Shloka 148
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
अग्न्यभावे च कुरुते वह्निस्थानेषु काउ्चनम् | जामदग्न्य प्रमाणज्ञो वेदश्रुतिनिदर्शनात्
agnyabhāve ca kurute vahnistāneṣu kāñcanam | jāmadagnyaḥ pramāṇajño vedaśrutinidarśanāt ||
ವಸಿಷ್ಠನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಅಗ್ನಿ ಇಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೆ, ಅಗ್ನಿಯ ಸ್ಥಾನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಚಿನ್ನವನ್ನು ಉಪಯೋಗಿಸಬೇಕು; ಇದು ವೇದಶ್ರುತಿ-ದೃಷ್ಟಾಂತದಿಂದ ಪ್ರಮಾಣಿತ. ಹೇ ಜಾಮದಗ್ನ್ಯ ಪರಶುರಾಮ, ಪ್ರಮಾಣಜ್ಞನು ಹೀಗೇ ಆಚರಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma and ritual duty are guided by Vedic authority; when the primary requirement (fire) is genuinely unavailable, one may use an approved substitute (gold) as supported by śruti-based precedent, preserving the intent of the rite rather than abandoning it.
Vasiṣṭha addresses Paraśurāma (Jāmadagnya), citing a Vedic-style example: in the absence of fire, gold may be used in the ritual context where fire would normally be employed, demonstrating how learned authorities apply śruti-backed alternatives under constraint.