Shloka 10
Mahāvasu’s Fall by Speech-Error and Release through Devotion (अज-विवादः वसोः शापः विमोचनं च)
यथाध्वरे समिद्धो3ग्निर्भाति हव्यमुदावहम्
yathādhvare samiddho 'gnir bhāti havyam udāvaham
Bhīṣma sprach: Wie im Opfer der entzündete Feuerbrand leuchtet und die Gabe (havya) emporträgt, so wird auch das recht erwachte Prinzip (Dharma/Erkenntnis) lichtvoll und wirksam und trägt die Opfergabe des Handelns seinem angemessenen höheren Ziel entgegen.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the sacrificial fire as a moral-spiritual metaphor: when the ‘fire’ (rightly kindled discipline, dharma, or insight) is properly awakened, it becomes luminous and capable of carrying one’s offerings—i.e., actions and intentions—toward a higher, purifying goal.
Bhīṣma, instructing in the Śānti Parva, illustrates his point with a familiar Vedic image: in an adhvara (sacrifice), a well-kindled Agni shines and conveys the havya (oblation) upward. The comparison supports his broader ethical teaching by grounding it in ritual symbolism.