is applied in accordance with proper rule and dharma—especially in yajña and in the home—it becomes even more auspicious and resplendent.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction in the Anuśāsana Parva, he uses Agni as an ethical analogy: fire burns in the cremation-ground without becoming impure, and when invoked through prescribed offerings in sacrifice and maintained in the household, it shines with heightened sanctity—supporting his broader discourse on dharma and right conduct.