Shloka 33
Brahmaśirastra-pratisaṃhāra — Retraction and redirection of the supreme weapon
Sauptika Parva, Adhyāya 15
एतदस्त्रमतश्चैव गर्भेषु विसृजाम्यहम् । न च वाक््यं भगवतो न करिष्ये महामुने,महामुने! अतः यह अस्त्र मैं पाण्डवोंके गर्भॉपर ही छोड़ रहा हूँ। आपकी आज्ञाका मैं कदापि उल्लंघन नहीं करूँगा
etad astram ataś caiva garbheṣu visṛjāmy aham | na ca vākyaṃ bhagavato na kariṣye mahāmune mahāmune ||
“Therefore I shall release this weapon upon the embryos (in the wombs). And, O great sage, I will not act against the word of the Blessed Lord; I will never transgress his command.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds accountability to a higher moral/divine injunction: even amid war’s aftermath, the speaker justifies action as strict adherence to the Lord’s command, raising ethical questions about obedience versus compassion when destructive power targets the unborn.
In the aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war, an astra is being directed toward the Pāṇḍava line by striking the embryos in the wombs. The speaker declares the intention to release the weapon there and insists that the Lord’s instruction will not be violated.