Shloka 32
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
घटोत्कचस्ततो राजन् भगदत्तं महारणे । शरै: प्रच्छादयामास मेरुं गिरिमिवाम्बुद:,राजन्! उस समय उस महायुद्धमें घटोत्कचने अपने बाणोंद्वारा भगदत्तको उसी प्रकार आच्छादित कर दिया, जैसे बादल मेरुपर्वतको ढक लेता है
ghaṭotkacas tato rājan bhagadattaṃ mahāraṇe | śaraiḥ pracchādayāmāsa meruṃ girim ivāmbudaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, in that great battle, Ghaṭotkaca covered Bhagadatta with a shower of arrows—just as a cloud veils Mount Meru.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly power dynamics change in war: even a famed warrior can be eclipsed by a sudden surge of force. Ethically, it points to the need for steadiness (dhairya) and clear judgment amid violence and uncertainty.
Sañjaya reports that Ghaṭotkaca, in the thick of the great battle, unleashes such a dense volley of arrows that Bhagadatta is visually and tactically ‘covered,’ compared to Mount Meru being hidden by a cloud.