Shloka 8
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
ब्रह्मोवाच हुताशनो न तत्रासीच्छापकाले सुरोत्तमा: । स उत्पादयितापत्यं वधाय त्रिदशद्विषाम्
brahmovāca hutāśano na tatrāsīc chāpakāle surottamāḥ | sa utpādayitāpatyaṃ vadhāya tridaśadviṣām ||
Brahmā dit : «Ô le meilleur des dieux ! Lorsque cette malédiction fut prononcée, Agni, le dieu du Feu, n’était pas présent. C’est pourquoi, pour l’anéantissement de ceux qui sont hostiles aux dieux, c’est lui-même qui engendrera un enfant.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames cosmic justice: when a curse or mandate must be fulfilled, responsibility is assigned according to presence and accountability, and divine power is directed toward restoring order by removing forces hostile to dharma.
Bhīṣma recounts Brahmā’s statement explaining that Agni was absent when the curse occurred; therefore another agent—‘he himself’—is designated to beget an offspring whose purpose is the destruction of the gods’ enemies.