Shloka 11
ततो लोका: पुनः प्राप्ता: सुरैः शान्तभयैर्न॒प । अथैनमन्रुवन् देवा भूमिष्ठानसुरान् जहि,“नरेश्वर! तत्पश्चात् देवताओंका भय शान्त हो जानेपर वे पुन: अपने-अपने लोकमें चले आये। तदनन्तर देवताओंने अगस्त्यजीसे फिर कहा--'अब आप पृथ्वीपर रहनेवाले असुरोंका भी नाश कर डालिये”'
tato lokāḥ punaḥ prāptāḥ suraiḥ śāntabhayair nṛpa | athainam abruvan devā bhūmiṣṭhān asurān jahi ||
Bhīṣma said: “Then, O king, once their fear had been calmed, the gods returned again to their respective worlds. After that, the deities addressed him once more: ‘Now destroy the Asuras who remain dwelling upon the earth.’”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames force as legitimate only when aligned with restoring cosmic and social order: once fear is removed and stability returns, the remaining source of harm is to be addressed. It implies a dharmic duty of protection—eliminating persistent threats so that peace is not merely temporary.
After the gods’ fear has been pacified, they return to their own realms. Then they again approach the addressed figure (identified in the accompanying prose as Agastya) and urge him to destroy the Asuras who are still residing on earth.