Shloka 34
कर्णभीमयुद्धम्
Karna–Bhīma Combat Report
प्रादुश्चक्रे ततो ब्राह्ममस्त्रमस्त्रविदां वर: | प्रजानाथ! तब सहसा आती हुई उस शक्तिको देखकर अस्त्रवेत्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ द्रोणने ब्रह्मास्त्र प्रकट किया ।। ३३ ह ।। तदस्त्रं भस्मसात्कृत्वा तां शक्ति घोरदर्शनाम्
sañjaya uvāca | prāduścakre tato brāhmam astram astravidāṃ varaḥ | tad astraṃ bhasmasāt kṛtvā tāṃ śaktiṃ ghoradarśanām |
Sañjaya said: Then Droṇa, the foremost among masters of weapons, manifested the Brahmā-weapon. That divine missile reduced to ashes the dreadful, fearsome-looking Śakti that had rushed in suddenly—thus meeting overwhelming force with a higher, restraining counterforce in the midst of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the chaos of war, destructive power tends to invite an even greater counterforce. It implicitly raises the ethical tension of escalation: mastery over weapons includes not only the ability to deploy them but also the responsibility to neutralize threats without unleashing needless devastation.
As a terrifying Śakti-weapon rushes in, Droṇa—described as the foremost among weapon-experts—responds by manifesting the Brahmāstra. That higher astra burns the incoming Śakti to ashes, preventing its impact.