Shloka 23
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
जलेचर: क्लान्तमनास्तेजसाग्ने: प्रदीपित: । उवाच देवान् मण्डूको रसातलतलोत्थित:
jale-caraḥ klānta-manās tejasā agneḥ pradīpitaḥ | uvāca devān maṇḍūko rasātala-talotthitaḥ ||
قال بهيشما: ضفدعٌ من سكان الماء، لُسِعَ بحرارة أَغْنِي المتّقدة وأعياه قلبُه، صعد من أعماق رَساطَلا وخاطب الآلهة. (وفي سياق الحكاية، كان الآلهة يتوقون إلى رؤية أَغْنِي وهم خائفون؛ فجاء هذا الكائن المكدود صوتًا غير متوقَّع يكلّمهم.)
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a lowly or suffering being can become the bearer of an important message; divine power (Agni’s tejas) inspires awe but also causes distress, and dharma requires that such power be approached with discernment and compassion for those affected.
A frog, burned and exhausted by Agni’s blazing energy, emerges from the netherworld Rasātala and speaks to the assembled gods, who are themselves eager yet afraid to behold Agni.