Shloka 2
असुरैर्निर्जिता देवा निरुत्साहाश्व ते कृता: | यज्ञाश्वैषां हृता: सर्वे पितृणां च स्वधास्तथा
bhīṣma uvāca | asurair nirjitā devā nirutsāhāś ca te kṛtāḥ | yajñāś ca eṣāṃ hṛtāḥ sarve pitṝṇāṃ ca svadhās tathā |
毗湿摩说：在远古之时，诸天为阿修罗所败，因而勇气与进取之心尽失。阿修罗夺取并扰乱了诸天的一切祭祀（yajña），同样也截断了本应献给祖灵的“斯瓦达”（svadhā）供奉。于是，当礼敬与职责的通道被斩断，神圣秩序亦为之震动；诸天从荣华中坠落，据说在大地上困苦流离。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When yajña (sacrificial duty) and svadhā (ancestral offerings) are obstructed, both divine welfare and social-cosmic stability decline; adharma spreads not only through violence but through the suppression of rightful rites and obligations.
Bhīṣma recounts an old account in which the Asuras defeat the Devas and deprive them of their sacrificial rites; the Pitṛs’ offerings are also cut off, leading to the gods’ loss of prosperity and their wandering in distress—setting a backdrop for instruction on restoring order through dharma.