Shloka 34
अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः
Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle
तस्मिन् विनिहते चास्त्रे भारद्वाजो युधिष्ठिरे । वारुणं याम्यमाग्नेयं त्वाष्टूं सावित्रमेव च
tasmin vinihate cāstre bhāradvājo yudhiṣṭhire | vāruṇaṁ yāmyam āgneyam tvāṣṭraṁ sāvitrām eva ca
Sañjaya dit : Quand cette arme eut été neutralisée, Bhāradvāja (Droṇa) lança alors, contre le côté de Yudhiṣṭhira, successivement le Varuṇa-astra, le Yama-astra, l’Agni-astra, le Tvaṣṭṛ-astra, et le Sāvitra-astra—faisant monter la bataille par des traits divins toujours plus redoutables, et approfondissant la tension morale entre la retenue juste et les contraintes de la guerre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare tends to escalate: once one weapon is countered, stronger and more varied forces are unleashed. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—dharma is not merely about power or victory, but about restraint and discernment amid pressures that push combatants toward ever more destructive means.
After a previously deployed missile is rendered ineffective, Droṇa (Bhāradvāja) responds by releasing a sequence of powerful divine astras—associated with Varuṇa, Yama, Agni, Tvaṣṭṛ, and Savitṛ—directed against Yudhiṣṭhira’s side, intensifying the battle’s danger and scale.