Shloka 16
अश्वत्थाम-शापः, परिक्षिद्भविष्यत्, मणि-न्यासः
Aśvatthāman’s Curse, Parikṣit’s Future, and the Mani’s Restitution
अहं त॑ जीवयिष्यामि दग्धं शस्त्राग्नितेजसा । पश्य मे तपसो वीर्य सत्यस्य च नराधम
ahaṁ taṁ jīvayiṣyāmi dagdhaṁ śastrāgnitejasā | paśya me tapaso vīryaṁ satyasya ca narādhama ||
वैशम्पायन बोले— “तेरे शस्त्र की अग्नितुल्य तेज से दग्ध हुए उस बालक को मैं फिर जीवित कर दूँगा। अरे नराधम! मेरे तप का पराक्रम और सत्य का प्रभाव देख।”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the aftermath of war and atrocity, dharma asserts itself through protection of the innocent: the verse highlights the moral authority of tapas (disciplined spiritual power) and satya (truthfulness) as forces that can counter destructive violence.
The speaker declares the ability to revive a child who has been burned by the fiery energy of a weapon, challenging the perpetrator as “narādhama” and invoking the demonstrable power of austerity and truth to undo the harm.