Shloka 18
ब्रह्मसृष्टा हव्यभुज: कपान् हत्वा सनातना: | नभसीव यथाभ्राणि व्यराजन्त नराधिप,नरेश्वर! ब्राह्मणोंके छोड़े हुए सनातन अग्निदेव उन कपोंका संहार करके आकाशमें बादलोंके समान प्रकाशित होने लगे
brahmasṛṣṭā havyabhujaḥ kapān hatvā sanātanāḥ | nabhasīva yathābhrāṇi vyarājanta narādhipa ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja! Para dewa api yang abadi—terlahir dari Brahma dan pemakan persembahan—setelah memusnahkan para Kapā, lalu bersinar di langit, bagaikan awan yang berkilau di angkasa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the sanctity and cosmic authority of sacrificial fire: as a Brahmā-born, eternal power that consumes offerings and removes hostile or obstructive forces, it restores radiance and order—suggesting that dharmic rites and purity have transformative, world-ordering effects.
Bhīṣma describes the eternal fire-gods (sacrificial fires) destroying a group called the Kapas; after this act, the fires appear brilliantly in the sky, compared to clouds shining in the heavens, addressing the king directly.