Shloka 91
बलेनाथ स संस्तभ्य ब्रह्मास्त्रं समुदैरयत् । ऐन्द्रं ततोर्डर्जुनश्वापि तं दृष्टवा भ्युपमन्त्रयत्
balenātha sa saṁstabhya brahmāstraṁ samudairayat | aindraṁ tato 'rjunaś cāpi taṁ dṛṣṭvābhyupamantrayat ||
Sañjaya said: Steadying himself with strength, he launched the Brahmāstra. Then Arjuna too, seeing it, invoked the Indra-weapon in response. The moment shows how, in the fury of war, the combatants escalate to divine missiles—raising the ethical tension between martial necessity and the peril of unleashing world-threatening powers.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral danger of escalation in conflict: when supreme powers are used, opponents feel compelled to answer in kind. It implicitly warns that strength without restraint can push warfare beyond human limits, making discernment and responsibility essential even for righteous fighters.
One warrior discharges the Brahmāstra after bracing himself; Arjuna, seeing this, responds by invoking the Indra-weapon as a counter. The scene marks a critical intensification of the battle through the use of high-level astras.