Shloka 5
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
देवा ऊचु वरदानाद् भगवतो दैतेयो बलगर्वित: । देवैर्न शक््यते हन्तुं स कथं प्रशमं व्रजेत्
devā ūcuḥ varadānād bhagavato daiteyo balagarvitaḥ | devair na śakyate hantuṃ sa kathaṃ praśamaṃ vrajet ||
देवा ऊचुः—वरदानाद् भगवतो दैतेयो बलगर्वितः। देवैर्न शक्यते हन्तुं; स कथं प्रशमं व्रजेत्॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A boon or power, when joined with pride, can make a being ungovernable; mere force may fail against one protected by divine conditions. The verse highlights the ethical problem of unintended consequences of gifts and the need for a higher, wiser means to restore restraint (praśama) rather than relying only on violence.
The gods address the Lord, explaining that a Daitya has become arrogant due to a boon granted by the Lord. Because the gods cannot kill him, they ask how he can be pacified—seeking a solution that overcomes the limitation created by the boon.