Shloka 12
न्यस्तशस्त्रौ ततस्तौ तु नादहत् सो<स्त्रजोडनल: । वारुणास्त्रप्रयोगाच्च वीर्यवत्वाच्च कृष्णयो:,उन दोनोंने अपने हथियार रख दिये थे, वारुणास्त्रका प्रयोग किया था तथा वे दोनों कृष्ण अधिक शक्तिशाली थे; इसलिये वह अस्त्रजनित अग्नि उन्हें चला न सकी
nyastaśastrau tatastau tu nādahat so 'strajodanalāḥ | vāruṇāstraprayogāc ca vīryavattvāc ca kṛṣṇayoḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Then, since the two had laid down their weapons, the fire born of that missile could not burn them. And because they had employed the Varuṇa-weapon, and because those two Kṛṣṇas were men of superior might, the weapon-generated blaze failed to consume them.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a restraint-and-protection motif in warfare: when combatants are disarmed (nyastaśastra), destructive force is rendered ineffective, and rightful protection can arise through appropriate countermeasures (Vāruṇāstra) and inner potency (vīrya). It implicitly underscores that power in war is not merely destructive but also governed by conditions—ethical posture and proper means can avert harm.
Sañjaya reports that a weapon-induced blaze (astra-born fire) fails to burn two warriors referred to as “the two Kṛṣṇas.” The stated reasons are that they had set aside their weapons and that they had employed the Varuṇa-weapon, whose watery power quenches fire; additionally, their exceptional strength contributes to their immunity from the missile’s effect.