Shloka 56
ततो द्रौणि: प्रहस्यैनं द्रवन्तमभिभाष्य च । अवाकिर्त प्रदीप्ताग्रै: शरैस्तैरभिमन्त्रितै:,तब अअभ्रवत्थामाने धावा करनेवाले भीमसेनसे हँसकर बात की और उनपर नारायणास्त्रसे अभिमन्त्रित प्रज्वलित अग्रभागवाले बाणोंकी झड़ी लगा दी
tato drauṇiḥ prahasyainaṃ dravantaṃ abhibhāṣya ca | avākirat pradīptāgraiḥ śaraiḥ tair abhimantritaiḥ ||
Then Droṇi (Aśvatthāmā), laughing, addressed him as he ran, and showered him with those consecrated arrows whose tips blazed—arrows empowered by the Nārāyaṇāstra. The scene underscores how, in the frenzy of war, divine weapons magnify both prowess and peril, demanding restraint and right conduct from those who witness their unleashed force.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of warfare: when mantra-empowered divine weapons are deployed, their overwhelming force demands heightened restraint and discernment, since victory pursued without limits can quickly become adharma.
Aśvatthāmā (Droṇa’s son) laughs and speaks to his opponent as he moves, then unleashes a rain of blazing, mantra-consecrated arrows—identified in the surrounding context as empowered by the Nārāyaṇāstra.