Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.12
ātmano 'bhimukhān dīptān
ālakshyāstrāny upādaduh
SYNONYMS
tarhi — then; eva — also; atha — therefore; muni-śreshtha — O chief amongst the munis; pāndavāh — all the sons of Pāndu; pańca — five; sāyakān — weapons; ātmanah — own selves; abhimukhān — towards; dīptān — glaring; ālakshya — seeing it; astrāni — weapons; upādaduh — took up.
TRANSLATION
O foremost among the great thinkers [munis] [Śaunaka], seeing the glaring brahmāstra proceeding towards them, the Pāndavas took up their five respective weapons.
PURPORT
The brahmāstras are finer than the nuclear weapons. Aśvatthāmā discharged the brahmāstra simply to kill the Pāndavas, namely the five brothers headed by Mahārāja Yudhishthira and their only grandson, who was lying within the womb of Uttarā. Therefore the brahmāstra, more effective and finer than the atomic weapons, was not as blind as the atomic bombs. When the atomic bombs are discharged they do not discriminate between the target and others. Mainly the atomic bombs do harm to the innocent because there is no control. The brahmāstra is not like that. It marks out the target and proceeds accordingly without harming the innocent.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness