Shloka 15
ब्रह्मघोष-प्रवर्तनम्, अनध्याय-नियमः, वायु-मार्ग-वर्णनम्
Restoring Vedic Recitation, the Anadhyaya Rule, and the Taxonomy of Winds
अन्यो हाग्निरुखाप्यन्या नित्यमेवमवेहि भो: । न चोपलिप्यते सो5ग्निरुखासंस्पर्शनेन वै
anyo hāgnir ukhāpy anyā nityam evam avehi bhoḥ | na copalipyate so 'gnir ukhāsaṁsparśanena vai, rājan ||
Yājñavalkya berkata: “Api adalah satu hal, dan periuk tanah liat adalah hal yang lain. Ketahuilah perbezaan ini sebagai sesuatu yang tetap, wahai raja. Api tidak ternoda hanya kerana bersentuhan dengan periuk.”
याज़्वल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches eternal discernment (bheda-buddhi): the pure principle (like fire) remains unaffected by mere association with an external container (like the clay pot). Ethically, it supports non-identification with the body and circumstances, encouraging inner purity and steadiness.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and wisdom, the sage Yājñavalkya addresses a king and uses a simple analogy—fire and an earthen pot—to explain how the essential Self is distinct from and untainted by the bodily or material ‘vessel’ it inhabits.