Shloka 8
अचीर्णब्रिह्यचर्यो य: सूष्टवा वर्तयते पुन: । तदस्त्रं सानुबन्धस्य मूर्थानं तस्य कृन्तति,जिसने ब्रह्मचर्यका पालन नहीं किया हो, वह पुरुष यदि उसका एक बार प्रयोग करके उसे फिर लौटानेका प्रयत्न करे तो वह अस्त्र सगे-सम्बन्धियोंसहित उसका सिर काट लेता था
acīrṇa-brahmacaryo yaḥ sūṣṭvā vartayate punaḥ | tad astraṃ sānubandhasya mūrdhānaṃ tasya kṛntati ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच—योऽचीर्णब्रह्मचर्यः सन् तदस्त्रं प्रयुज्य पुनरावर्तयितुं यतेत, तदस्त्रं सानुबन्धस्य तस्य मूर्धानं कृन्तति।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary power (astra-vidyā) is inseparable from moral qualification. Without brahmacarya-like restraint and purity, even a successfully launched weapon becomes self-destructive, harming the user and those bound to him.
The text explains a rule about a potent weapon: if an unqualified person—one lacking brahmacarya—uses it and then attempts to recall/withdraw it, the weapon rebounds and beheads him along with his dependents/relations, emphasizing the peril of improper ritual-ethical conduct in warfare.