Shloka 6
Brahmaśirastra-pratisaṃhāra — Retraction and redirection of the supreme weapon
Sauptika Parva, Adhyāya 15
विसृष्टस्य रणे तस्य परमास्त्रस्य संग्रहे । अशक्तः पाण्डवादन्य: साक्षादपि शतक्रतु:
visṛṣṭasya raṇe tasya paramāstrasya saṅgrahe | aśaktaḥ pāṇḍavād anyaḥ sākṣād api śatakratuḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Lorsque ce projectile suprême eut été lâché dans la bataille, nul autre parmi les Pāṇḍava n’eut le pouvoir de le retirer et de le réabsorber — pas même Śatakratu (Indra) n’en était capable. Le passage souligne la lourde responsabilité qui accompagne les armes divines : une fois déchaînées, les rappeler est d’une difficulté extrême, et seul un maître de l’art et de la retenue peut détourner leur course destructrice.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that the use of supreme weapons demands exceptional restraint: releasing a divine missile is easy compared to recalling it, and true mastery lies in the ability to control and withdraw destructive power.
Vaiśampāyana remarks that once the supreme weapon was discharged in battle, recalling it was beyond everyone’s capacity—so difficult that even Indra is said to be unable—implying that only Arjuna had the skill to withdraw it after release.