Shloka 38
अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः
Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle
पति: कुरूणां गजसिंहगामी विशालवक्षा: पृथुलोहिताक्ष: । प्रादुश्षकारास्त्रमहीनतेजा माहेन्द्रमन्न्यत् स जघान तेन,तब गज और सिंहके समान गतिवाले, विशाल वक्ष:स्थलसे सुशोभित, बड़े-बड़े लाल नेत्रोंवाले, उत्कृष्ट तेजस्वी कुरुपति युधिष्ठिरने माहेन्द्र अस्त्र प्रकट किया और उसीसे अन्य सभी दिव्यास्त्रोंकी नष्ट कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | patiḥ kurūṇāṃ gajasiṃhagāmī viśālavakṣāḥ pṛthulohitākṣaḥ | prāduṣṣakārāstramahīnatējā māhendram anyat sa jaghāna tena ||
Sañjaya said: The lord of the Kurus—moving with the force of an elephant and a lion, broad-chested, and large red-eyed—of undiminished, exalted brilliance, manifested the Māhendra weapon; and by means of it he struck down and nullified the other divine missiles. In the moral texture of the war, the verse underscores how mastery of power is shown not merely by unleashing force, but by restraining and countering destructive escalation through a superior, decisive means.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid warfare, true mastery is shown by controlled, decisive action that prevents unchecked destruction—countering dangerous force with a superior means rather than multiplying violence without limit.
Sañjaya describes the Kuru leader (identified in the accompanying gloss as Yudhiṣṭhira) manifesting the Māhendra weapon and using it to strike down or neutralize the other divine astras that had been deployed.