Shloka 12
अग्निशाप-प्रसंगः
Agni’s Curse and the Restoration of Ritual Order
सौतिर्वाच चिन्तयित्वा ततो वल्रिश्वक्रे संहारमात्मन:,उग्रश्रवाजी कहते हैं--महर्षियो! तदनन्तर अग्निदेवने कुछ सोच-विचारकर द्विजोंके अन्निहोत्र, यज्ञ, सत्र तथा संस्कारसम्बन्धी क्रियाओंमेंसे अपने-आपको समेट लिया। फिर तो अग्निके बिना समस्त प्रजा ३>कार, वषट्कार, स्वथा और स्वाहा आदिसे वंचित होकर अत्यन्त दुःखी हो गयी। तब महर्षिगण अत्यन्त उद्विग्न हो देवताओंके पास जाकर बोले --
Sautir uvāca: cintayitvā tato vṛṣṇiśvakre saṁhāram ātmanaḥ; ugraśravā uvāca—maharṣayaḥ! tadanantaram Agnidevena kiñcit vicārya dvijānām agnihotra-yajña-satra-saṁskāra-sambandhī kriyāsu svayam ātmā saṁhṛtaḥ. tataḥ Agni-rahitā sarvā prajā oṁkāra-vaṣaṭkāra-svadhā-svāhā-ādibhiḥ vañcitā atyanta-duḥkhitā babhūva. atha maharṣayaḥ atyanta-udvignā devatān upetya ūcuḥ—
Sauti disse: Depois de refletir, ó grandes rishis, Agni retirou-se dos ritos. O deus do Fogo, tendo ponderado o assunto, recolheu-se das ações rituais dos dvijas: as oferendas diárias do agnihotra, os sacrifícios, as longas sessões sacrificiais (satra) e os ritos de consagração (saṃskāra). Privados de Agni, todos os seres ficaram apartados das fórmulas sagradas e das oferendas—oṁ, vaṣaṭ, svadhā, svāhā e as demais—e caíram em profunda aflição. Então os sábios, grandemente alarmados, aproximaram-se dos deuses e disseram—
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual is not merely formalism: Agni’s presence symbolizes the living link between human duty and cosmic order. When that link is withdrawn, society loses the means of offering, gratitude, and continuity (to gods and ancestors), producing collective suffering—hence the sages seek restoration through rightful appeal to divine order.
Agni, after deliberation, withdraws from participating in sacrificial and consecratory rites. Without fire, people cannot perform offerings accompanied by oṁ/vaṣaṭ/svadhā/svāhā, so the world becomes distressed. The sages, alarmed, go to the gods to report the crisis and seek a remedy.