Word

Brahmasirastra

Sanskrit

In General

The greatest and all destroying missile in epic Mahabhara. It is equivalent to the Brahmastra of Ramayana. Dronacharya taught the use of this weapon to Arjuna and advised him not to use it against men. Out of fatherly love Drona taught this technique to his son Asvathama, who used it in the end of the war against the child in the womb of Uthara, wife of Abhimanyu.

Purana

When once Drona and his disciples were bathing in the river Ganga, a whale caught hold of the leg of the guru. The combined efforts of the disciples failed to extricate the leg from the grip of the whale. Ultimately Arjuna shot an arrow and released the guru's leg. Greatly pleased at this Drona imparted to Arjuna knowledge about Brahmasirastra, and Arjuna was advised not to use the astra against men, but to use it only when confronting higher beings than men.