Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 18
ब्रह्मसृष्टा हव्यभुज: कपान् हत्वा सनातना: | नभसीव यथाभ्राणि व्यराजन्त नराधिप,नरेश्वर! ब्राह्मणोंके छोड़े हुए सनातन अग्निदेव उन कपोंका संहार करके आकाशमें बादलोंके समान प्रकाशित होने लगे
brahmasṛṣṭā havyabhujaḥ kapān hatvā sanātanāḥ | nabhasīva yathābhrāṇi vyarājanta narādhipa ||
Sinabi ni Bhishma: “O hari ng mga tao! Ang mga walang-hanggang diyos ng apoy—isinilang mula kay Brahma at tagatanggap ng mga handog—pagkalipol sa mga Kapā, ay nagningning sa langit, na wari’y mga ulap na kumikislap sa kalawakan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the sanctity and cosmic authority of sacrificial fire: as a Brahmā-born, eternal power that consumes offerings and removes hostile or obstructive forces, it restores radiance and order—suggesting that dharmic rites and purity have transformative, world-ordering effects.
Bhīṣma describes the eternal fire-gods (sacrificial fires) destroying a group called the Kapas; after this act, the fires appear brilliantly in the sky, compared to clouds shining in the heavens, addressing the king directly.