Shloka 12
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
तत्तेजोडग्निर्महद्भूतं द्वितीयमिति पावकम् | वधार्थ देवशत्रूणां गंगायां जनयिष्यति
tat tejo 'gnir mahad bhūtaṃ dvitīyam iti pāvakam | vadhārthaṃ devaśatrūṇāṃ gaṅgāyāṃ janayiṣyati ||
Bhishma disse: “Esse fulgor poderoso—uma grande radiância elemental, acolhida por Agni como um segundo fogo—será gerado no rio Gaṅgā para a destruição dos inimigos dos deuses. Dele nascerá uma criança, e essa criança será a causa da vitória dos deuses sobre seus adversários.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Divine power (tejas) is not random; it is directed toward restoring cosmic balance. The verse frames violence as teleological—aimed at removing forces hostile to dharma (here, the gods’ enemies)—and emphasizes that even destructive power is to be situated within a larger moral-cosmic purpose.
Bhīṣma describes how a great fiery potency is taken up by Agni and then placed in the river-goddess Gaṅgā, from which a child will be born. That child is destined to become the instrument for slaying the enemies of the gods.