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 disse: “Se, por algum acaso, devido ao movimento do vento, os fogos sagrados vierem a tocar-se entre si, então deve-se realizar uma oferenda iṣṭi ao fogo chamado Śuci, usando um puroḍāśa aṣṭākapāla (preparado ritualmente em oito recipientes). Assim se restaura a ordem do rito e se preserva a santidade dos fogos.”
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.