Shloka 21

Devanagari script

किंतु पराक्रमी घटोत्कचने बाणोंकी वृष्टि करके उस भयंकर प्रस्तरवर्षाका उन-उन दिशाओंमें ही विध्वंस कर दिया। वह अद्भुत-सा कार्य हुआ

Transliteration

kintu parākramī ghaṭotkacena bāṇānāṃ vṛṣṭiṃ kṛtvā tasya bhayaṅkarasya prastaravarṣasya tāsu tāsu diśāsu eva vidhvaṃsaṃ cakāra | tad adbhutaṃ karma abhavat |

Translation

সঞ্জয়ে ক’লে—কিন্তু পৰাক্ৰমী ঘটোৎকচে বাণবৃষ্টি কৰি যি যি দিশৰ পৰা সেই ভয়ংকৰ শিলাবৃষ্টি আহিছিল, সেই দিশসমূহতেই তাক চূৰ্ণ-বিচূৰ্ণ কৰি পেলালে। সেয়া এক আশ্চৰ্য কীৰ্তি আছিল।

Word by Word

किंतुbut, however

पराक्रमीvaliant, mighty

घटोत्कचःGhaṭotkaca

बाणानाम्of arrows

वृष्टिम्a shower, a rain (of arrows)

कृत्वाhaving made/done

ताम्that (her/it)

भयंकराम्terrible, fearsome

प्रस्तरवर्षाम्a rain/shower of rocks

तासुin those (directions/places)

दिक्षुin the directions

एवindeed, just

विध्वंसम्destruction, demolition

चकारdid, made

तत्that (act/thing)

अद्भुतम्wonderful, marvelous

इवas if, like

अभवत्was, became

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Ghaṭotkaca

arrows (bāṇa)

hail of rocks (prastaravarṣa)

directions/quarters (diśaḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in war, power is most praiseworthy when it is used defensively—to counter a terrifying, indiscriminate threat and protect forces from widespread harm. The verse highlights disciplined prowess that restrains chaos rather than amplifying it.

What is happening in the narrative?

A fearsome shower of rocks is unleashed on the battlefield. Ghaṭotkaca responds by firing a dense rain of arrows that breaks and disperses the rock-hail in the very directions it is coming from, an act described as extraordinary.