Shloka 35
Brahmaśirastra-pratisaṃhāra — Retraction and redirection of the supreme weapon
Sauptika Parva, Adhyāya 15
वैशग्पायन उवाच तत: परममस्त्र॑ तु द्रौणिरुद्यतमाहवे । द्वैधायनवच: श्रुत्वा गर्भेषु प्रमुमोच ह
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca: tataḥ paramam astraṃ tu drauṇir udyatam āhave | dvaidhāyana-vacaḥ śrutvā garbheṣu pramumoca ha ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: Daraufhin ließ Droṇas Sohn (Aśvatthāman) mitten im Kampf jene höchste Waffe los. Nachdem er die Worte Dvaidhāyanas (Vyāsas) vernommen hatte, entlud er sie dennoch auf die Embryonen in den Leibern.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how vengeance can drive a warrior beyond the bounds of dharma: targeting the unborn is portrayed as an extreme moral transgression, turning war into an assault on the very continuity of life and lineage.
Aśvatthāman, in battle, releases a supreme weapon after hearing Vyāsa’s words; the weapon is directed toward the embryos in the wombs of the Pāṇḍava line, escalating the conflict from battlefield combat to an attempt at annihilating future heirs.