Shloka 27

Devanagari script

नैतदावर्तते राजन्नस्त्र द्विनोपपद्यते | आवृतं हि निवर्तेत प्रयोक्तारं न संशय:,“राजन! न तो यह अस्त्र फिर लौटता है और न इसका दुबारा प्रयोग ही हो सकता है। यदि इसका पुन: प्रयोग किया जाय तो यह प्रयोग करनेवालेको ही समाप्त कर देगा, इसमें संशय नहीं है

Transliteration

naitad āvartate rājann astraṃ dvinopapadyate | āvṛtaṃ hi nivarteta prayoktāraṃ na saṃśayaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O King, this weapon does not return once released, nor can it be employed a second time. If one attempts to turn it back or reuse it, it will recoil upon the very one who wields it—of this there is no doubt.”

Word by Word

नnot

एतत्this (weapon/thing)

आवर्ततेreturns, comes back

राजन्O king

नnot

अस्त्रweapon (missile)

द्विःtwice, again

नnot

उपपद्यतेis possible, is feasible

आवृतम्turned back, reversed (i.e., if made to return)

हिindeed, for

निवर्तेतwould turn back/return

प्रयोक्तारम्the user (of the weapon), the one who employs it

नnot

संशयःdoubt

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

astra (divine weapon)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Certain acts—especially the unleashing of extraordinary violence—cannot be safely undone or repeated. The verse stresses restraint and accountability: attempting to reverse or reapply such a weapon rebounds upon the agent, making the doer responsible for the consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya warns Dhṛtarāṣṭra about the nature of a powerful astra being used in the battle: once discharged it does not simply ‘come back,’ and trying to recall or reuse it is perilous, likely destroying the very person who employed it.