अथाब्रवीन् महात्मानं भारद्वाजो महारथम् ॥
गृहाणेदं महाबाहो विशिष्टम् अतिदुर्धरम् ॥
अस्त्रं ब्रह्मशिरो नाम सप्रयोगनिवर्तनम् ॥
न च ते मानुषेष्व् एतत् प्रयोक्तव्यं कथं चन ॥
जगद् विनिर्दहेद् एतद् अल्पतेजसि पातितम् ॥
असामान्यम् इदं तात लोकेष्व् अस्त्रं निगद्यते ॥
तद् धारयेथाः प्रयतः शृणु चेदं वचो मम ॥
बाधेतामानुषः शत्रुर् यदा त्वां वीर कश् चन ॥
तद्वधाय प्रयुञ्जीथास् तदास्त्रम् इदम् आहवे ॥
तथेति तत् प्रतिश्रुत्य बीभत्सुः स कृताञ्जलिः ॥
जग्राह परमास्त्रं तद् आह चैनं पुनर् गुरुः ॥
भविता त्वत्समो नान्यः पुमांल् लोके धनुर्धरः ॥
athābravīn mahātmānaṃ bhāradvājo mahāratham ||
gṛhāṇedaṃ mahābāho viśiṣṭam atidurdharam ||
astraṃ brahmaśiro nāma saprayoganivartanam ||
na ca te mānuṣeṣv etat prayoktavyaṃ kathaṃ cana ||
jagad vinirdahed etad alpatejasi pātitam ||
asāmānyam idaṃ tāta lokeṣv astraṃ nigadyate ||
tad dhārayethāḥ prayataḥ śṛṇu cedaṃ vaco mama ||
bādhetāmānuṣaḥ śatrur yadā tvāṃ vīra kaś cana ||
tadvadhāya prayuñjīthās tadāstram idam āhave ||
tatheti tat pratiśrutya bībhatsuḥ sa kṛtāñjaliḥ ||
jagrāha paramāstraṃ tad āha cainaṃ punar guruḥ ||
bhavitā tvatsamo nānyaḥ pumāṃl loke dhanurdharaḥ ||
Drona said: "Then the son of Bharadvaja said to the great maharatha Arjuna: 'Take this, O mighty-armed one, an excellent and formidable weapon named Brahmashiras, together with the incantations for its release and recall; and it must never be used by you against men, for it would burn up the world if launched upon one of little power. Extraordinary, O dear one, is this weapon called among the worlds; keep it well, being composed, and hear this word of mine: when some non-human enemy is overpowering you, O hero, use this weapon in battle to slay him.' Saying 'so be it,' Arjuna, with joined palms, received that supreme weapon; and the teacher spoke to him again: 'There will be no other man in the world equal to you as an archer.'"
c18be321d98c · प्रकाशित 12 जुल॰ 2026, 4:53:32 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Here the fiercest of weapons is entrusted to Arjuna -- and with it, the strictest of vows concerning its restraint. It is telling that along with the weapon comes the 'incantation of recall' (nivartana) and the prohibition against its use on men: supreme power is granted only together with a strict measure of its containment. The verse displays a crucial principle: great power is dangerous without great self-mastery; only one who has command enough not to use a weapon capable of 'burning the world' is fit to hold it. It is telling, too, that Drona entrusts the Brahmashiras precisely to Arjuna, discerning in him not only skill but the capacity for restraint: the most worthy is not the strongest alone, but the most self-governed. The verse also carries a grim foreshadowing: at the war's end, Ashvatthama and Arjuna will turn this very weapon against each other, and only Arjuna's humility -- his recalling of it -- will save the world, while Ashvatthama's lack of restraint will bring down a curse. Thus, in granting supreme power, the verse affirms that its true measure lies not in might but in the self-command of the one who bears it.