Shloka 656
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
असिं धर्मस्य गोप्तारं ददौ सत्कृत्य विष्णवे | तदनन्तर भगवान् रुद्रने दानवोंके खूनसे रँगे हुए उस धर्मरक्षक खड्गको बड़े सत्कारके साथ भगवान् विष्णुके हाथमें दे दिया
asiṁ dharmasya goptāraṁ dadau satkṛtya viṣṇave | tad-anantaraṁ bhagavān rudro dānavānāṁ śoṇitena raṅgaṁ dharma-rakṣakaṁ khaḍgaṁ mahā-satkāreṇa bhagavato viṣṇoḥ haste samarpayām āsa ||
Bhishma said: Having duly honored him, (Rudra) bestowed upon Vishnu the sword that serves as the guardian of Dharma. Thereafter, the Blessed Rudra, taking that Dharma-protecting blade—stained with the blood of the Dānavas—placed it into the hands of Lord Vishnu with great reverence.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma may require force when it is consecrated, restrained, and directed toward restoring moral and cosmic order; power becomes legitimate when it is treated as a sacred trust rather than personal violence.
Rudra, after honoring Vishnu, hands over a famed sword described as the protector of Dharma. The blade is said to be stained with the blood of the Dānavas, signaling its prior use in subduing forces opposed to order, and it is transferred to Vishnu with great reverence.