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 ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Toma de mim essa arma divina suprema, ó melhor dos Yadus; e, em troca, concede-me tua arma mais excelsa—o disco que abate os inimigos na batalha.”
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.