Shloka 15
Parāśara’s Counsel on बुद्धि (Discernment), Karma-Consequences, and Avoidance of Pāpānubandha Actions
शस्त्रैश्व विविधैर्दिव्यै: पावकोल्काभिरेव च । देवासुरैस्तत: सैन्यै: सर्वमासीत् समाकुलम्,उस समय तलवार, पट्टिश, त्रिशूल, शक्ति, तोमर, मुद्गर, नाना प्रकारकी शिला, भयानक टंकार करनेवाले धनुष, अनेक प्रकारके दिव्य अस्त्र-शस्त्र तथा आगकी ज्वालाओंसे एवं देवताओं और असुरोंकी सेनाओंसे यह सारा आकाश व्याप्त हो गया
śastraiś ca vividhair divyaiḥ pāvakolkābhir eva ca | devāsuraiḥ tataḥ sainyaiḥ sarvam āsīt samākulam ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Kemudian segala-galanya menjadi kacau-bilau dan sesak oleh hiruk-pikuk—dipenuhi pelbagai senjata ilahi, obor-obor api yang menyala, serta bala tentera para dewa dan asura. Seluruh hamparan angkasa seakan-akan diliputi dentingan senjata dan nyala api.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how warfare—especially when empowered by ‘divine’ means—rapidly becomes all-consuming chaos. Implicitly, it cautions that violence, once unleashed, overwhelms order and discernment, challenging the ethical restraint central to dharma.
Bhīṣma describes a scene of intense battle in which the sky/space is filled with many kinds of weapons, blazing firebrands, and the assembled hosts of devas and asuras, creating a state of total tumult and confusion.