Shloka 141
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
खड्गान् गदा भिन्दिपालान् मुसलानि परश्चधान् | प्रासानसींस्तोमरांश्न कणपान् कम्पनान् शितान्,समरांगणमें किसीसे भी न डरनेवाले तथा क्रोधसे लाल नेत्रोंवाले भयंकर पराक्रमी सैकड़ों और हजारों राक्षस अश्वत्थामाके मस्तकपर शक्ति, शतघ्नी, परिघ, अशनि, शूल, पट्टिश, खड़ग, गदा, भिन्दिपाल, मुसल, फरसे, प्रास, कटार, तोमर, कणप, तीखे कम्पन, मोटे-मोटे पत्थर, भुशुण्डी, गदा, काले लोहेके खंभे तथा शत्रुओंको विदीर्ण करनेमें समर्थ महाघोर मुद्गरोंकी वर्षा करने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | khaḍgān gadā bhindipālān musalāni paraśvadhān | prāsān asīṃs tomarāṃś ca kaṇapān kampanān śitān |
Sañjaya said: They began to shower down weapons—swords, maces, bhindipālas, clubs, and battle-axes; spears, daggers, tomaras, and sharp, trembling missiles—upon Aśvatthāmā’s head. The scene conveys the war’s ferocity: courage hardened into wrath, and the battlefield became a storm of instruments meant solely for destruction, testing restraint, duty, and the limits of righteous conduct amid chaos.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war amplifies anger and fearlessness into a destructive momentum. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: even when duty demands fighting, the unchecked escalation of violence strains dharma and challenges inner restraint.
Sañjaya describes a fierce assault in which combatants hurl a barrage of varied weapons—swords, maces, spears, axes, and other missiles—aimed at Aśvatthāmā, portraying the battlefield as a literal ‘rain’ of armaments.