Mahabharata (Gita Press) 7.175.39 - Drona Parva, Adhyaya 175, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

घटोत्कचस्तु राधेयं प्रत्युद्यातु महाबल:

Transliteration

śrīvāyudeva uvāca | ghaṭotkacaḥ tu rādheyaṃ pratyudyātu mahābalaḥ | ataḥ me rāye ’smin samaye mahābalī ghaṭotkaca eva rādheya-putraṃ karṇaṃ samāgantum arhati | sa hi balavato bhīmasenasya putraḥ, devatā-samo parākramī, tasya ca rākṣasa-sambandhīni āsura-sambandhīni ca sarva-prakārāṇi divyāni astrāṇi śastrāṇi santi ||

Translation

قال فايُو: «فليتقدّم غَطوتكچا، ذو البأس العظيم، لملاقاة رادهيَ (كارنا). لذلك، في تقديري، في هذه اللحظة لا ينبغي أن يواجه كارنا ابن رادها إلا غَطوتكچا وحده—لأنه ابن بهيماسينا القوي، شجاعٌ كالأرباب، ويملك شتّى الأسلحة الإلهية المتصلة بالراكشسا وبالأسورا.»

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Word by Word

• घटोत्कचः: Ghaṭotkaca
• घटोत्कचः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: घटोत्कच
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• राधेयम्: Rādheya (Karna)
• राधेयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राधेय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रत्युद्यातु: let (him) go forth to meet / advance against
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-उद्-या
• Form: Imperative (Loṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• महाबलः: mighty/very strong
• महाबलः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

श्रीवायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (Vāyu)
• Ghaṭotkaca
• Rādheya (Karna)
• Rādhā
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Devatās (gods)
• Rākṣasas
• Asuras
• Divya-astra (divine missiles)
• Śastra (weapons)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights battlefield discernment: match an opponent with an appropriate counter-force. Vāyu’s counsel stresses choosing the warrior whose innate strengths and specialized resources (Ghaṭotkaca’s rākṣasa/asura-linked divine weapons and godlike prowess) best fit the immediate ethical and strategic need of restraining a formidable adversary (Karna).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Drona Parva’s intense fighting, Vāyudeva recommends that Ghaṭotkaca should be sent to confront Karna (Rādheya). The reasoning given is Ghaṭotkaca’s lineage (son of Bhīma), extraordinary valor, and possession of many supernatural weapons associated with rākṣasa and asura powers—making him the most suitable challenger at that moment.