Shloka 148
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
अग्न्यभावे च कुरुते वह्निस्थानेषु काउ्चनम् | जामदग्न्य प्रमाणज्ञो वेदश्रुतिनिदर्शनात्,जमदग्निनन्दन परशुराम! वेद-प्रमाणका ज्ञाता पुरुष वैदिक श्रुतिके दृष्टान्तके अनुसार अग्निके अभावमें उसके स्थानपर सुवर्णका उपयोग करता है
agnyabhāve ca kurute vahnistāneṣu kāñcanam | jāmadagnyaḥ pramāṇajño vedaśrutinidarśanāt ||
Vasiṣṭha berkata: “Apabila api tiada, seorang yang mengetahui pramāṇa yang sah—sebagaimana ditunjukkan oleh wahyu Veda—boleh menggunakan emas sebagai ganti pada tempat yang memerlukan api. Wahai Paraśurāma, putera Jamadagni, hal ini menunjukkan bahawa dharma ditegakkan dengan mengikuti teladan Veda dan menerima pengganti yang diizinkan apabila keadaan menghalang pelaksanaan ritus utama.”
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.