Shloka 156
देवैरपि सुदुर्धर्षमस्त्रमाग्नेयमाददे । उस समय द्रोणपुत्रको अर्जुन और श्रीकृष्णपर अधिक क्रोध हुआ, उस पराक्रमी वीरने सावधानीके साथ रथपर खड़ा हो आचमन करके आग्नेयास्त्र हाथमें लिया, जो देवताओंके लिये भी अत्यन्त दुर्जय था
sañjaya uvāca | devair api sudurdharṣam astram āgneyam ādade |
Sanjaya said: He took up the Agneya weapon—an incendiary celestial missile so hard to withstand that even the gods find it nearly unconquerable. In the heat of battle, driven by intensified wrath against Arjuna and Krishna, the son of Drona stood firmly upon his chariot, performed the purificatory sipping of water (ācamana) with care, and then grasped this fearsome fire-weapon—signaling a grave escalation where anger threatens to overrun restraint and dharma in war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger can drive a warrior toward extreme, potentially adharma-laden escalation—invoking devastating divine weapons. The mention of ritual care (ācamana) contrasts outer discipline with inner fury, implying that true restraint is ethical, not merely procedural.
Sanjaya reports that Drona’s son (Aśvatthāmā, in context) prepares to deploy the Agneya-astra, a fire-based celestial weapon said to be nearly irresistible even to the gods, marking a dangerous intensification of the conflict against Arjuna and Krishna.