Shloka 39
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
इत्युक्त्वा पुनरेवाग्निमनुससुर्दिवौकस: । अश्वत्थान्नि:सृतश्चाग्नि: शमीगर्भमुपाविशत्,ऐसा कहकर देवताओंने पुनः अग्निका अनुसरण किया। उधर अग्निदेव अभश्वत्थसे निकलकर शमीके भीतर जा बैठे
ity uktvā punar evāgnim anusasur divaukasaḥ | aśvatthāt niḥsṛtaś cāgniḥ śamī-garbham upāviśat |
Bhīṣma dit : «Après avoir ainsi parlé, les dieux se mirent de nouveau à poursuivre Agni. Pendant ce temps, Agni, sorti de l’arbre aśvattha, entra et se cacha dans le sein (la cavité) de l’arbre śamī.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inevitability of moral and cosmic accountability: even a powerful deity like Agni cannot simply evade the consequences of prior actions, and concealment only delays confrontation. It also gestures to ritual symbolism—fire’s ‘hidden’ presence in wood—suggesting that sacred power can be latent and must be rightly sought and revealed.
After speaking among themselves, the gods resume their pursuit of Agni. Agni, trying to avoid them, leaves the aśvattha tree and takes refuge inside the śamī tree, hiding within its inner cavity.