Shloka 19
Yudhiṣṭhira–Droṇa Saṃgrāma
Engagement and Countermeasures
पार्थ पाशुपतं नाम परमास्त्रं सनातनम् | येन सर्वान् मृधे दैत्यान् जघ्ने देवो महेश्वर:,'पार्थ! पाशुपत नामक एक परम उत्तम सनातन अस्त्र है, जिससे युद्धमें भगवान् महेश्वरने समस्त दैत्योंका वध किया था
pārtha pāśupataṃ nāma paramāstraṃ sanātanam | yena sarvān mṛdhe daityān jaghne devo maheśvaraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O Pārtha, there is an eternal, supremely potent weapon called the Pāśupata. With it, the god Maheśvara once slew all the Dāityas in battle.” The statement elevates the Pāśupata as a divinely sanctioned force, implying that such power is not merely martial skill but a sacred trust—meant to be wielded only under rightful authority and for the restoration of order in war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that ultimate power in war is portrayed as divine and ancient, not merely human. By citing Śiva’s use of the Pāśupata to destroy the Dāityas, it implies that such force is legitimate only when aligned with cosmic order (dharma) and exercised with restraint under rightful sanction.
Sañjaya addresses Arjuna (Pārtha) and identifies the Pāśupata as an unsurpassed, eternal weapon. He supports its greatness by recalling a mythic precedent: Maheśvara (Śiva) used it in battle to slay the Dāityas, thereby emphasizing the weapon’s extraordinary, divine pedigree.