Shloka 35
Brahmaśirastra-pratisaṃhāra — Retraction and redirection of the supreme weapon
Sauptika Parva, Adhyāya 15
वैशग्पायन उवाच तत: परममस्त्र॑ तु द्रौणिरुद्यतमाहवे । द्वैधायनवच: श्रुत्वा गर्भेषु प्रमुमोच ह,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजन्! व्यासजीका यह वचन सुनकर द्रोणकुमारने युद्धमें उठे हुए उस दिव्यास्त्रको पाण्डवोंके गर्भोपर ही छोड़ दिया
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca: tataḥ paramam astraṃ tu drauṇir udyatam āhave | dvaidhāyana-vacaḥ śrutvā garbheṣu pramumoca ha ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच—ततः परममस्त्रं तु द्रौणिरुद्यतमाहवे । द्वैधायनवचः श्रुत्वा गर्भेषु प्रमुमोच ह ॥
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how vengeance can drive a warrior beyond the bounds of dharma: targeting the unborn is portrayed as an extreme moral transgression, turning war into an assault on the very continuity of life and lineage.
Aśvatthāman, in battle, releases a supreme weapon after hearing Vyāsa’s words; the weapon is directed toward the embryos in the wombs of the Pāṇḍava line, escalating the conflict from battlefield combat to an attempt at annihilating future heirs.