Shloka 34
अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः
Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle
तस्मिन् विनिहते चास्त्रे भारद्वाजो युधिष्ठिरे । वारुणं याम्यमाग्नेयं त्वाष्टूं सावित्रमेव च
tasmin vinihate cāstre bhāradvājo yudhiṣṭhire | vāruṇaṁ yāmyam āgneyam tvāṣṭraṁ sāvitrām eva ca
Sañjaya said: When that weapon had been neutralized, Bhāradvāja (Droṇa) then, against Yudhiṣṭhira’s side, released in succession the Varuṇa-weapon, the Yama-weapon, the Agni-weapon, the Tvaṣṭṛ-weapon, and the Sāvitra-weapon as well—escalating the battle through ever more formidable divine missiles, and thereby deepening the moral tension between righteous restraint and the compulsions of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare tends to escalate: once one weapon is countered, stronger and more varied forces are unleashed. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—dharma is not merely about power or victory, but about restraint and discernment amid pressures that push combatants toward ever more destructive means.
After a previously deployed missile is rendered ineffective, Droṇa (Bhāradvāja) responds by releasing a sequence of powerful divine astras—associated with Varuṇa, Yama, Agni, Tvaṣṭṛ, and Savitṛ—directed against Yudhiṣṭhira’s side, intensifying the battle’s danger and scale.