Shloka 7
Chapter 14: Divyāstra-Prayoga and Ṛṣi Intervention (दिव्यास्त्रप्रयोगः ऋषिसमागमश्च)
ततस्तदस्त्रं सहसा सृष्टं गाण्डीवधन्चना । प्रजज्वाल महार्चिष्मद् युगान्तानलसंनिभम्,गाण्डीवधारी अर्जुनके द्वारा छोड़ा गया वह ब्रह्मास्त्र सहसा प्रज्वलित हो उठा। उससे प्रलयाग्निके समान बड़ी-बड़ी लपटें उठने लगीं
tatastad astraṃ sahasā sṛṣṭaṃ gāṇḍīvadhanvanā | prajajvāla mahārcīṣmad yugāntānala-saṃnibham ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then that missile, suddenly released by the wielder of Gāṇḍīva, blazed forth at once—radiant with immense flames, resembling the fire at the end of an age. The scene underscores how the unleashing of supreme weapons in war escalates destruction beyond human measure, pressing the combatants toward restraint and responsibility even amid vengeance and chaos.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the disproportionate, near-apocalyptic power of divinely empowered weapons; it implicitly warns that such force demands ethical restraint and accountability, since its effects can exceed the limits of just warfare.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the missile released by Arjuna, the bearer of the Gāṇḍīva, suddenly ignites and shines with massive flames, likened to the cosmic fire of dissolution—signaling a terrifying escalation in the conflict.