Shloka 66
Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
'देव! प्रभो! आपका तेज अमोघ है। ये देवी उमा भी ऐसी ही अमोघ तेजस्विनी हैं। आप दोनोंकी जो संतान होगी वह अत्यन्त प्रबल होगी। निश्चय ही वह तीनों लोकोंमें किसीको शेष नहीं रहने देगी ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | deva prabho tava tejo 'mogham | eṣā devī umā 'pi tathāiva 'mogha-tejasvinī | yuvayoḥ yā santatiḥ sā atyanta-prabalā bhaviṣyati | niścayaṃ sā trailokye kaṃcid api śeṣaṃ na sthāpayiṣyati || tad ebhyaḥ praṇatebhyaḥ tvaṃ devebhyaḥ pṛthulocana | varaṃ prayaccha lokeśa trailokya-hita-kāmyayā | viśāla-locana lokeśvara vayaṃ sarve devāḥ tava caraṇeṣu patitāḥ | tvaṃ trailokya-hita-icchayā asmabhyaṃ varaṃ dehi ||
Bhishma said: “O God, O Lord, your radiance is unfailing; and this Goddess Umā too is endowed with the same irresistible splendor. Whatever offspring is born of you two will be exceedingly mighty—indeed, it will leave no one remaining in the three worlds. Therefore, O wide-eyed one, to these gods who have bowed down before you, grant a boon, O Lord of the worlds, with the welfare of the three worlds in view. O large-eyed Lord of the worlds, we all the gods have fallen at your feet; out of a desire for the good of the three worlds, give us a boon.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Immense power—even when divine—must be oriented toward lokahita (the welfare of the worlds). The gods’ prostration and request for a boon reflects an ethical concern: unchecked potency can threaten cosmic balance, so it should be restrained or guided by dharmic intention.
Bhīṣma reports a scene where the gods address the Lord (in the context of Umā, implicitly Śiva). They acknowledge the irresistible splendor of Śiva and Umā and fear that their offspring would be so powerful as to endanger all beings in the three worlds. Therefore, the gods bow down and ask the Lord to grant a boon aimed at protecting the three worlds.