Shloka 9
Chapter 61: Karṇa’s martial assurances and Bhīṣma’s strategic rebuttal in the Kuru assembly
यां चापि शक्ति त्रिदशाधिपस्ते ददौ महात्मा भगवान् महेन्द्र: । भस्मीकृतां तां समरे विशीर्णा चक्राहतां द्रक्ष्यसि केशवेन
yāṃ cāpi śaktiṃ tridaśādhipas te dadau mahātmā bhagavān mahendraḥ | bhasmīkṛtāṃ tāṃ samare viśīrṇāṃ cakrāhatāṃ drakṣyasi keśavena ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “That very divine missile (śakti) which the great-souled, glorious Mahendra—lord of the gods—has granted you, you will see shattered and burnt to ashes on the battlefield, struck down by the discus hurled by Keśava. You will behold it with your own eyes.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most formidable power gained through divine favor can be rendered futile when opposed by a higher divine order; reliance on weapons and boons without humility and right conduct leads to ruin.
Vaiśaṃpāyana foretells that the śakti weapon bestowed by Indra will be destroyed in battle—burnt and shattered—when struck by Keśava’s discus, emphasizing Kṛṣṇa’s decisive intervention and superiority.