Shloka 246
अस्त्र मामेव हन्याद्धि हन्याच्चापि बल॑ मम । “जनार्दन! इस अस्त्रका मैं दो बार प्रयोग नहीं कर सकता; क्योंकि ऐसा करनेपर यह मुझे ही मार डालेगा और मेरी सेनाका भी संहार कर देगा'
astra mām eva hanyād dhi hanyāc cāpi balaṁ mama |
Sañjaya said: “Indeed, this weapon would strike me myself; and it would also destroy my own forces. Therefore, O Janārdana, I cannot employ this missile a second time—for if I do so, it will recoil upon me and bring ruin upon my side as well.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, the use of extraordinary weapons is bounded by responsibility: an act that predictably rebounds to destroy oneself and one’s own people should be restrained. Power without discernment becomes self-destructive.
Sañjaya reports a warrior’s hesitation about repeating the use of a powerful astra. The speaker addresses Janārdana, explaining that a second deployment would recoil, killing the user and causing the destruction of his own forces.