Shloka 9
अक्षद्यूतप्रवेशः — Kali’s Entry and the Initiation of the Dice-Contest
य इमां पृथिवीं कृत्स्नां संक्षिप्य ग्रसते पुन: । हुताशमीशं देवानां का त॑ं न वरयेत् पतिम्,“जो इस सारी पृथ्वीको संक्षिप्त करके पुनः अपना ग्रास बना लेते हैं, उन देवेश्वर अग्निको कौन नारी अपना पति न चुनेगी?
ya imāṃ pṛthivīṃ kṛtsnāṃ saṃkṣipya grasate punaḥ | hutāśam īśaṃ devānāṃ kā taṃ na varayet patim ||
యెవడు ఈ సమస్త భూమిని సంకోచింపజేసి మళ్లీ తన గ్రాసముగా చేసుకొనగలడో—దేవాధిదేవుడైన ఆ హుతాశన అగ్నిని భర్తగా ఏ స్త్రీ వరణించదు?
बृहदश्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the persuasive force of divine sovereignty: extraordinary power and cosmic capacity (here attributed to Agni) naturally command reverence and can determine human choices, suggesting how authority and perceived greatness shape social and ethical decisions.
Bṛhadaśva, in the course of his narration, praises Agni as capable of consuming the whole earth and calls him the lord of the gods; he then frames a rhetorical question implying that any woman would choose such a being as husband, emphasizing Agni’s irresistible stature.