Shloka 12
भीष्म–रामयुद्धवर्णनम्
Bhīṣma’s Account of the Strategic Engagement with Rāma Jāmadagnya
प्राजापत्यं विश्वकृतं प्रस्वापं नाम भारत । न हीदं वेद रामो5पि पृथिव्यां वा पुमान् क्वचित्
prājāpatyaṃ viśvakṛtaṃ prasvāpaṃ nāma bhārata | na hīdaṃ veda rāmo 'pi pṛthivyāṃ vā pumān kvacit ||
Bhishma said: “O Bharata, this is the weapon called Prasvāpa—presided over by Prajāpati and devised by Viśvakarman. Even Rāma (Paraśurāma) does not know it; indeed, no man anywhere on this earth possesses knowledge of it.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the idea that certain powers (astric knowledge) are extraordinarily rare and lineage-bound, surpassing even famed masters like Paraśurāma; such knowledge implies responsibility and restraint in its use.
Bhīṣma identifies and authenticates a specific divine weapon—Prasvāpa—stating its divine affiliation (Prajāpati) and maker (Viśvakarman), and emphasizing its exclusivity by noting that even Paraśurāma and all other men on earth do not know it.