Shloka 8
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
ब्रह्मोवाच हुताशनो न तत्रासीच्छापकाले सुरोत्तमा: । स उत्पादयितापत्यं वधाय त्रिदशद्विषाम्
brahmovāca hutāśano na tatrāsīc chāpakāle surottamāḥ | sa utpādayitāpatyaṃ vadhāya tridaśadviṣām ||
Brahmā said: “O best of the gods, at the time that curse was pronounced, Agni (the Fire-god) was not present there. Therefore, for the destruction of those who are hostile to the gods, he himself will be the one to beget a child.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames cosmic justice: when a curse or mandate must be fulfilled, responsibility is assigned according to presence and accountability, and divine power is directed toward restoring order by removing forces hostile to dharma.
Bhīṣma recounts Brahmā’s statement explaining that Agni was absent when the curse occurred; therefore another agent—‘he himself’—is designated to beget an offspring whose purpose is the destruction of the gods’ enemies.