Shloka 11
Brahmaśirastra-pratisaṃhāra — Retraction and redirection of the supreme weapon
Sauptika Parva, Adhyāya 15
द्रौणिरप्यथ सम्प्रेक्ष्य तावृषी पुरत: स्थितौ । न शशाक पुनर्घोरमस्त्रं संहर्तुमोजसा
drauṇir apy atha samprekṣya tāv ṛṣī purataḥ sthitau | na śaśāka punar ghoraṁ astram saṁhartum ojasā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Seeing those two sages standing before him, Aśvatthāman, Droṇa’s son, strove with force to withdraw and recall the dreadful weapon he had loosed; yet he could not restrain it again.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral causality: once a catastrophic act is set in motion—especially through rage and adharma—it may not be reversible by mere physical power. True restraint requires inner discipline and respect for higher dharmic authority, symbolized by the sages.
Aśvatthāman (Drauṇi), after seeing two sages standing before him, tries to forcibly withdraw the terrible weapon he has deployed. Despite his effort, he cannot recall or restrain it, indicating the weapon’s uncontrollable momentum and his loss of mastery over it.