Text 31]
The Son of Droṇa Punished
351
TRANSLATION
When the rays of the two brahmāstras combined, a great circle of fire, like the disc of the sun, covered all outer space and the whole firmament of planets.
PURPORT
The heat created by the flash of a  brahmāstra  resembles the fire in the sun globe which is exhibited at the time of cosmic annihilation. The radiation of atomic energy is very insignificant in comparison to the heat produced by a  brahmāstra . The atomic bomb explosion can at utmost blow up one globe, but the heat produced by the  brahmāstra  can destroy the whole cosmic situation. The comparison is, therefore, made to the heat at the time of annihilation.
TEXT 31
दृष्ट्वास्तेजस्तु तयोस्त्रील्लोकान् प्रदहन्महत् । दह्यमानाः प्रजाः सर्वाः सांवर्तकममंसत ॥३१॥
dṛṣṭvāstra-tejas tu tayos trīl lokān pradahan mahat dahyamānāḥ prajāḥ sarvāḥ sāṁvartakam amaṁsata
dṛṣṭvā—thus seeing; astra—weapon; tejaḥ—heat; tu—but; tayoḥ—of both; trīn—three; lokān—planets; pradahat—blazing; mahat—severely; dahyamānāḥ—burning; prajāḥ—population; sarvāḥ—all over; sāṁvartakam—the name of the fire which devastates during the annihilation of the universe; amaṁsata—began to think.
TRANSLATION
All the population of the three worlds was scorched by the combined heat of the weapons. Everyone was reminded of the sāṁvartaka fire which takes place at the time of annihilation.
PURPORT
The three worlds are the upper, lower and the intermediate planets of the universe. Although the  brahmāstra  was released on this earth, the heat