Brahmāstra

The Brahmāstra is a supreme kind of divyāstra (divine weapon) linked with Brahmā, the creator. It is among the most destructive weapons mentioned in the Mahābhārata.

In the Ambopākhyāna Parva of the Udyoga Parva, both Paraśurāma and Bhīshma call up Brahmāstras during their twenty-three-day battle. The two weapons cancel each other out and the fight comes to a standstill. In the end the pitṛ-devatās (ancestor deities) of Ṛcīka’s family step in and stop the battle. The Brahmāstra is different from the Brahmaśiras (“head of Brahmā”), which is an even more powerful weapon of the same kind.

The Brahmāstra in the Ambopākhyāna

Ambā persuaded Paraśurāma to fight Bhīshma on her behalf. The battle between these two supreme warriors went on for twenty-three days without a result. Both were among the greatest archers of the Dvāpara Yuga. When their ordinary weapons had no effect on each other, both Paraśurāma and Bhīshma called up Brahmāstras. The two Brahmāstras met in the sky and held each other in a deadly balance; neither could overpower the other. Now the weapons of both warriors were locked together, and the deadlock threatened much wider destruction.

The pitṛ-devatās of Ṛcīka’s family, the ancestors of the Bhārgava line, came down and stepped in. They called on Paraśurāma to stop. They pointed out that Bhīshma could not be beaten in battle by any means, and that more fighting would only bring pointless destruction. Paraśurāma listened to his ancestors and withdrew from the battle.

The Nature of the Brahmāstra

The Brahmāstra is called up through particular bīja mantras (seed syllables) linked with Brahmā. When released, it creates a force on the scale of the universe that no physical weapon or ordinary astra can counter. Only another Brahmāstra, or a weapon of a higher class such as the Brahmaśiras or the Pāśupatāstra, can stop it.

When two Brahmāstras collide, the deadlock is itself a disaster. If their combined energy is not properly settled, it threatens the world around them. This is why one of the two must always be withdrawn when they meet. A warrior with true knowledge of the Brahmāstra knows this and withdraws his weapon when it meets another of equal force.

The Mahābhārata separates the Brahmāstra (weapon of Brahmā) from:

• The Brahmaśiras (“head of Brahmā”), a more destructive weapon that could destroy the earth itself if misused
• The Brahma-daṇḍa, the staff-weapon of Brahmā

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Ambopākhyāna Parva
• Mahābhārata, Vana Parva