Shloka 19
Bhīṣma’s Recollection of the Duel: Charioteer’s Fall, Brahmin Protection, and Portents after Rāma’s Collapse
ऋषयश्च सगन्धर्वा देवताश्वैव भारत । संतापं परमं जग्मुरस्त्रतेजोडभिपीडिता:,भारत! जन ब्रह्मास्त्रोंक तेजसे पीड़ित होकर ऋषि, गन्धर्व तथा देवता भी अत्यन्त संतप्त हो उठे
ṛṣayaś ca sa-gandharvā devatāś caiva bhārata | santāpaṃ paramaṃ jagmur astratejodabhipīḍitāḥ ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Oh Bhārata, los sabios—junto con los Gandharvas—e incluso los dioses fueron llevados a una angustia extrema, oprimidos por el poder abrasador de aquella arma.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores ethical restraint: the use of overwhelming astras has consequences beyond the immediate enemy, disturbing sages, celestial beings, and the wider cosmic order. Power in war must be governed by dharma, not anger or rivalry.
Bhīṣma describes how the intense energy of a released weapon (astra-tejas) causes universal distress—so severe that ṛṣis, Gandharvas, and even the gods become tormented—highlighting the terrifying, world-affecting nature of such missiles.