Shloka 53

Devanagari script

ननु त्वाहुर्वेदितारं महास्त्रं ब्राह्मं विधेयं परमं जनास्तत्‌

Transliteration

nanu tvāhur veditāraṁ mahāstraṁ brāhmaṁ vidheyaṁ paramaṁ janās tat

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Gewiss sagen die Menschen, dass die höchste Brahmā-Waffe—das große himmlische Geschoss—nur von dem eingesetzt werden soll, der sie wahrhaft kennt.“ Die Zeile betont moralische Zurückhaltung im Krieg: Das Recht, die höchste und zerstörerischste Macht zu führen, ist untrennbar mit diszipliniertem Wissen und verantwortlicher Absicht verbunden, nicht mit bloßem Besitz oder Ehrgeiz.

Word by Word

ननुindeed; surely; well then

त्वाyou (object)

आहुःthey say; they have said

वेदितारम्knower; one who knows

महास्त्रम्a great weapon (astra)

ब्राह्मम्Brahma-related; Brahmic

विधेयम्to be employed/used; to be applied

परमम्supreme; highest

जनाःpeople

तत्that

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Brāhmāstra (Brahmā-weapon)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Supreme power (like the Brāhmāstra) is not meant for indiscriminate use; it must be wielded only by a true knower who follows proper discipline and ethical restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya comments on the principle governing the use of the Brāhmāstra, emphasizing that common tradition holds it should be deployed only by one who genuinely understands it—hinting at the tension between capability, legitimacy, and moral limits in the battle.