Shloka 15
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
अस्मत्तस्तदुपादाय दिव्यमस्त्रं यदूत्तम | ममात्यस्त्रं प्रयच्छ त्वं चक्रं रिपुहणं रणे
asmattas tad upādāya divyam astraṁ yad uttamam | mamātyastraṁ prayaccha tvaṁ cakraṁ ripuhaṇaṁ raṇe ||
ഹേ യദൂത്തമാ! എന്നിൽ നിന്ന് ആ ദിവ്യായുധം സ്വീകരിച്ച്, പകരമായി യുദ്ധത്തിൽ ശത്രുനാശകമായ നിന്റെ ചക്രായുധം എനിക്ക് നൽകുക.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of extraordinary power: divine weapons are not ordinary tools but sanctioned forces whose transfer and use imply responsibility, dependence, and the escalation of violence through ‘ultimate’ means.
A speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) proposes an exchange: he offers a supreme divine astra and asks in return for the enemy-destroying cakra, emphasizing the strategic and symbolic importance of possessing decisive weapons in battle.