Shloka 24
द्रौपदी–सत्यभामा संवादः
Draupadī and Satyabhāmā on ethical household conduct
संस्पृशेयुर्यदान्योन्यं कथज्चिद् वायुनाग्नय: । इष्टिरष्टाकपालेन कार्या वै शुचये5ग्नये,यदि किसी प्रकार हवाके चलनेसे अग्नियोंका परस्पर स्पर्श हो जाय तो अष्टाकपाल (आठ कपालोंमें- संस्कारपूर्वक तैयार किये हुए) पुरोडाशके द्वारा शुचि नामक अग्निके लिये इष्टि करनी (आहुति देनी) चाहिये
saṁspṛśeyur yadānyonyaṁ kathañcid vāyunāgnayaḥ | iṣṭir aṣṭākapālena kāryā vai śucaye ’gnaye ||
Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: “Jika, dengan apa jua kebetulan, kerana hembusan angin api-api suci itu tersentuh antara satu sama lain, maka hendaklah dilakukan persembahan iṣṭi bagi api bernama Śuci, dengan puroḍāśa aṣṭākapāla (disediakan menurut upacara dalam lapan bekas). Dengan demikian tertib ritual dipulihkan dan kesucian api-api itu terpelihara.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Accidental ritual impurity—here, the unintended contact of consecrated fires due to wind—should be corrected through a prescribed expiatory/rectifying rite. Dharma is upheld not only by intention but also by restoring proper ritual order when disruptions occur.
Mārkaṇḍeya is instructing about a specific contingency in fire-ritual practice: if separate sacred fires touch each other, one should perform an iṣṭi for the fire-aspect called Śuci, using an aṣṭākapāla puroḍāśa, to re-establish purity and correctness.