न त्व् इदं सहसा ब्रह्मन् प्रयोक्तव्यं कथं चन ॥
न ह्य् एतद् अस्त्रम् अन्यत्र वधाच् छत्रोर् निवर्तते ॥
न चैतच् छक्यते ज्ञातुं को न वध्येद् इति प्रभो ॥
अवध्यम् अपि हन्याद् धि तस्मान् नैतत् प्रयोजयेत् ॥
na tv idaṃ sahasā brahman prayoktavyaṃ kathaṃ cana ||
na hy etad astram anyatra vadhāc chatror nivartate ||
na caitac chakyate jñātuṃ ko na vadhyed iti prabho ||
avadhyam api hanyād dhi tasmān naitat prayojayet ||
'But this, O brahmin, must never be employed rashly; for this weapon does not turn back except through the slaying of the foe. And it cannot be known who ought not to be killed, O lord; it will strike down even one who should not be slain—therefore it must not be used.'
19764813d99f · publicado 19 jul 2026, 17:08:17 UTC
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The giver himself sets a fearsome condition: once loosed, the weapon will not withdraw without a killing, and it will strike down even the innocent. It is telling that the highest power comes bound with the highest warning—the gift arrives together with a caution about its blind ruthlessness. The verse teaches that the more powerful the means, the stricter the responsibility for its use; and an indiscriminate force, unable to tell the guilty from the innocent, is not a blessing but a burden demanding the utmost restraint.