Shloka 16
श्रुत्वा स तस्या विपुलं विलापं पुरुषर्षभ: । उपस्पृश्य ततः कृष्णो ब्रह्मास्त्रं प्रत्यसंहरत्,उसका महान् विलाप सुनकर पुरुषोत्तम श्रीकृष्णने आचमन करके अभश्वत्थामाके चलाये हुए ब्रह्मास्त्रको शान्त कर दिया
śrutvā sa tasyā vipulaṃ vilāpaṃ puruṣarṣabhaḥ | upaspṛśya tataḥ kṛṣṇo brahmāstraṃ pratyasaṃharat |
Hearing her intense and overflowing lament, Kṛṣṇa—the foremost among men—first performed ācamana for ritual composure and purity, and then counteracted and withdrew the Brahmāstra that Aśvatthāman had unleashed. The episode underscores that even in the aftermath of war, supreme power must be restrained by dharma and exercised to protect the innocent rather than to prolong vengeance.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic restraint: even the most formidable force (Brahmāstra) must be checked when it threatens the blameless. Kṛṣṇa’s composed, ritualized action models disciplined power used for protection rather than retaliation.
After hearing a woman’s anguished lament—arising from the danger posed by Aśvatthāman’s Brahmāstra—Kṛṣṇa performs ācamana and then neutralizes/withdraws the Brahmāstra, preventing its destructive effect.