Shloka 46
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
घण्टापताकामणिवज्जभाजं वैदूर्यचित्रां तपनीयदण्डाम् । त्वष्टा प्रयत्नान्नियमेन क्लृप्तां ब्रह्मद्विषामन्तकरीममोघाम्
sañjaya uvāca | ghaṇṭāpatākāmaṇivajrabhājaṃ vaidūryacitrāṃ tapanīyadaṇḍām | tvaṣṭā prayatnān niyamena klṛptāṃ brahmadviṣām antakarīm amoghām ||
Disse Sañjaya: “Era adornada com pequenos sinos e flâmulas ondulantes, engastada com gemas e diamantes e incrustada com vaidūrya. Seu haste era de ouro refinado. Forjada por Tvaṣṭṛ, o artífice divino, com disciplina e grande esforço, era infalível—instrumento de destruição para os que são hostis ao Brahman (a ordem sagrada e a verdade espiritual) e certeira em atingir o alvo.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a weapon as more than ornamented metal: it embodies disciplined creation (niyama, prayatna) and moral consequence—being ‘antakarī’ specifically for those who oppose Brahman, i.e., who act against sacred order and truth. The ethical suggestion is that power becomes decisive and ‘amogha’ when aligned with cosmic order, while hostility to that order leads to ruin.
Sanjaya is describing an extraordinary spear-like weapon (śakti) in vivid detail—its bells, banners, gem-setting, vaidūrya inlay, and golden shaft—emphasizing that it was crafted by the divine artisan Tvaṣṭṛ with strict observance and great effort, and that it never fails to hit its target and is deadly to the enemies of Brahman.