Shloka 23
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
जलेचर: क्लान्तमनास्तेजसाग्ने: प्रदीपित: । उवाच देवान् मण्डूको रसातलतलोत्थित:
jale-caraḥ klānta-manās tejasā agneḥ pradīpitaḥ | uvāca devān maṇḍūko rasātala-talotthitaḥ ||
Bhishma dijo: Una rana, criatura de las aguas, abrasada por el ardor llameante de Agni y cansada de corazón, se alzó desde las profundidades de Rasātala y se dirigió a los dioses. (En el marco del relato, los dioses —ansiosos y a la vez temerosos de contemplar a Agni— son abordados por este ser afligido, que se vuelve la voz inesperada que les habla.)
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a lowly or suffering being can become the bearer of an important message; divine power (Agni’s tejas) inspires awe but also causes distress, and dharma requires that such power be approached with discernment and compassion for those affected.
A frog, burned and exhausted by Agni’s blazing energy, emerges from the netherworld Rasātala and speaks to the assembled gods, who are themselves eager yet afraid to behold Agni.