Shloka 36

Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa

Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results

Devanagari script

इत्युक्त्वा नि:सृतो5श्वत्थादग्निर्वारणसूचित: । प्रविवेश शमीगर्भमथ वह्नि: सुषुप्सया,ऐसा कहकर हाथीद्वारा सूचित किये गये अग्निदेव अश्वत्थसे निकलकर शमीके भीतर प्रविष्ट हो गये। वे वहाँ अच्छी तरह सोना चाहते थे

Transliteration

ity uktvā niḥsṛto ’śvatthād agnir vāraṇasūcitaḥ | praviveśa śamīgarbham atha vahniḥ suṣupṣayā ||

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞ്, ആന സൂചിപ്പിച്ച അഗ്നിദേവൻ അശ്വത്ഥവൃക്ഷത്തിൽ നിന്ന് പുറത്തുവന്ന് ശമീവൃക്ഷത്തിന്റെ ഗർഭത്തിൽ (കുഴിയിൽ) പ്രവേശിച്ചു; അവിടെ ഗാഢനിദ്രയിൽ വിശ്രമിക്കുവാൻ ആഗ്രഹിച്ചു।

Word by Word

इतिthus

उक्त्वाhaving said

निःसृतःgone out, emerged

अश्वत्थात्from the aśvattha tree

अग्निःAgni (fire-god)

वारणby an elephant

सूचितःindicated, pointed out

प्रविवेशentered

शमीof the śamī tree

गर्भम्womb, interior

अथthen

वह्निःfire (Agni)

सुषुप्सयाwith the desire to sleep

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Agni (Vahni)

Aśvattha tree

Śamī tree

Elephant (vāraṇa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights controlled power and purposeful withdrawal: even a mighty force like Agni can be guided, concealed, and made to rest. In dharmic storytelling, this suggests that strength should be directed by right indication and used with restraint rather than uncontrolled display.

What is happening in the narrative?

After speaking, Agni—whose presence is signaled by an elephant—emerges from an aśvattha tree and then enters the interior of a śamī tree, intending to sleep there peacefully.