Brahmastra

It is termed as a fiery weapon that creates a fierce fireball accompanied by roars and flames, blazing with innumerable horrendous thunder flashes. When discharged, all nature in the area trembles, including trees, oceans, and animals. Its deployment is said to lead to a catastrophic explosion, which causes everything in existence of the radius to shiver violently, the sky fills with fire and smoke, rivers evaporate, and entire armies are slaughtered in one blow. When used, the Brahmastra is said to target and destroy a single enemy, and if they do not possess an alternate counter-weapon, defeat is certain. If the more powerful variant, the Brahmashirastra, it causes collateral damage to every useful resource in a given area and prevents even a single blade of grass from ever growing in that area again. Rivers completely dry up, ensuring famines. It is mentioned that there would be no rainfall for 12 Brahma years (12 Brahma years = 37.32 trillion human years) and climate conditions will worsen. The strike of the Brahmastra will eventually destroy everything. When Ashwatthama hurled the Brahmashtra against Arjuna, the Pandava countered by invoking the same weapon; to prevent widespread destruction. Narada and Vyasa stood between the two astras, ordering the two warriors to withdraw their weapons. Arjuna, out of nobility, did so. However, Ashwatthama, out of anger, and not knowing the way to recall the astra as he did not have the entire teaching of Brahmashtra and how to recall it so he rather directed it to Uttarā's womb to kill the unborn Parikshit in an attempt to cause damage to his opponents, but Krishna intervened and saved the child. Ashwatthama was made to surrender the gem on his forehead and cursed by Krishna that he will roam in the forests until the end of time with blood and pus oozing out of his injuries as he cries for death, but death would not meet him.

There are numerous instances within Sanskrit theological scriptures where the Brahmastra is used or its use is threatened, including: • Kaushika (who later became Brahmarshi Vishvamitra) used it against Maharishi Vasishta, but the Brahmastra was swallowed by Vasishta's Brahma danda. • Indrajit used the Brahmastra against Hanuman, but Hanuman survived because of the boon previously given to him by Brahma. • In the Ramayana, a Brahmastra is used by Rama several times: once against Jayanta when he hurt Sita, against Maricha in their last encounter, and finally the Brahmastra was used in the last battle with the rakshasa emperor Ravana. According to the Ramayana, the weapon was also aimed at Varuna (the sea god) to carve a path out of the sea, such that Rama's army could march towards the island of Lanka. However, as Rama was about to shoot the Brahmastra at him, Varuna appeared and offered to assist the king in crossing the ocean. This incident is mentioned in Yuddha Kanda 22 Sarga, Verse 31.