Shloka 7
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
देवाश्व शप्ता रुद्राण्या प्रजोच्छेदे पुराकृते । न भविष्यति वो<पत्यमिति सर्वे जगत्पते
devāś ca śaptā rudrāṇyā prajocchede purākṛte | na bhaviṣyati vo 'patyam iti sarve jagatpate ||
भीष्म ने कहा— “जगत्पते! पूर्वकाल में जब हमने रुद्राणी की संतति का उच्छेद कर दिया, तब रुद्राणी ने सब देवताओं को शाप दिया— ‘तुम्हारी कोई संतान नहीं होगी।’”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral causality: harming another’s lineage (prajoccheda) invites grave consequences, even for gods. It underscores restraint, accountability, and the ethical weight of actions against family and continuity.
Bhishma recounts an ancient episode: after the gods caused the destruction of Rudrani’s progeny, Rudrani pronounced a curse upon them that they would be without offspring, and Bhishma reports this to the addressed ‘Lord of the world.’