Shloka 23
Rājā–Rāja-Śabda-Prabhavaḥ — The Origin and Rationale of Kingship and Daṇḍanīti
प्रसाद्य भगवन्तं ते देव लोकपितामहम् । ऊचुः: प्राज्जलय: सर्वे दुःखवेगसमाहता:,लोकपितामह भगवान् ब्रह्माको प्रसन्न करके दुःखके वेगसे पीड़ित हुए समस्त देवता उनसे हाथ जोड़कर बोले--
prasādya bhagavantaṃ te deva lokapitāmaham | ūcuḥ prāñjalayaḥ sarve duḥkhavegasamāhatāḥ ||
Bhishma sprach: Nachdem sie jenen seligen Herrn, Brahmā, den Großvater der Welten, besänftigt hatten, wandten sich die Götter, alle vom Ansturm des Kummers getroffen, mit gefalteten Händen in Ehrfurcht an ihn und sprachen—
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical posture: when afflicted by suffering, one should approach a worthy authority with humility and reverence. Even the gods model disciplined supplication (prāñjali) and seek guidance rather than acting from distress.
Bhishma narrates that the gods, overwhelmed by a wave of sorrow, first propitiate Brahmā, the grandsire of the worlds, and then address him with folded hands, setting up a request for counsel or intervention.