Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 23
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
जलेचर: क्लान्तमनास्तेजसाग्ने: प्रदीपित: । उवाच देवान् मण्डूको रसातलतलोत्थित:
jale-caraḥ klānta-manās tejasā agneḥ pradīpitaḥ | uvāca devān maṇḍūko rasātala-talotthitaḥ ||
ਜਲਚਰ ਉਹ ਮੇਂਡਕ, ਅਗਨੀ ਦੇ ਤੇਜ ਨਾਲ ਸੜਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ ਅਤੇ ਮਨੋਂ ਥੱਕਿਆ, ਰਸਾਤਲ ਦੀ ਤਹ ਤੋਂ ਉੱਪਰ ਚੜ੍ਹ ਕੇ ਦੇਵਤਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਬੋਲਿਆ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a lowly or suffering being can become the bearer of an important message; divine power (Agni’s tejas) inspires awe but also causes distress, and dharma requires that such power be approached with discernment and compassion for those affected.
A frog, burned and exhausted by Agni’s blazing energy, emerges from the netherworld Rasātala and speaks to the assembled gods, who are themselves eager yet afraid to behold Agni.