Shloka 7

Bhīṣma’s Dream-Counsel and the Prasvāpa Astra (भीष्मस्वप्नदर्शनम् / प्रस्वापास्त्रोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

ततश्च प्रतिसंहृत्य तदस्त्रं स्वापनं महत्‌ | ब्रह्मास्त्रं दीपयांचक्रे तस्मिन्‌ युधि यथाविधि

Transliteration

tataś ca pratisaṁhṛtya tad astraṁ svāpanaṁ mahat | brahmāstraṁ dīpayāṁcakre tasmin yudhi yathāvidhi ||

Translation

Darauf zog ich jene mächtige, schlafbringende Waffe zurück und entfachte in jener Schlacht, der vorgeschriebenen Kriegsregel gemäß, das Brahmāstra.

Word by Word

• {'tataḥ': 'then, thereafter', 'ca': 'and', 'pratisaṁhṛtya': 'having withdrawn, recalled, retracted (a weapon/astric force)', 'tad': 'that', 'astram': 'missile/weapon (especially a mantra-empowered astric weapon)', 'svāpanam': 'sleep-causing, inducing slumber', 'mahat': 'great, mighty', 'brahmāstram': 'the Brahmāstra, a supreme divine missile associated with Brahmā (and brahmanic power)', 'dīpayāṁcakre': 'caused to blaze/shine forth

• activated, kindled (the weapon)', 'tasmin': 'in that', 'yudhi': 'in battle', 'yathāvidhi': 'according to rule/ordinance

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• svāpana-astra (sleep-inducing weapon)
• Brahmāstra
• battle (yuddha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in war, power must be governed by dharma: a weapon should be withdrawn when appropriate, and formidable force like the Brahmāstra should be invoked only with discipline and according to prescribed rules (yathāvidhi), not from impulse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma says that after retracting a powerful sleep-inducing astric weapon, he then properly activated the Brahmāstra in the midst of the battle, indicating a deliberate escalation carried out with ritual and ethical propriety.