Shloka 53
उत्सहन्ते3न्यथा कर्तुमेतदस्त्रं मयेरितम् तदिदं केवल हत्वा शान्तमक्षौहिणीं ज्वलत्,“मेरे द्वारा प्रयोग किये हुए इस अस्त्रको असुर, गन्धर्व, पिशाच, राक्षस, सर्प, यक्ष, पक्षी और मनुष्य किसी तरह भी व्यर्थ नहीं कर सकते थे, तो भी यह प्रज्वलित अस्त्र केवल एक अक्षौहिणी सेनाको जलाकर शान्त हो गया
utsahante ’nyathā kartum etad astraṁ mayā īritam | tad idaṁ kevalaṁ hatvā śāntam akṣauhiṇīṁ jvalat ||
Sanjaya said: “No being could in any way render futile this weapon that I had discharged. Yet this blazing missile, after consuming only a single akṣauhiṇī of troops, became pacified.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even an irresistible weapon is not merely a display of power; its true ethical weight lies in its restraint and the scale of harm it causes. The verse highlights the terrifying potency of astras while underscoring that their cessation—after limited destruction—matters morally and narratively.
Sanjaya reports that a weapon he had released could not be neutralized by any beings, yet it ultimately subsided after burning down only one akṣauhiṇī of troops. The focus is on the weapon’s unstoppable nature and the extent of its devastation before it calms.