Shloka 12
Brahmaśirastra-pratisaṃhāra — Retraction and redirection of the supreme weapon
Sauptika Parva, Adhyāya 15
अशक्तः प्रतिसंहारे परमास्त्रस्य संयुगे । द्रौणिदीनमना राजन् द्वैपधायनमभाषत
aśaktaḥ pratisaṃhāre paramāstrasya saṃyuge | drauṇidīnamanā rājan dvaipadhāyanam abhāṣata ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: O König, mitten im Kampf war Aśvatthāman außerstande, die höchste himmlische Waffe, die er entfesselt hatte, zurückzunehmen und zum Erlöschen zu bringen; da sank er innerlich in Verzweiflung. Mit bekümmertem Herzen wandte er sich darauf an Vyāsa (Dvaipāyana) und sprach so.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability in warfare: deploying overwhelming power without the capacity (or discipline) to restrain it leads to anguish and danger. It implies that true dharma includes foresight, self-control, and seeking wise guidance when one’s actions threaten wider harm.
During the aftermath of the night massacre, Aśvatthāman has invoked a supreme celestial weapon but cannot perform its withdrawal (pratisaṃhāra). Distressed, he turns to the sage Vyāsa (Dvaipāyana) and speaks to him, indicating a crisis caused by an uncontrollable weapon in the battlefield context.