Shloka 18
Vāraṇāvatāgamana: Public Farewell, Vidura’s Coded Counsel, and Departure
गृहाणेदं महाबाहो विशिष्टमतिदुर्धरम् । अस्त्रं ब्रहद्मशिरो नाम सप्रयोगनिवर्तनम्,“महाबाहो! यह ब्रह्मशिर नामक अस्त्र मैं तुम्हें प्रयोग और उपसंहारके साथ बता रहा हूँ। यह सब अस्त्रोंसे बढ़कर है तथा इसे धारण करना भी अत्यन्त कठिन है। तुम इसे ग्रहण करो'
gṛhāṇedaṃ mahābāho viśiṣṭam atidurdharam | astraṃ brahmaśiro nāma saprayoganivartanam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Receive this, O mighty-armed one—an exceptional weapon, exceedingly difficult to bear. It is the missile called Brahmaśiras, and I teach it to you together with its proper application and its withdrawal.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary power must be paired with discipline: the weapon is transmitted along with both its correct deployment and its withdrawal, implying ethical restraint and responsibility in warfare.
Vaiśampāyana narrates the bestowal/teaching of a supreme missile, the Brahmaśiras, emphasizing its superiority and the necessity of knowing not only how to use it but also how to retract it.