Shloka 109
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
अथ संधाय वायब्यमस्त्रमस्त्रविदां वर: । व्यधमद् द्रोणतनयो नीलमेघं समुत्थितम्
atha sandhāya vāyavyam astram astravidāṃ varaḥ | vyadhamad droṇatanayo nīlameghaṃ samutthitam ||
Sañjaya said: Then the son of Droṇa—foremost among masters of weapons—fixed and released the Vāyavya missile. With it he blew away the dark-blue cloud that had risen, clearing the field and undoing the obscuring force. In the ethical frame of the war, this shows how counter-weapons were used to neutralize peril without yielding to panic, restoring visibility and order amid engineered confusion.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the chaos of battle, disciplined knowledge and presence of mind matter: threats created through concealment and confusion should be met with appropriate, proportionate countermeasures that restore clarity and protect one’s side.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā, famed for mastery of astras, deploys the Vāyavya weapon to disperse a dark cloud that has arisen—removing an obscuring or threatening atmospheric effect on the battlefield.