Shloka 11
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
सनातनो हि संकल्प: काम इत्यभिधीयते । रुद्रस्य तेज: प्रस्कन्नमग्नी निपतितं च यत्
sanātano hi saṅkalpaḥ kāma ity abhidhīyate | rudrasya tejaḥ praskannam agnau nipatitaṃ ca yat,
Bhishma said: “The eternal impulse of intention is called Kāma (desire). That blazing energy of Rudra which slipped forth and fell into Agni—Agni has received and held it. (From this, the gods will later place that great, second-fire-like radiance into the Gaṅgā, and it will be born as a child, destined to become the cause of the destruction of the enemies of the gods.)”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames kāma (desire) as an ancient, enduring saṅkalpa—an initiating impulse that can set vast consequences in motion. Ethically, it suggests that desire is not merely personal craving but a powerful causal force that must be understood and governed within dharma.
Bhīṣma explains a mythic sequence: Rudra’s tejas (fiery potency) is emitted and falls into Agni, who receives it. This energy will later be transferred to the Gaṅgā and born as a child-warrior who becomes instrumental in destroying the enemies of the gods (a reference to the birth-motif of Skanda/Kārttikeya).