Shloka 13
Brahmaśirastra-pratisaṃhāra — Retraction and redirection of the supreme weapon
Sauptika Parva, Adhyāya 15
उत्तमव्यसनार्तेन प्राणत्राणम भीप्सुना । मयैतदस्त्रमुत्सृष्ट भीमसेनभयान्मुने
uttamavyasanārtena prāṇatrāṇam abhīpsunā | mayaitad astram utsṛṣṭaṃ bhīmasenabhayān mune ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Von der schwersten Not überwältigt und einzig darauf bedacht, mein Leben zu retten, o Weiser, habe ich diese Waffe aus Furcht vor Bhīmasena abgeschossen.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and extreme distress can drive a person toward rash, harmful choices—here, the release of a weapon primarily for self-preservation. Ethically, it points to the danger of letting panic override restraint and responsibility in warfare.
A speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) explains that, being in severe trouble and seeking to save his life, he discharged an astra because he feared Bhīmasena. The line frames the act as motivated by terror and desperation rather than calm judgment.