Shloka 65
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
यदत्र गुणसम्पन्नमितरद् वा हुताशन । त्वय्येव तदहं मन्ये धर्माधर्मा च केवलौ
yad atra guṇasampannam itarad vā hutāśana | tvayy eva tad ahaṃ manye dharmādharmā ca kevalau ||
హుతాశనా! ఈ కార్యఫలం గుణసంపన్నమై ఉండినా లేక ఇతరథా అయినా, అలాగే దీని వల్ల కేవలం ధర్మమో కేవలం అధర్మమో ఏర్పడినా—ఆ బాధ్యత అంతా మీ మీదేనని నేను భావిస్తున్నాను.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames moral accountability in terms of agency and witness: the merit or fault of an act—and whether it yields dharma or adharma—is attributed to Hutāśana (Agni). In context, this highlights how ritual fire functions as a divine witness/arbiter, and it also dramatizes the ethical weight of actions by locating responsibility in the invoked power overseeing the rite.
Bhīṣma addresses Hutāśana (Agni) directly, referring to an ongoing or contemplated act. He states that whatever the act’s outcome—good or bad, righteous or unrighteous—he regards it as resting upon Agni. The speech reflects a solemn moment where consequences are being acknowledged under divine witness.