Shloka 55
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
स कृत्वा दारुणां मायां भीरूणां भयवर्धिनीम्
sa kṛtvā dāruṇāṃ māyāṃ bhīrūṇāṃ bhayavardhinīm | kailāsagiri-saṅkāśaṃ vajrapāṇir ivābhyayāt ||
Sañjaya sprach: Nachdem er eine grausige Täuschung gewirkt hatte, die die Furcht der Zaghaften steigerte, erschien er im Nu in schrecklicher Gestalt. Auf einem weißen, Airāvata gleichenden Elefanten, den seine eigene Magie erschaffen hatte, rückte Ghaṭotkaca vor wie Indra, der den Vajra trägt—gewaltig und strahlend wie der Berg Kailāsa—und machte aus Schaustellung und Schrecken Waffen im moralischen Wirrsal des Krieges.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear can be deliberately amplified in war through spectacle and deception (māyā). Ethically, it points to the vulnerability of the timid mind and the way conflict often shifts from physical strength to psychological domination—raising questions about righteous conduct when victory is pursued through terror.
Sañjaya describes Ghaṭotkaca manifesting a terrifying magical display. He appears swiftly in a fearsome form, riding a white, Airāvata-like elephant created by his own illusion, and advances like Indra with the thunderbolt—intending to intimidate and unsettle the opposing forces.