Shloka 56
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
तया चाप्यभवन्मिश्रो गर्भ चास्यादधे तदा । ववृधे स तदा गर्भ: कक्षे कृष्णगतिर्यथा
tayā cāpy abhavan miśro garbha cāsyādadhē tadā | vavṛdhe sa tadā garbhaḥ kakṣe kṛṣṇagatir yathā ||
Ia pun bersatu dengannya; pada saat itu Gaṅgā mengandung benihnya. Lalu embrio itu tumbuh di dalam dirinya, bagaikan api—meski jalannya tampak gelap—yang menyala berkobar ketika tersimpan di rongga atau tumpukan bahan bakar.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Once potent energy—especially divinely sourced tejas—has been received and rightly contained, it naturally matures in due course; the simile of hidden fire suggests that power may be unseen at first yet inevitably manifests when conditions support it.
Bhishma describes a union leading to conception; the embryo is ‘deposited’ and then grows within the bearer, compared to fire that, though moving darkly/hidden, blazes up when lodged in a hollow or heap of fuel.