Shloka 55
Atithi-satkāra and the Consolation of Wise Counsel (अतिथिसत्कारः प्रज्ञानवचनस्य च पराश्वासनम्)
भगुणा महर्षिणा शप्तोडग्नि: सर्वभक्षत्वमुपानीत:,महर्षि भूगुके शापसे अग्निदेव सर्वभक्षी हो गये
Bhṛguṇā maharṣiṇā śapto 'gnīḥ sarvabhakṣatvam upānītaḥ; maharṣi-bhṛgoḥ śāpāt Agnidevaḥ sarvabhakṣī abhavat.
Because of the curse pronounced by the great sage Bhṛgu, Agni—the Fire-god—was condemned to become ‘all-devouring,’ compelled to consume whatever is offered or encountered. The episode underscores how even divine powers are bound by the moral force of a ṛṣi’s word, and how actions invite consequences that reshape one’s role in the cosmic order.
तामिन्द्र उवाच गच्छ नहुषस्त्वया वाच्योथ<पूर्वेण मामृषियुक्तेन यानेन त्वमधिरूढ
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that moral and ascetic authority (ṛṣi-tejas) has binding force even over gods: speech rooted in tapas and dharma can reshape destiny. It also points to karmic consequence—status or divinity does not exempt one from the results of actions and the ethical order.
In this episode, the sage Bhṛgu pronounces a curse upon Agni. As a result, Agni is made ‘sarvabhakṣī’—obliged to consume everything—explaining a theological-ethical rationale for fire’s indiscriminate consuming nature within the story-world.