Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
तेनोत्तमास्त्रेण ततो महात्मा सर्वाण्यनीकानि महाथनुष्मान् | शरौघजालैरविंमलाग्निवर्ण- निवारयामास किरीटमाली,फिर किरीटधारी महामना महाधनुर्धर अर्जुनने उस उत्तम अस्त्रद्वारा निर्मल एवं अग्निके समान प्रज्वलित बाणोंका जाल-सा बिछाकर कौरवोंके समस्त सैनिकोंको आगे बढ़नेसे रोक दिया
tenottamāstreṇa tato mahātmā sarvāṇy anīkāni mahādhanuṣmān | śaraughajālair avimalāgnivarṇa-nivārayāmāsa kirīṭamālī ||
Then that great-souled, mighty bowman—Arjuna, the wearer of the diadem—by means of a supreme weapon spread forth a net-like torrent of arrows, pure and blazing like fire, and thereby checked all the Kaurava battle-formations from advancing. The scene underscores disciplined force: power is exercised not as blind slaughter, but as controlled restraint to halt aggression and protect one’s side in a righteous contest.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights disciplined power in dharmic warfare: a warrior may employ superior skill and weapons to restrain and halt unjust advance, emphasizing control and protection rather than uncontrolled destruction.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna, the diadem-wearing great archer, uses a supreme weapon to unleash a blazing, net-like shower of arrows that blocks the Kaurava formations and prevents them from moving forward.