Shloka 69
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
समर्था धारणे चापि रुद्रतेज:प्रधर्षिता । नाशकत् _त॑ तदा गर्भ संधारयितुमोजसा,यद्यपि गंगाजी उस गर्भको धारण करनेमें समर्थ थीं; तो भी रुद्रके तेजसे पराभूत होकर बलपूर्वक उसे धारण न कर सकीं
samarthā dhāraṇe cāpi rudra-tejaḥ-pradharṣitā | nāśakat tadā garbhaṃ sandhārayitum ojasā ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Dẫu Gaṅgā vốn có thể mang thai, nàng vẫn bị hỏa uy của Rudra áp đảo và, dù có sức lực của mình, khi ấy cũng không thể nâng giữ bào thai ấy.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the supremacy of divine tejas (spiritual potency): even a powerful being may be unable to act when confronted with a higher, overwhelming force. It also implies ethical humility—recognizing limits and the workings of destiny beyond mere capability.
Bhīṣma narrates that Gaṅgā, though naturally able to carry a pregnancy, could not sustain a particular embryo because Rudra’s intense energy overpowered her, preventing the gestation from being maintained.