Shloka 503
Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality
सहदेव उवाच यज्ञविध्नमिमं कर्तु ना्हस्त्वं हव्यवाहन । सहदेव बोले--हव्यवाहन! आपको यज्ञमें यह विघ्न नहीं डालना चाहिये
sahadeva uvāca | yajñavighnam imaṃ kartuṃ nārhastvaṃ havyavāhana |
Sahadeva said: “O Havyavāhana (Fire), you ought not to create this obstruction to the sacrifice.” In the ethical frame of the episode, Sahadeva appeals to the sacred duty of Agni—protector and carrier of offerings—to uphold the integrity of yajña rather than disrupt it.
सहदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even divine powers are invoked within a moral order: Agni’s proper dharma is to support yajña by carrying offerings, not to obstruct it. The verse emphasizes restraint and fidelity to one’s sacred role.
Sahadeva addresses Agni (Havyavāhana) directly, urging him not to introduce a disruption into an ongoing sacrificial rite, thereby protecting the sanctity and continuity of the yajña.