Shloka 9
Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement
अन्यत्र तस्मात् तव मृत्युकाला- दब्राद्माणे ब्रह्म न हि ध्रुवं स्यात् । तदद्य पर्याप्तमतीव चास्त्र- मस्मिन् संग्रामे तुमुलेडतीव भीमे
sañjaya uvāca |
anyatra tasmāt tava mṛtyu-kālād abrāhmaṇe brahma na hi dhruvaṁ syāt |
tad adya paryāptam atīva cāstram asmin saṅgrāme tumule ’tīva bhīme ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Selain saat yang ditetapkan bagi kematianmu, senjata ini boleh berguna pada kesempatan lain; kerana pada diri seseorang yang bukan brāhmaṇa, Brahmāstra tidak dapat kekal teguh. Namun hari ini, dalam pertempuran yang amat dahsyat dan bergelora ini, senjata itu akan lebih daripada mencukupi.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary power (like the Brahmāstra) is not merely a tool of victory; it demands inner qualification and restraint. The verse links efficacy and stability of such a weapon to adhikāra (fitness), implying that without the requisite discipline, even supreme force is unreliable and ethically perilous.
Sañjaya reports a warning/assessment about the Brahmāstra: apart from the destined moment of death, it may help at other times, yet it does not remain firmly ‘established’ in a non-brāhmaṇa. Still, in the present terrifying, chaotic battle, it is said to be sufficient for the immediate need.