Shloka 11
Janamejaya’s Appeal for Pacification and Śaunaka’s Counsel on Humility (जनमेजय-शौनक संवादः)
स गत्वाड्रगरकर्मान्तं गृहीत्वाग्निमथागमत् । ततः शुष्केषु पर्णेषु पावकं सो5प्यदीपयत्
sa gatvā ḍragarakarmāntaṁ gṛhītvāgnim athāgamat | tataḥ śuṣkeṣu parṇeṣu pāvakaṁ so 'py adīpayat ||
Bhīṣma dit : Étant allé jusqu’au lieu où l’on œuvrait au foret à feu, il prit du feu et revint. Puis, sur des feuilles sèches, il alluma la flamme—montrant une action délibérée et résolue dans l’exécution de ce qui avait été arrêté.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights purposeful agency: one gathers the necessary means (fire) and applies them to suitable conditions (dry leaves) to produce a result. Ethically, it underscores that outcomes arise from deliberate choices and proper preparation, not from chance.
In Bhīṣma’s narration, a person goes to the place associated with producing/handling fire, takes fire, returns, and then kindles it on dry leaves—initiating a blaze by using appropriate fuel.