Shloka 37
Adhyāya 168: Arjuna’s counters to māyā-rains and the onset of darkness
Nivātakavaca engagement
तदप्यस्त्रं महातेजा: क्षणेनैव व्यशातयत् । ब्रह्मास्त्रे तु हते राजन् भयं मां महदाविशत्
tad apy astraṃ mahātejāḥ kṣaṇenaiva vyaśātayat | brahmāstre tu hate rājan bhayaṃ māṃ mahad āviśat ||
Arjuna said: “Even that weapon the mighty one neutralized in an instant. But when the Brahmāstra had been destroyed, O King, a great fear seized me.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension around supreme weapons: even when one can counter or destroy an astra, the aftermath can evoke fear because such power is unstable and potentially catastrophic. It implicitly values restraint and vigilance in the use of extraordinary force.
Arjuna reports that a mighty opponent neutralized a weapon instantly; yet when the Brahmāstra itself was destroyed, Arjuna felt intense fear—suggesting the encounter involved extremely high-stakes divine weaponry and the dangerous consequences of its deployment.