Shloka 39
ब्रह्मास्त्रेण त्वया दग्धा अनस्त्रज्ञा नरा भुवि | यदेतदीदृशं विप्र कृतं कर्म न साधु तत्,“इस भूतलपर जो लोग ब्रह्मास्त्र नहीं जानते थे, उन्हें भी तुमने ब्रह्मास्त्रसे ही दग्ध किया है। ब्रह्मन! तुमने जो ऐसा कर्म किया है, यह कदापि उत्तम नहीं है
brahmāstreṇa tvayā dagdhā anastrajñā narā bhuvi | yad etad īdṛśaṃ vipra kṛtaṃ karma na sādhu tat ||
Sañjaya said: “By your Brahmāstra you have burned even men on the earth who had no knowledge of weapons. O brāhmaṇa, this deed of yours—done in such a manner—is not righteous, nor is it commendable.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, the use of overwhelming, indiscriminate force is condemned when it harms those who are not trained combatants or are not proper targets. Power—especially sacred or catastrophic weaponry—must be governed by dharma and restraint.
Sañjaya reports a moral rebuke: someone addressed as “vipra” has deployed the Brahmāstra in a way that burns people who are ‘anastrajña’ (ignorant of weapons). The verse frames this as an improper act, highlighting ethical limits within the battlefield context.