Shloka 273

Devanagari script

ऐन्द्रमस्त्रममेयात्मा प्रादुश्चक्रे महारथ: । उनसे पीड़ित होकर इन्द्रके तुल्य पराक्रमी तथा अमेय आत्मबलसे सम्पन्न महारथी अर्जुनने ऐन्द्रास्त्र प्रकट किया

Transliteration

aindram astram ameyātmā prāduścakre mahārathaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: The great chariot-warrior, whose inner power was beyond measure, manifested the Indra-weapon. Pressed and afflicted by the enemy’s assault, Arjuna—Indra’s equal in prowess and endowed with immeasurable strength—brought forth the Aindra astra, answering force with disciplined, divinely sanctioned counterforce within the grim ethics of battlefield duty.

Word by Word

ऐन्द्रम्Indra-related, belonging to Indra

अस्त्रम्weapon (missile)

अमेयात्माone whose self/power is immeasurable

प्रादुश्चक्रेmanifested, brought forth

महारथःgreat chariot-warrior

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna

Indra

Aindra Astra (Indra-weapon)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined power: even overwhelming force is framed as a measured response within kṣatriya-dharma. Divine weapons are not mere displays of might but instruments used under the constraints of duty, proportionality, and battlefield responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Karṇa Parva battle sequence, Arjuna, hard-pressed by hostile attacks, counters by manifesting the Aindra astra—Indra’s celestial weapon—signaling an escalation to divine armaments in the duel-like intensity of the war.