Shloka 71
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
पप्रच्छ सरितां श्रेष्ठां कच्चिद् गर्भ: सुखोदय: । कीदृग्वर्णोडपि वा देवि कीद्ग्रूपश्च दृश्यते । तेजसा केन वा युक्त: सर्वमेतद् ब्रवीहि मे
pāpṛccha saritāṃ śreṣṭhāṃ kaccid garbhaḥ sukhodayaḥ | kīdṛg varṇo 'pi vā devi kīdṛg rūpaś ca dṛśyate | tejasā kena vā yuktaḥ sarvam etad bravīhi me ||
Bhīṣma dit : Agni, ayant contemplé Gaṅgā—la plus éminente des rivières—l’interrogea : « Ô Déesse, ton enfant est-il né sain et sauf, dans la paix et la joie ? Quel est son teint, et quelle forme laisse-t-il paraître ? De quelle sorte d’éclat est-il pourvu ? Dis-moi tout cela. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in extraordinary, divine contexts, the text emphasizes responsible inquiry: the welfare (sukhodaya) of a child and the nature of his qualities (rūpa, varṇa, tejas) are to be understood carefully, because such qualities imply future duties and consequences within dharma.
Agni meets Gaṅgā and asks whether her child has been safely born, and requests details about the child’s appearance and radiance. Bhīṣma narrates this exchange as part of the larger Anuśāsana-parvan discourse.