Shloka 184
Bhīṣma’s Recollection of the Duel: Charioteer’s Fall, Brahmin Protection, and Portents after Rāma’s Collapse
तदनन्तर देवता, असुर तथा राक्षसोंसहित सम्पूर्ण जगत्में हाहाकार मच गया। भारत! “यही उपयुक्त अवसर है” ऐसा मानकर मैंने तुरंत ही प्रस्वापनास्त्रको छोड़नेका विचार किया। फिर तो उन ब्रह्मवादी वसुओंके कथनानुसार उस विचित्र अस्त्रका मेरे मनमें स्मरण हो आया ।।
tadanantaraṃ devatā asurā tathā rākṣasaiḥ sahitaṃ sampūrṇe jagati hāhākāro macchitaḥ। bhārata! “ayam eva upayuktaḥ avasaraḥ” iti matvā mayā tūrṇam eva prasvāpanāstram utsraṣṭuṃ vicāritaṃ। tataḥ teṣāṃ brahmavādināṃ vasūnāṃ vacanānusāreṇa tasya vicitrasya astrasya mama manasi smṛtir ājagāma॥
Después de eso, se alzó un gran clamor de alarma por todo el mundo—entre dioses, asuras y rākṣasas por igual. Oh Bhārata, juzgando: «Éste es el momento oportuno», resolví de inmediato soltar el Prasvāpanāstra, el arma del sueño. Entonces, conforme a las palabras de aquellos Vasus que hablan de Brahman, el recuerdo de aquel prodigioso proyectil volvió a mi mente.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in conflict, the decision to deploy extraordinary force is framed as a matter of timing, propriety, and higher counsel: Bhīṣma weighs the ‘right occasion’ and acts in line with authoritative guidance (the Vasus), highlighting restraint, responsibility, and the ethical gravity of escalation.
A cosmic panic spreads among all classes of beings. Seeing the moment as critical, Bhīṣma decides to release the sleep-weapon (Prasvāpanāstra). Prompted by the Vasus’ instruction, he recalls the specific wondrous astra needed for the situation.