Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 148
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
अग्न्यभावे च कुरुते वह्निस्थानेषु काउ्चनम् | जामदग्न्य प्रमाणज्ञो वेदश्रुतिनिदर्शनात्
agnyabhāve ca kurute vahnistāneṣu kāñcanam | jāmadagnyaḥ pramāṇajño vedaśrutinidarśanāt ||
Sinabi ni Vasiṣṭha: “Kapag walang apoy, ang nakaaalam ng wastong batayan (pramāṇa)—gaya ng itinuturo ng pahayag ng Veda—ay maaaring gumamit ng ginto bilang kapalit sa lugar na kinakailangan ang apoy. O Paraśurāma, anak ni Jamadagni, ipinakikita nito na ang dharma ay pinangangalagaan sa pagsunod sa naunang turo ng Veda at sa pagtanggap ng pinahihintulutang pamalit kapag hindi maisagawa ang pangunahing ritwal.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma and ritual duty are guided by Vedic authority; when the primary requirement (fire) is genuinely unavailable, one may use an approved substitute (gold) as supported by śruti-based precedent, preserving the intent of the rite rather than abandoning it.
Vasiṣṭha addresses Paraśurāma (Jāmadagnya), citing a Vedic-style example: in the absence of fire, gold may be used in the ritual context where fire would normally be employed, demonstrating how learned authorities apply śruti-backed alternatives under constraint.