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 dijo: «Dicho esto, Agni—señalado por el elefante—salió del árbol aśvattha y luego entró en la oquedad del árbol śamī, deseando reposar allí en un sueño profundo».
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.