Shloka 51

धर्मद्वारबहुत्वविमर्शः — Reflection on the Many ‘Doors’ of Dharma (Śānti-parva 342)

Devanagari script

अपि हि पुराणे भवति एकयोन्यात्मकावग्नीषोमौ देवाश्लाग्निमुखा इति एकयोनित्वाच्च परस्परमर्हन्तो लोकान्‌ धारयन्त इति,पुराणमें यह कहा गया है कि अग्नि और सोम एकयोनि हैं तथा सम्पूर्ण देवताओंके मुख अग्नि हैं। एकयोनि होनेके कारण ये एक-दूसरेको आनन्द प्रदान करते और समस्त लोकोंको धारण करते हैं

Transliteration

api hi purāṇe bhavati ekayonyātmakāv agnīṣomau devāś cāgnimukhā iti | ekayonitvāc ca parasparam arhanto lokān dhārayanta iti ||

Translation

アルジュナは言った。「まことに古き伝承は、アグニとソーマは一つの源より起こり、すべての神々にとってアグニこそ供物を受け取る『口』であると説く。同じ起源を分かつがゆえに、アグニとソーマは互いを支え、互いを喜ばせ、その相扶けによって諸世界を保つのである。」

Word by Word

अपिalso, indeed

हिfor, indeed

पुराणेin the Purāṇa/ancient lore

भवतिis/occurs

एकयोन्यात्मकौhaving the nature of one source/womb

अग्नीषोमौAgni and Soma

देवाःthe gods

अग्निमुखाःhaving Agni as their mouth (i.e., offerings go through fire)

इतिthus (quotation marker)

एकयोनित्वात्because of one-source-ness

चand

परस्परम्mutually

अर्हन्तःhonouring/serving; being worthy (here: mutually honouring)

लोकान्worlds

धारयन्तिthey uphold, sustain

इतिthus (end of quotation)

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Agni

Soma

Devas

Lokas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Agni and Soma are presented as a complementary pair sharing one origin; their mutual support symbolizes interdependence in the cosmic order, and ritual exchange (offerings through Agni, nourishment through Soma) is portrayed as sustaining the worlds.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna cites an ancient authoritative tradition (purāṇa) to justify a doctrinal point: that Agni is the channel by which gods receive offerings and that Agni–Soma together uphold cosmic stability through their reciprocal relationship.