Shloka 21
Adhyāya 112: Bhīṣma-prati Arjunasya Pravṛttiḥ
Arjuna’s Forward Drive Toward Bhīṣma
'धृष्टद्युम्न तथा शूरवीर राक्षस घटोत्कचने भी सहसा इस महासमरमें आकर मेरी सेनाको मार भगाया है
sañjaya uvāca | dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ tathā śūravīraḥ rākṣasaḥ ghaṭotkacaś ca te bhī sahasā asmin mahāsamare āgatya mama senāṃ mārayitvā bhāgāpayām āsa |
Sañjaya said: “Dhrishtadyumna, and the heroic Rakshasa Ghatotkacha as well—those two, suddenly entering this great battle, struck down my troops and put my army to flight.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral gravity and rapid spread of harm in war: decisive aggression and sudden initiative can rout armies, but the narrative also implicitly points to the heavy ethical cost of violence, where victory is purchased through widespread suffering.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Dhrishtadyumna and the Rakshasa warrior Ghatotkacha suddenly entered the battlefield, killed many of the Kaurava troops, and drove the Kaurava army into retreat.