Shloka 52
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
स गत्वा हवनीये>ग्नौ तीव्रं नियममास्थित: । जुहाव संस्कृतैर्मन्त्रेरकेकामाहुतिं नृप:,वहाँ जाकर अत्यन्त कठोर नियमोंका पालन करते हुए वे आहवनीय अम्निमें आभिचारिक मन्त्र पढ़कर एक-एक आहुति डालने लगे
sa gatvā havanīye ’gnau tīvrāṃ niyamam āsthitaḥ | juhāva saṃskṛtair mantrair ekāṃ ekām āhutiṃ nṛpaḥ ||
स गत्वा आहवनीयाग्नौ तीव्रं नियममास्थितः । जुहाव संस्कृतैर्मन्त्रैरेकैकामाहुतिं नृपः ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the power and moral weight of disciplined action (niyama) in ritual contexts: when a person—especially a ruler—undertakes severe restraint and performs offerings with properly prepared mantras, the act becomes a deliberate instrument of intention, raising ethical questions about how spiritual means are used.
Bhīṣma describes a king who goes to the sacrificial setting and, maintaining a very strict vow, begins offering oblations one by one into the Āhavanīya fire while reciting duly prepared mantras, indicating a sustained rite performed with focused purpose.