Shloka 21
बदरपाचन-तीर्थमाहात्म्यम् | Badarapācana Tīrtha Māhātmya
Indratīrtha and the Austerities of Srucāvatī & Arundhatī
ज्वलनं तं॑ समासाद्य प्रीताभूवन् सवासवा: । नरव्याप्र! इन्द्रसहित सब देवता बृहस्पतिको आगे करके अग्निदेवके समीप आये और उन्हें देखकर बड़े प्रसन्न हुए || २० ह ।। पुनर्यथागतं जग्मु: सर्वभक्षश्च सो5भवत्
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: jvalanaṃ taṃ samāsādya prītābhūvan savāsavāḥ | punar yathāgataṃ jagmuḥ sarvabhakṣaś ca so 'bhavat ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Setelah mendekati api yang menyala itu, para dewa—bersama Indra—menjadi sangat gembira. Lalu mereka pun berangkat, kembali seperti ketika mereka datang; dan Agni sesudah itu menjadi “pemakan segala-galanya”, mampu melahap apa jua.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that when divine or sacred forces are properly approached and pleased, they may grant transformative capacities; however, such empowerment (Agni becoming ‘all-devouring’) implies ethical responsibility, since unleashed power can have vast and indiscriminate effects.
The gods, accompanied by Indra, approach Agni and are pleased; afterward they depart, and Agni becomes sarvabhakṣa—capable of consuming everything—signaling a significant change in Agni’s potency within the unfolding episode.