Shloka 36
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
इत्युक्त्वा नि:सृतो5श्वत्थादग्निर्वारणसूचित: । प्रविवेश शमीगर्भमथ वह्नि: सुषुप्सया
ity uktvā niḥsṛto ’śvatthād agnir vāraṇasūcitaḥ | praviveśa śamīgarbham atha vahniḥ suṣupṣayā ||
Bhīṣma said: “Having spoken thus, Agni—indicated by the elephant—came out from the aśvattha tree and then entered the hollow of the śamī tree, desiring to rest there in deep sleep.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights controlled power and purposeful withdrawal: even a mighty force like Agni can be guided, concealed, and made to rest. In dharmic storytelling, this suggests that strength should be directed by right indication and used with restraint rather than uncontrolled display.
After speaking, Agni—whose presence is signaled by an elephant—emerges from an aśvattha tree and then enters the interior of a śamī tree, intending to sleep there peacefully.