Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यदि जानीथ तां शक्तिमेकघ्नीं सततं रणे । अनिवार्यामसहांं च देवैरपि सवासवै:

Transliteration

yadi jānītha tāṁ śaktim ekaghnīṁ satataṁ raṇe | anivāryām asahāṁ ca devair api savāsavaiḥ ||

Translation

Jika engkau mengetahui tombak-senjata itu—yang senantiasa mematikan di medan laga, membunuh dengan satu tebasan, tak tertahan dan tak tertanggungkan—bahkan bagi para dewa bersama Indra—maka (katakanlah kepadaku).

Word by Word

यदिif

जानीथyou know

ताम्that (her/it)

शक्तिम्power; (also) spear/weapon named Śakti

एकघ्नीम्slaying with a single (stroke); single-slayer

सततम्always; continually

रणेin battle

अनिवार्याम्irresistible; unavoidable

असहाम्unbearable; intolerable

चand

देवैःby the gods

अपिeven; also

सवासवैःtogether with Indra (Vāsava); along with Vāsava

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Śakti (spear-weapon)

Devas (gods)

Vāsava/Indra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the terrifying moral and strategic weight of extraordinary weapons: when force becomes ‘irresistible’ and ‘single-slaying,’ it intensifies fear, uncertainty, and the ethical burden of war, reminding the listener that power can exceed even divine resistance and thus demands grave discernment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions his interlocutor about a famed spear-weapon (śakti) described as unfailingly lethal in battle—so overpowering that even the gods with Indra cannot withstand it—seeking clarity about its nature and implications amid the unfolding conflict.