Shloka 11
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
सनातनो हि संकल्प: काम इत्यभिधीयते । रुद्रस्य तेज: प्रस्कन्नमग्नी निपतितं च यत्
sanātano hi saṅkalpaḥ kāma ity abhidhīyate | rudrasya tejaḥ praskannam agnau nipatitaṃ ca yat,
Bhishma disse: “O impulso eterno da intenção é chamado Kāma (desejo). A energia ardente de Rudra, que se desprendeu e caiu em Agni—Agni a recebeu e a reteve. (Dela, mais tarde, os deuses colocarão esse grande fulgor, como um segundo fogo, no rio Gaṅgā, e ele nascerá como uma criança, destinada a tornar-se a causa da destruição dos inimigos dos deuses.)”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames kāma (desire) as an ancient, enduring saṅkalpa—an initiating impulse that can set vast consequences in motion. Ethically, it suggests that desire is not merely personal craving but a powerful causal force that must be understood and governed within dharma.
Bhīṣma explains a mythic sequence: Rudra’s tejas (fiery potency) is emitted and falls into Agni, who receives it. This energy will later be transferred to the Gaṅgā and born as a child-warrior who becomes instrumental in destroying the enemies of the gods (a reference to the birth-motif of Skanda/Kārttikeya).