Shloka 7
कुणेर्यथा हस्तगतं हियेत् फलं बलीयसा । तथा शक्तिरमोघा सा मोघी भूता घटोत्कचे,जैसे कोई बलवान पुरुष लुंजे (टूंट)-के हाथका फल छीन ले, उसी प्रकार श्रीकृष्णने उस अमोघ शक्तिको घटोत्कचपर चलवाकर अन्यत्रके लिये निष्फल कर दिया
kuṇer yathā hastagataṃ hriyeta phalaṃ balīyasā | tathā śaktir amoghā sā moghī bhūtā ghaṭotkace |
Just as a stronger man snatches away a fruit already held in the hand of a weak or crippled person, so too that unfailing spear-weapon was made to fall fruitlessly upon Ghaṭotkaca; Kṛṣṇa caused the ‘infallible’ power to be spent there and thus rendered it ineffective for any other target.
श्रीवायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how superior foresight and power can redirect even an ‘infallible’ force so that it is expended where it must be, emphasizing strategic restraint and the ethical calculus of war—preventing a greater catastrophe by allowing a decisive weapon to be used up on a particular target.
Vāyudeva explains that the supposedly unfailing spear-weapon was made to become ‘fruitless’ for any further use because it was discharged upon Ghaṭotkaca; the comparison is to a strong man snatching a fruit from the hand of a weaker person—Kṛṣṇa ensures the weapon’s one-time potency is spent there.