Shloka 7

Devanagari script

कुणेर्यथा हस्तगतं हियेत्‌ फलं बलीयसा । तथा शक्तिरमोघा सा मोघी भूता घटोत्कचे,जैसे कोई बलवान पुरुष लुंजे (टूंट)-के हाथका फल छीन ले, उसी प्रकार श्रीकृष्णने उस अमोघ शक्तिको घटोत्कचपर चलवाकर अन्यत्रके लिये निष्फल कर दिया

Transliteration

kuṇer yathā hastagataṃ hriyeta phalaṃ balīyasā | tathā śaktir amoghā sā moghī bhūtā ghaṭotkace |

Translation

Wie ein Stärkerer einem Schwachen oder Krüppel die Frucht aus der bereits geschlossenen Hand reißt, so wurde auch jener unfehlbare Speer vergeblich auf Ghaṭotkaca gelenkt; Kṛṣṇa bewirkte, dass diese „nicht fehlgehende“ Macht dort verbraucht wurde und für jedes andere Ziel unwirksam blieb.

Word by Word

कुणेःof a crippled/maimed person

यथाjust as

हस्तगतंcome into (one's) hand; held in hand

ह्रियेतwould be taken away

फलंfruit

बलीयसाby a stronger (person)

तथाso; in the same way

शक्तिःthe spear/weapon (Shakti)

अमोघाunfailing

साthat (she/it)

मोघीrendered futile

भूताhaving become

घटोत्कचेin/with regard to Ghaṭotkaca

Speaker

श्रीवायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Vāyudeva

Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Ghaṭotkaca

Śakti (the infallible spear-weapon)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how superior foresight and power can redirect even an ‘infallible’ force so that it is expended where it must be, emphasizing strategic restraint and the ethical calculus of war—preventing a greater catastrophe by allowing a decisive weapon to be used up on a particular target.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva explains that the supposedly unfailing spear-weapon was made to become ‘fruitless’ for any further use because it was discharged upon Ghaṭotkaca; the comparison is to a strong man snatching a fruit from the hand of a weaker person—Kṛṣṇa ensures the weapon’s one-time potency is spent there.