Shloka 184
Bhīṣma’s Recollection of the Duel: Charioteer’s Fall, Brahmin Protection, and Portents after Rāma’s Collapse
तदनन्तर देवता, असुर तथा राक्षसोंसहित सम्पूर्ण जगत्में हाहाकार मच गया। भारत! “यही उपयुक्त अवसर है” ऐसा मानकर मैंने तुरंत ही प्रस्वापनास्त्रको छोड़नेका विचार किया। फिर तो उन ब्रह्मवादी वसुओंके कथनानुसार उस विचित्र अस्त्रका मेरे मनमें स्मरण हो आया ।।
tadanantaraṃ devatā asurā tathā rākṣasaiḥ sahitaṃ sampūrṇe jagati hāhākāro macchitaḥ। bhārata! “ayam eva upayuktaḥ avasaraḥ” iti matvā mayā tūrṇam eva prasvāpanāstram utsraṣṭuṃ vicāritaṃ। tataḥ teṣāṃ brahmavādināṃ vasūnāṃ vacanānusāreṇa tasya vicitrasya astrasya mama manasi smṛtir ājagāma॥
その後、神々・阿修羅・羅刹をも含む全世界に、大いなる叫喚が巻き起こった。おおバーラタよ、「今こそ相応の時」と見定め、私はただちに眠りの武器プラスヴァーパナーシュトラ（Prasvāpanāstra）を放つことを決した。すると、梵を語るヴァスたちの言葉のとおり、あの奇しき神矢の記憶が我が心に甦った。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in conflict, the decision to deploy extraordinary force is framed as a matter of timing, propriety, and higher counsel: Bhīṣma weighs the ‘right occasion’ and acts in line with authoritative guidance (the Vasus), highlighting restraint, responsibility, and the ethical gravity of escalation.
A cosmic panic spreads among all classes of beings. Seeing the moment as critical, Bhīṣma decides to release the sleep-weapon (Prasvāpanāstra). Prompted by the Vasus’ instruction, he recalls the specific wondrous astra needed for the situation.