Shloka 3
Bhīṣma’s Dream-Counsel and the Prasvāpa Astra (भीष्मस्वप्नदर्शनम् / प्रस्वापास्त्रोपदेशः)
एते वियति कौरव्य दिवि देवगणा: स्थिता: । ते त्वां निवारयन्त्यद्य प्रस्वापं मा प्रयोजय
ete viyati kauravya divi devagaṇāḥ sthitāḥ | te tvāṁ nivārayanty adya prasvāpaṁ mā prayojaya ||
ഹേ കൗരവ്യ! ആകാശത്തിൽ സ്വർഗ്ഗത്തിലെ ദേവഗണങ്ങൾ നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു. അവർ ഇന്നിവിടെ നിന്നെ തടയുന്നു—“പ്രസ്വാപനാസ്ത്രം പ്രയോഗിക്കരുത്.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the urgency of conflict, one should exercise restraint and avoid unethical or excessively destructive means; the verse frames this as a dharmic check endorsed by higher (divine) authority.
Bhishma addresses a Kuru prince and reports a portent: the gods, visible in the sky, are actively discouraging him from deploying the Prasvāpa (sleep-inducing) weapon, signaling disapproval of its use at this moment.