Shloka 24

द्रौपदी–सत्यभामा संवादः

Draupadī and Satyabhāmā on ethical household conduct

Devanagari script

संस्पृशेयुर्यदान्योन्यं कथज्चिद्‌ वायुनाग्नय: । इष्टिरष्टाकपालेन कार्या वै शुचये5ग्नये,यदि किसी प्रकार हवाके चलनेसे अग्नियोंका परस्पर स्पर्श हो जाय तो अष्टाकपाल (आठ कपालोंमें- संस्कारपूर्वक तैयार किये हुए) पुरोडाशके द्वारा शुचि नामक अग्निके लिये इष्टि करनी (आहुति देनी) चाहिये

Transliteration

saṁspṛśeyur yadānyonyaṁ kathañcid vāyunāgnayaḥ | iṣṭir aṣṭākapālena kāryā vai śucaye ’gnaye ||

Translation

马尔坎ḍेय说道：“若因风势流转，诸圣火偶然相互触及，当以八器（aṣṭākapāla）所制的普罗ḍāśa（puroḍāśa）行 iṣṭi 供献，奉于名为‘净者’（Śuci）的火。如此则仪轨之序得以复归，诸火之清净亦得保全。”

Word by Word

संस्पृशेयुःshould touch

यदाwhen

अन्योन्यम्mutually, each other

कथंचित्somehow, by any means

वायुनाby the wind

अग्नयःfires

इष्टिःa sacrificial offering (iṣṭi)

अष्टाकपालेनwith an eight-cup (eight-pot) oblation

कार्याis to be performed / should be done

वैindeed

शुचयेfor (Agni) named Śuci / for the pure one

अग्नयेfor Agni (fire-deity)

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Vāyu (wind)

Agni

Śuci (name of a fire/Agni-aspect)

Aṣṭākapāla puroḍāśa

Iṣṭi (offering rite)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Accidental ritual impurity—here, the unintended contact of consecrated fires due to wind—should be corrected through a prescribed expiatory/rectifying rite. Dharma is upheld not only by intention but also by restoring proper ritual order when disruptions occur.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya is instructing about a specific contingency in fire-ritual practice: if separate sacred fires touch each other, one should perform an iṣṭi for the fire-aspect called Śuci, using an aṣṭākapāla puroḍāśa, to re-establish purity and correctness.