Shloka 40
एतन्नारायणादस्त्रं तत् प्राप्त पितृबन्धुना । तेनाहं पाण्डवांश्वैव पज्चालान् मत्स्यकेकयान्
etannārāyaṇād astraṃ tat prāptaṃ pitṛbandhunā | tenāhaṃ pāṇḍavāṃś caiva pāñcālān matsyakekayān
Sañjaya berkata— Inilah senjata Nārāyaṇa itu, yang diperoleh melalui seorang kerabat dari pihak ayah. Dengan senjata itu aku melihat para Pāṇḍava, juga kaum Pāñcāla, Matsya, dan Kekaya (terserang/terhimpit).
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the terrifying moral weight of divinely empowered weapons in war: when such astras are deployed, ordinary human valor and numbers become secondary, reminding readers that power must be restrained by dharma and responsibility.
Sañjaya identifies the weapon being used as the Nārāyaṇāstra and notes that it was obtained through a paternal relative; he then describes its effect as bearing down upon the Pāṇḍavas and their allied forces—Pāñcālas, Matsyas, and Kekayas—within the Kurukṣetra battle narrative.