Shloka 653

Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda

Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity

Devanagari script

अग्निकार्येषु वै तेषां हव्यं नाश्नाति पावक: । जो प्रज्वलित यज्ञाग्निमें समिधाकी आहुति नहीं देते

Transliteration

agnikāryeṣu vai teṣāṃ havyaṃ nāśnāti pāvakaḥ |

Translation

Śakra nói: “Với những kẻ sao lãng các nghi thức đúng đắn liên quan đến lửa thiêng, thần Agni không thọ nhận lễ vật của họ. Vì thế, việc cúng tế phải được thực hiện đúng phép: phải nhóm và giữ lửa tế, dâng củi và lễ phẩm theo nghi quỹ; nếu không, tế lễ trở nên vô hiệu về cả đạo lẫn linh.”

Word by Word

• अग्निकार्येषु: in the fire-rites / in acts pertaining to fire
• अग्निकार्येषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्निकार्य
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• तेषाम्: of them / for them
• तेषाम्: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• हव्यम्: the oblation (that which is to be offered)
• हव्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हव्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अश्नाति: eats / partakes / accepts
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश्
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पावकः: the purifier (Agni, Fire)
• पावकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पावक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

शक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Pāvaka (Agni)
• havya (oblation)
• agni (sacrificial fire)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Offerings bear fruit only when performed according to dharma: the sacred fire must be properly kindled and tended, and oblations offered in the prescribed way; otherwise even a nominal offering is not truly ‘received’ by Agni.

What is happening in the narrative?

Indra (Śakra) states a rule of sacrificial propriety: people who fail in the duties connected with maintaining and serving the ritual fire find that Agni does not accept their havya, underscoring the importance of correct observance in yajña.