Shloka 35
Brahmaśirastra-pratisaṃhāra — Retraction and redirection of the supreme weapon
Sauptika Parva, Adhyāya 15
वैशग्पायन उवाच तत: परममस्त्र॑ तु द्रौणिरुद्यतमाहवे । द्वैधायनवच: श्रुत्वा गर्भेषु प्रमुमोच ह
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca: tataḥ paramam astraṃ tu drauṇir udyatam āhave | dvaidhāyana-vacaḥ śrutvā garbheṣu pramumoca ha ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Kemudian, di tengah pertempuran, putra Droṇa melepaskan senjata tertinggi itu. Setelah mendengar sabda Dvaidhāyana (Vyāsa), ia pun meluncurkannya tepat kepada janin-janin dalam kandungan garis Pāṇḍava.”
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how vengeance can drive a warrior beyond the bounds of dharma: targeting the unborn is portrayed as an extreme moral transgression, turning war into an assault on the very continuity of life and lineage.
Aśvatthāman, in battle, releases a supreme weapon after hearing Vyāsa’s words; the weapon is directed toward the embryos in the wombs of the Pāṇḍava line, escalating the conflict from battlefield combat to an attempt at annihilating future heirs.