Shloka 19
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत सौप्तिकपर्वके अन्तर्गत ऐषीकपरवनें अश्वत्थामाके वधके लिये भीमसेनका प्रस्थानविषयक ग्यारहवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
yach chhaknoṣi samudyantuṁ prayoktum api vā raṇe | tad gṛhāṇa vināstreṇa yan me dātum abhīpsasi ||
“Anumang sandatang kaya mong buhatin, o kaya’y magamit man lamang sa labanan—iyon ang kunin mo, nang hindi ko na kailangang ipagkaloob bilang pormal na sandatang inihahagis. Sa sarili mong lakas, kunin mo ang mismong armas na sinasabi mong nais mong tanggapin mula sa akin.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Martial entitlement is tied to proven capability and courage: in the ethics of kṣatriya conduct, one should claim only what one can actually bear and wield, especially in war where boasting or bargaining for weapons is morally suspect.
A speaker issues a direct battlefield challenge: instead of formally handing over a desired weapon (astra), he tells the opponent to take whichever weapon he can physically lift or use in combat—turning the request into a test of strength and readiness.