Shloka 216

Devanagari script

सर्वलोकप्रमोहार्थ तदस्त्र॑ प्रमुमोच ह । नृपश्रेष्ठ ऐसा कहकर प्रतापी द्रोणपुत्रने सम्पूर्ण लोकोंको मोहमें डालनेके लिये वह अस्त्र छोड़ दिया

Transliteration

sarvalokapramohārthaṃ tad astraṃ pramumoca ha |

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : Dans l’intention d’aveugler et de confondre tous les êtres, il relâcha alors cette arme. L’acte signale une escalade délibérée de la guerre : recourir à une force faite non seulement pour vaincre l’adversaire, mais pour submerger l’ordre moral et mental du monde lui-même.

Word by Word

• सर्वलोकप्रमोहार्थम्: for the purpose of deluding all worlds
• सर्वलोकप्रमोहार्थम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वलोकप्रमोह + अर्थ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अस्त्रम्: weapon; missile
• अस्त्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्रमुमोच: released; let loose
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ह: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• astra (divine/supernatural weapon)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical danger of deploying power with the intention to spread moha (delusion) broadly: when violence aims at universal confusion rather than limited military necessity, it signals a fall from dharma and invites grave consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sauptika Parva’s aftermath of night slaughter, the narrative reports that a formidable astra is discharged specifically to bewilder all beings, marking a dramatic intensification of the conflict through supernatural means.