“Brahmastra Part One: Shiva” depicted some of the ancient weapons that existed in ancient times. As described in the film, a group of sages worshiped in the footsteps of the great Himalayas, and when the gods were pleased, a divine light (Brahma-Shakti) hit the ground. After the impact, many weapons (Astras) were born. But, from that light, another weapon was born, and it was the most powerful of all. It was the Brahmastra. The sages knew that the Astra was so powerful that it could accidentally destroy the whole world. They forged a strong defense against it and calmed it down. From that time on, they worshiped the Brahmastra. Soon after that, a society of protectors or sages was created and came to be known as Brahmansh.
What Exactly Is The Brahmansh?
Brahmansh is a group of saints that swore to protect the Astras from falling into the wrong hands and worship the Brahmastra over the centuries. Their whereabouts were unknown; they used to gather at the Headquarters to worship the almighty Brahmastra. Previously, the Headquarters used to be situated on distant islands where no one could find any trace of their existence. Later, the headquarters of the Brahmansh was shifted near the Himalayas and were headed by Raghu Sir, AKA Guruji. The new Headquarter was called “The Ashram.” Ashram’s address was only known to the members of the Brahmansh. Each member possessed a special power, and together they protected the remaining two parts of the Brahmastra.
What Did The Brahmansh Swear To Protect?
The Brahmastra was divided into three parts once, in a great battle between two of the Brahmansh members, Amrita and Dev. Dev wanted to wield the power of the Brahmastra to rule over all the Astras, and Amrita was trying to stop him from doing so. Later, Amrita broke the Brahmastra into three parts and sent two parts to the Brahmansh. She kept the third part to herself. From that time, the two parts were kept securely by the two members of the Brahmansh. One was scientist Mohan Bhargav (Shah Rukh Khan), and the other one was artist Anish Shetty (Nagarjuna Akkineni). Mohan Bhargav had the power of Vanar Astra, and Anish had the power of Nandi Astra. They swore to protect the two parts of the Brahmastra at any cost.
How Did Shiva Embrace Agni Astra? What Role Did Brahmansh Play In It?
Shiva was the son of Amrita and Dev, two of the most powerful members of the Brahmansh. Since Dev had the power of Agni Astra and nobody could ever control the Astra better than him, Shiva somehow was able to wield the same power. Perhaps it came through his lineage, but Shiva could not gather the courage to embrace Agni Astra. There is a reason for that, too. When he was little, his mother, Amrita, got burned in the fire while he remained harmless. From that time on, a fear consistently grew within him, so he used to avoid the fire. But, it was Shiva’s destiny, and one can not deny what lies ahead of him. The battle his parents had started brought him to the center of the chaos. Dev was trying to get hold of the Brahmastra even after he was buried in a stone structure. Destiny had brought Shiva to the Brahmansh, and Guruji knew that Shiva was there to help them against the dark powers. Shiva avoided fire because of his fear, and Guruji, too, failed to educate him about controlling the Agni Astra. However, Guruji had told him that to generate the power of the Astra, one needed to turn on one’s ‘button’ (perhaps Guruji referred to one’s willpower here).
Soon, Shiva found out that his button was Isha, as every time he was with her, the fire followed him. Now that he had found his button, he could generate the power of Agni Astra easily. But he was still afraid of the fire since it had taken his mother’s life. In Shiva’s words, he was too afraid to be lonely again. His entire life, he has been an orphan, and the loneliness was too hard for him to absorb. After many years, he finally found Isha, and she filled the void in Shiva’s life. Shiva could not afford to lose Isha, as he thought that if he used the power of Agni Astra, Isha too might get burned like his mother. Guruji then understood his dilemma and gave some advice. He told him that Isha was the love of his life, and love connected him with fire that helped him use the Agni Astra. But, since he was afraid of fire, he must choose between love and fear. Guruji suggested to him that Shiva must embrace his fear, and only by doing so could he wield the power of Agni Astra. Shiva understood that if he stopped running away from his fear and confronted it with love and care, the path would become easier for him. Guruji also told him that his button was not Isha but love. He said that, whatever had happened with Shiva’s mother, it was not because of the fire of love, as the fire of love could never destroy anything. This also hints that Shiva was not responsible for Amrita’s death. We can learn more about the accident that took Amrita’s life in the sequel.
Anyway, Shiva then confronted his fear with love, and he was finally able to control the Agni Astra. Even in the end, it was Shiva’s willingness to sacrifice his own life to protect Isha that won over the Brahmastra’s tremendous power. Love was the only key to fighting against such an enormous power. But, to win against it, Shiva needed to go beyond simply loving someone, and it was his decision to sacrifice himself to protect his love. Just like Amrita, who was willing to give her life to save humanity, and that brought doomsday upon the omnipotent Dev. So, without the help of Guruji or Brahmansh, Shiva could never learn how to embrace the Agni Astra.
See more: Who Is Dev In ‘Brahmastra Part One: Shiva’? What Can We Expect In ‘Brahmastra Part Two’?
