Shloka 9
Chapter 40: Śiva in Kirāta Disguise Tests Arjuna
Mūka-vadha and the Contest
यत् तद् ब्रह्मशिरो नाम रौद्रे भीमपराक्रमम् | चुगान्ते दारुणे प्राप्ते कृत्स्नं संहरते जगत्,जिसका नाम ब्रह्मशिर है, आप भगवान् रुद्र ही जिसके देवता हैं, जो भयानक पराक्रम प्रकट करनेवाला तथा दारुण प्रलयकालमें सम्पूर्ण जगत्का संहारक है
yat tad brahmaśiro nāma raudre bhīmaparākramam | yugānte dāruṇe prāpte kṛtsnaṁ saṁharate jagat |
Arjuna said: “That weapon called Brahmaśiras—presided over by the fierce Rudra, terrible in its might—when the dreadful end of an age arrives, is capable of annihilating the entire world.” In invoking it, Arjuna underscores the ethical gravity of deploying ultimate force: such power is not merely martial skill but a cosmic responsibility whose misuse threatens dharma itself.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and cosmic weight of ultimate weapons: power that can end the world must be governed by restraint and dharma, not anger or rivalry. By describing Brahmaśiras as yugānta-capable, Arjuna implicitly warns that certain forces exceed ordinary battlefield ethics and demand exceptional self-control.
Arjuna is speaking about the astra named Brahmaśiras, characterizing it as Rudra-presided and catastrophically powerful—able to destroy the whole world at the end of an age. The statement functions as a cautionary description of the weapon’s nature and consequences, setting a serious tone around its invocation or discussion.