Shloka 27
Brahmaśirastra-pratisaṃhāra — Retraction and redirection of the supreme weapon
Sauptika Parva, Adhyāya 15
मर्णिं चैव प्रयच्छाद्य यस्ते शिरसि तिष्ठति । एतदादाय ते प्राणान् प्रतिदास्यन्ति पाण्डवा:,तुम्हारे सिरमें जो मणि है, इसे आज इन्हें दे दो। इस मणिको ही लेकर पाण्डव बदलेमें तुम्हें प्राणदान देंगे
maṇiṁ caiva prayacchādya yas te śirasi tiṣṭhati | etad ādāya te prāṇān pratidāsyanti pāṇḍavāḥ ||
Vyāsa said: “Give them today the jewel that rests upon your head. Taking that very gem, the Pāṇḍavas will, in return, grant you your life.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the aftermath of war, restraint and proportional justice are upheld: a grievous offender may be spared when he offers a meaningful restitution, shifting the response from vengeance to ethically bounded reparation.
Vyāsa advises the threatened warrior to surrender the jewel on his head as a compensatory offering; by accepting it, the Pāṇḍavas will be satisfied and will spare his life.