Shloka 13
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
यत् तदुग्रं तप: कृष्ण चरन् सत्यपराक्रम: । अगस्त्याद् भारताचार्य: प्रत्यपद्यत मे पिता
yad tad ugraṁ tapaḥ kṛṣṇa caran satyaparākramaḥ | agastyād bhāratācāryaḥ pratyapadyata me pitā |
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô Kṛṣṇa ! Mon père—ācārya de la lignée des Bhārata, ferme dans la vérité et puissant par la vaillance—accomplit de rudes austérités et obtint du sage Agastya le Brahmāstra divin. Cette arme, honorée parmi les dieux et les Gandharva, est aujourd’hui en ma possession comme elle le fut en celle de mon père. Aussi, ô le meilleur des Yadu, reçois de moi ce trait céleste et, en échange, accorde-moi ton arme, le disque Cakra, qui abat les ennemis sur le champ de bataille.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary power (divine weapons) is framed as the fruit of disciplined tapas and legitimate transmission through lineage, and it raises an ethical tension: even revered, heaven-honored weapons are sought for battlefield destruction, so the pursuit of power must be weighed against dharma and responsibility.
A speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) states that his father obtained the Brahmāstra from Agastya through fierce austerities; he claims to possess it now and proposes an exchange with Kṛṣṇa—offering the Brahmāstra and requesting Kṛṣṇa’s enemy-destroying Cakra in return.