Shloka 1
संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! भीमसेनको उस अस्त्रसे घिरा हुआ देख अर्जुनने उन्हें उसके तेजका निवारण करनेके लिये वारुणास्त्रसे ढक दिया
sañjaya uvāca—rājan! bhīmasenaṃ tam astrena parivṛtaṃ dṛṣṭvā arjunaḥ tasya tejo nivārayituṃ vāruṇāstreṇa ācchādayām āsa.
Sanjaya said: O King, seeing Bhimasena surrounded and pressed by that weapon, Arjuna covered him with the Varuna-weapon in order to check and neutralize its blazing force. The episode highlights the warrior’s duty to protect an ally and the ethical use of countermeasures in battle—restraining destructive power rather than letting it consume the vulnerable.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, power should be governed by dharma: a warrior’s strength is shown not only in attack but in timely protection and in restraining destructive forces through appropriate, proportionate countermeasures.
Bhima is caught within the effect of a powerful astra. Arjuna responds by deploying the Vāruṇāstra, whose watery/quenching force covers Bhima and suppresses the weapon’s fiery energy, saving him from its impact.