Shloka 11
ततो लोका: पुनः प्राप्ता: सुरैः शान्तभयैर्न॒प । अथैनमन्रुवन् देवा भूमिष्ठानसुरान् जहि
tato lokāḥ punaḥ prāptāḥ suraiḥ śāntabhayair nṛpa | athainam abruvan devā bhūmiṣṭhān asurān jahi ||
ビーシュマは言った。「それから、大王よ、神々の恐れが鎮まると、彼らはそれぞれの世界へ帰っていった。のちに神々は再び彼に告げた。『今度は、地上に残って住むアスラどもをも滅ぼし給え。』」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames force as legitimate only when aligned with restoring cosmic and social order: once fear is removed and stability returns, the remaining source of harm is to be addressed. It implies a dharmic duty of protection—eliminating persistent threats so that peace is not merely temporary.
After the gods’ fear has been pacified, they return to their own realms. Then they again approach the addressed figure (identified in the accompanying prose as Agastya) and urge him to destroy the Asuras who are still residing on earth.