Shloka 33
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
निहत्य तान् शरान् राजा राक्षसस्य धनुश्नुतान् | भैमसेनिं रणे तूर्ण सर्वमर्मस्वताडयत्,राक्षस घटोत्कचके धनुषसे छूटे हुए उन सभी बाणोंको नष्ट करके राजा भगदत्तने रणक्षेत्रमें तुरंत ही घटोत्कचके सभी मर्मस्थानोंपर प्रहार किया
nihatyatān śarān rājā rākṣasasya dhanuścyutān | bhaimaseniṁ raṇe tūrṇaṁ sarvamarmasvatāḍayat ||
Sañjaya said: Having struck down those arrows that had been released from the Rākṣasa’s bow, King Bhagadatta swiftly attacked Bhīmasena’s son in the thick of battle, aiming his blows at all the vital points.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim ethic of battlefield conduct: mastery and speed are used to neutralize an enemy by targeting vulnerable points. It reflects how, in the epic’s war setting, prowess often overrides compassion, revealing the moral cost of conflict.
Bhagadatta counters by destroying the arrows shot from Ghaṭotkaca’s bow, then quickly strikes Ghaṭotkaca (called ‘Bhīmasena’s son’) in battle, aiming at his vital spots.