Shloka 9
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 94: Sātyaki–Sudarśana Yuddha (सात्यकि–सुदर्शन युद्ध)
तस्याशुक्षिप्तान् भल्लान् हि भल्लै: संनतपर्वभि: | प्रत्यविध्यदमेयात्मा ब्रह्मास्त्रं समुदीरयन्,अमेय आत्मबलसे सम्पन्न द्रोणाचार्यने अर्जुनके तुरंत चलाये हुए उन भल्ल्लोंको झुकी हुई गाँठवाले भल्लोंद्वारा ही काट दिया और ब्रह्मास्त्र प्रकट किया
sañjaya uvāca | tasyāśukṣiptān bhallān hi bhallaiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ | pratyavidhyad ameyātmā brahmāstraṃ samudīrayan |
Sañjaya berkata: Droṇa, yang kekuatan batinnya tak terukur, seketika menebas bhalla-bhalla yang dilepaskan Arjuna dengan bhalla miliknya yang beruas melengkung; lalu ia membangkitkan Brahmāstra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension in warfare: technical brilliance and immediate countermeasures can rapidly escalate into the use of catastrophic divine weapons (astra). It implicitly warns that power must be governed by discernment, since invoking supreme weapons carries disproportionate consequences.
Arjuna shoots bhalla-arrows at Drona. Drona promptly cuts/counters those arrows with his own specially jointed bhallas and then proceeds to invoke the Brahmāstra, intensifying the battle.