Shloka 3
कुन्ती द्वारा ब्राह्मण-सेवा
Kuntī’s Regulated Hospitality to a Brāhmaṇa Guest
ततः प्रगृह् विपुलां शतघण्टां विभीषण: । अनुमन्त्रय महाशक्तिं चिक्षेपास्य शिर: प्रति,तत्पश्चात् विभीषणने एक विशाल महाशक्ति हाथमें ली, जिसमें शोभाके लिये सौ घंटियाँ लगी हुई थीं। उसे अभिमन्त्रित करके उन्होंने प्रहस्तके मस्तकपर दे मारा
tataḥ pragṛhya vipulāṃ śataghaṇṭāṃ vibhīṣaṇaḥ | anumantrya mahāśaktiṃ cikṣepāsya śiraḥ prati ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: Then Vibhīṣaṇa, taking up a huge great spear adorned with a hundred bells, consecrated it with a mantra and hurled it straight at Prahasta’s head. The scene underscores the grim ethics of battle: once combat is joined, skill and resolve are joined to ritual discipline, and violence is directed with deliberate intent rather than reckless rage.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that in epic warfare, action is framed by discipline and intention: weapons are not merely physical tools but are ritually empowered, suggesting accountability and controlled resolve even amid violence.
Vibhīṣaṇa lifts a massive, bell-adorned spear, empowers it with a mantra, and throws it at Prahasta’s head, marking a decisive, targeted strike in the combat episode being narrated by Mārkaṇḍeya.