Adhyaya 94

Verse 1

धृतराष्ट्रने पूछा--संजय! इरावानको संग्राममें मारा गया देख महारथी कुन्तीपुत्रोंने क्या किया? यह मुझसे कहो

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Sañjaya, when Irāvān was seen slain in the battle, what did the mighty chariot-warriors—the sons of Kuntī—do? Tell me this.”

Verse 2

संजय उवाच इरावन्तं तु निहतं संग्रामे वीक्ष्य राक्षस: । व्यनदत्‌ सुमहानादं भैमसेनिर्घटोत्कच:

Sañjaya said: O King, seeing Irāvān slain on the battlefield, the rākṣasa Ghaṭotkaca—Bhīmasena’s son—let out a tremendous roar, a fierce cry that shook the war-scene and signaled both grief and renewed martial resolve.

Verse 3

नदतस्तस्य शब्देन पृथिवी सागराम्बरा । सपर्वतवना राजंश्वचाल सुभृशं तदा

Sañjaya said: At his roar, O King, the earth—girdled by the ocean and clothed with the sky, with its mountains and forests—shook violently at that moment.

Verse 4

त॑ श्रुत्वा सुमहानादं तव सैन्यस्थ भारत

Sañjaya said: Hearing that exceedingly great roar within your army, O Bhārata, the warriors were stirred.

Verse 5

सर्व एव महाराज तावका दीनचेतस:

Sañjaya said: “O great king, all your men were downcast at heart.”

Verse 6

नर्दित्वा सुमहानादं निर्घातमिव राक्षस:

Sañjaya said: Having roared with a very great cry—like the crashing thunder of a violent blow—a rākṣasa-like warrior filled the field with terror.

Verse 7

ज्वलितं शूलमुद्यम्य रूपं कृत्वा विभीषणम्‌ । नानारूपप्रहरणैर्वृतो राक्षसपुड़वै:

Sañjaya said: “Raising a blazing spear aloft, he assumed a terrifying form, surrounded by foremost rākṣasas bearing weapons of many kinds.”

Verse 8

आजपचघान सुसंक्रुद्ध:/ कालान्तकयमोपम: । वज्रकी गड़गड़ाहटके समान भयंकर गर्जना करके काल

Sanjaya said: Ajapacaghāna, blazing with wrath and like Time, Death, and Yama, loosed a terrifying roar like the rumbling crash of a thunderbolt. Assuming a dreadful form, he seized a flaming trident and, accompanied by huge rakshasas armed with many kinds of weapons, advanced and began the slaughter of your army. Seeing him rushing in—wrathful and fearsome to behold—(the warriors reacted accordingly).

Verse 9

स्वबलं च भयात्‌ तस्य प्रायशो विमुखीकृतम्‌ । अत्यन्त क्रोधमें भरे भयंकर दिखायी देनेवाले उस राक्षसको आक्रमण करते देख उसके भयसे अपनी सेना प्रायः युद्धसे विमुख होकर भाग चली ।।

Sanjaya said: Struck by fear of him, their own forces were for the most part turned away from the fight. Then King Duryodhana charged against Ghaṭotkaca.

Verse 10

पृष्ठतो$नुययौ चैनं स्रवद्धिः पर्वतोपमै:

Sanjaya said: And from behind, men followed after him—streaming along in a great surge, like mountains in their massive, unshakable presence.

Verse 11

कुण्जरैर्दशसाहसैर्वज्रानामधिप: स्वयम्‌ । उसके पीछे मदकी धारा बहानेवाले पर्वताकार दस हजार गजराजोंकी सेना लिये स्वयं वंगदेशका राजा भी गया ।। १० है || तमापततन्तं सम्प्रेक्ष्य गजानीकेन संवृतम्‌

Sanjaya said: The lord of the Vajras advanced, accompanied by ten thousand elephants. Behind him too went the king of Vaṅga, himself leading an army of ten thousand mountain-like lordly elephants, streaming the rut-fluid of musth. Seeing that force rushing forward, enclosed by its elephant-corps, the warriors beheld a terrifying surge of martial power.

Verse 12

पुत्र तव महाराज चुकोप स निशाचर: । महाराज! हाथियोंकी सेनासे घिरे हुए आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनको आते हुए देख वह निशाचर कुपित हो उठा || ११ ह || ततः प्रववृते युद्ध तुमुलं लोमहर्षणम्‌

Sanjaya said: “O King, that night-ranging warrior flared up in anger. Seeing your son Duryodhana approaching, surrounded by a force of elephants, he became enraged. Then a fierce battle broke out—tumultuous and hair-raising.”

Verse 13

गजानीकं च सम्प्रेक्ष् मेघवृन्दमिवोदितम्‌

Sañjaya said: “Beholding the massed elephant-corps, it rose up like a newly gathered bank of clouds—an ominous, swelling sight in the field of war, where power and pride assemble before the test of dharma.”

Verse 14

नदन्तो विविधान्‌ नादान्‌ मेघा इव सविद्युत:

Sañjaya said: “Bellowing with many kinds of cries, they looked like thunderclouds streaked with lightning. Striking with mountain-peaks and with trees, they began to slay the great elephants.”

Verse 15

शरशव्त्यूष्टिनाराचैर्निघ्नन्तो गजयोधिन: । भिन्दिपालैस्तथा शूलैर्मुद्गरैः सपरश्वधै:

Sañjaya said: “The warriors fighting from elephants struck down their foes with arrows, javelins, and iron clubs; and likewise with bhindipālas, spears, maces, and axes. The scene conveys the relentless, many-weaponed violence of the battle, where martial skill is turned wholly toward destruction rather than restraint.”

Verse 16

भिन्नकुम्भान्‌ विरुधिरान्‌ भिन्नगात्रांश्ष वारणान्‌

Sañjaya said: “(He beheld) elephants with their temples split open and streaming with blood, and others with limbs shattered—an image of the battle’s ruthless violence, where the cost of war is borne by living beings as much as by warriors.”

Verse 17

अपश्याम महाराज वध्यमानान्‌ निशाचरै: | महाराज! निशाचरोंद्वारा मारे जानेवाले गजराजोंको हमने देखा था। उनके कुम्भस्थल फट गये थे

Sañjaya said: “O King, we saw the lords of elephants being slain by the night-roaming rākṣasas. Their temples were split, their bodies drained of blood, their limbs hewn apart. And when the elephant-warriors were thus broken and destroyed, Duryodhana, mastered by wrath, cast off attachment to his own life and charged upon those rākṣasas.”

Verse 18

दुर्योधनो महाराज राक्षसान्‌ समुपाद्रवत्‌ । अमर्षवशमापतन्नस्त्यक्त्वा जीवितमात्मन:

Sañjaya said: O King, Duryodhana, overcome by fierce indignation, rushed straight at those Rākṣasas—casting aside concern for his own life. With his elephant-riders shattered and destroyed, he chose reckless valor over self-preservation, driven by wounded pride and rage amid the chaos of war.

Verse 19

मुमोच निशितान्‌ बाणान्‌ राक्षसेषु परंतप | जघान च महेष्वास: प्रधानांस्तत्र राक्षसान्‌

Sañjaya said: O scorcher of foes, the great archer loosed keen arrows at the Rākṣasas, and there he struck down the foremost among them.

Verse 20

संक्रुद्धों भरतश्रेष्ठ पुत्रो दुर्योधनस्तव । वेगवन्तं महारौद्रं विद्युज्जिह्लं प्रमाथिनम्‌

Sañjaya said: O best of the Bharatas, your son Duryodhana, inflamed with anger, became like a swift and exceedingly terrible force—lightning-tongued, crushing and destructive.

Verse 21

ततः पुनरमेयात्मा शरवर्ष दुरासदम्‌

Then again, that immeasurable-souled warrior unleashed an irresistible rain of arrows—an assault difficult to withstand.

Verse 22

तत्‌ तु दृष्टवा महत्‌ कर्म पुत्रस्य तव मारिष

But, having witnessed that great deed performed by your son, O venerable one…

Verse 23

क्रोधेनाभिप्रजज्वाल भैमसेनिर्महाबल: । आर्य! आपके पुत्रका वह महान्‌ कर्म देखकर भीमसेनका महाबली पुत्र घटोत्कच क्रोधसे जल उठा ।। स विस्फार्य महच्चापमिन्द्राशनिसमप्रभम्‌

Sañjaya said: Enraged, the mighty Ghaṭotkaca—Bhīmasena’s powerful son—blazed with wrath upon seeing that great deed of your son. Then, drawing back his great bow, radiant like Indra’s thunderbolt, he prepared to strike.

Verse 24

अभिदुद्राव वेगेन दुर्योधनमरिंदमम्‌ । उसने इन्द्रके वज़के समान कान्तिमान्‌ विशाल धनुषको खींचकर शत्रुदमन दुर्योधनपर बड़े वेगसे धावा किया ।। तमापतन्तमुद्वी क्षय कालसृष्टमिवान्तकम्‌

Sañjaya said: With swift force he charged at Duryodhana, the subduer of foes. Seeing him rushing in, Duryodhana beheld him as though he were Death itself—Yama’s dread agent, unleashed by Time—coming to strike down all before him.

Verse 25

अथैनमब्रवीत्‌ क्रुद्धः क्रूर: संरक्तलोचन:

Sañjaya said: Then, in anger, fierce and with bloodshot eyes, he addressed him: “Today I shall meet my end—unless you abandon the battle.”

Verse 26

अद्यानृण्यं गमिष्यामि पितृणां मातुरेव च । ये त्वया सुनृशंसेन दीर्घकालं प्रवासिता:

Sañjaya said: “Today I shall finally discharge my debt to my forefathers—and to my mother as well—for those whom you, in cruel ruthlessness, have driven into long exile.”

Verse 27

यच्च ते पाण्डवा राजंश्छलद्यूते पराजिता: । यच्चैव द्रौपदी कृष्णा एकवस्त्रा रजस्वला

Sañjaya said: “And because the Pāṇḍavas were defeated by you, O King, through deceitful gambling; and because Draupadī—Kṛṣṇā—was made to stand with but a single garment, in the state of menstruation….”

Verse 28

सभामानीय दुर्बुद्धे बहुधा क्लेशिता त्वया । तव च प्रियकामेन आश्रमस्था दुरात्मना

Sañjaya said: “O evil-minded one, you brought her into the royal assembly and tormented her in many ways. And you—wicked at heart—did so driven by your own desire to please yourself, even though she was a woman living under the protection of the household and its sacred order.”

Verse 29

सैन्धवेन परामृष्टा परिभूय पितृन्‌ मम । एतेषामपमानानामन्येषां च कुलाधम

Sañjaya said: “Assailed by the Saindhava and after having insulted my fathers (elders/ancestors), this wretch—the disgrace of his lineage—has brought about these humiliations, and others besides.”

Verse 30

एवमुकक्‍्त्वा तु हैडिम्बो महद्‌ विस्फार्य कार्मुकम्‌

Sañjaya said: Having spoken thus, the son of Hiḍimbā drew back his great bow to its full stretch and unleashed a tremendous shower of arrows upon Duryodhana—like a rain-cloud in the monsoon season pouring streams of water upon a mountain peak. The scene underscores the relentless momentum of battle, where prowess and resolve manifest as overwhelming force, and where the consequences of ambition and enmity are borne in the harsh economy of war.

Verse 31

संदश्य दशनैरोष्ठं सक्किणी परिसंलिहन्‌ । शरवर्षेण महता दुर्योधनमवाकिरत्‌ । पर्वतं वारिधाराभि: प्रावषीव बलाहक:ः

Sañjaya said: Biting his lip with his teeth and licking the corners of his mouth in fierce resolve, he drew his great bow and showered Duryodhana with a massive rain of arrows—just as a monsoon cloud pours down streams of water upon a mountain peak. The image underscores how wrath and martial prowess, once unleashed, can descend with the inevitability and force of seasonal rain, intensifying the moral pressure of battle.

Verse 46

ऊरुस्तम्भ: समभवद्‌ वेपथु: स्वेद एव च । भारत! घटोत्कचका महान्‌ सिंहनाद सुनकर आपके सैनिकोंकी जाँघें अकड़ गयीं, शरीर काँपने लगा और सम्पूर्ण अंगोंसे पसीना निकलने लगा

Sañjaya said: “O Bharata (Dhritarashtra)! On hearing the mighty lion-roar of Ghaṭotkaca, your soldiers were seized by a paralysis of the thighs; their bodies began to tremble, and sweat poured forth from every limb.” The verse underscores how fear can unman even trained warriors, revealing the moral pressure of adharma-driven aggression when confronted by overwhelming force.

Verse 56

सर्वतः समचेष्टन्त सिंहभीता गजा इव । महाराज! आपके सभी सैनिक सब ओरसे दीन-चित्त हो सिंहसे डरे हुए हाथियोंकी भाँति भयपूर्ण चेष्टाएँ करने लगे

Sañjaya said: “O great king, your soldiers on every side began to move in panic—like elephants frightened by a lion—their courage sinking as fear spread through the ranks.”

Verse 91

इति श्रीमहा भारते भीष्मपर्वणि भीष्मवधपर्वणि हैडिम्बयुद्धे एकनवतितमो<ध्याय: ।। ९१ || इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत भीष्मपर्वके अन्तर्गत भीष्मवधपर्वमें घटोत्कच-युद्धाविषयक इक्यानबेवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Sañjaya said: Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Bhīṣma Parva—specifically in the section concerning Bhīṣma’s slaying—this ninety-first chapter, dealing with the battle involving the Haiḍimba (Ghaṭotkaca), is concluded. The colophon marks the close of the chapter and frames the episode as part of the wider moral and strategic unfolding of the war, where extraordinary warriors and their powers are drawn into the conflict’s escalating stakes.

Verse 96

प्रगृह्य विपुलं चापं सिंहवद्‌ विनदन्‌ मुहुः । तब राजा दुर्योधनने विशाल धनुष लेकर बारंबार सिंहके समान गर्जना करते हुए वहाँ घटोत्कचपर धावा किया

Sañjaya said: Grasping his mighty bow and repeatedly roaring like a lion, King Duryodhana then surged forward to charge at Ghaṭotkaca. The scene underscores how pride and martial fury can harden into reckless resolve amid the moral chaos of war.

Verse 126

राक्षसानां च राजेन्द्र दुर्योधनबलस्य च । राजेन्द्र! फिर तो दुर्योधनकी सेना तथा राक्षसोंमें भयंकर एवं रोमांचकारी युद्ध होने लगा

Sañjaya said: “O king, a fierce and hair-raising battle then broke out between the Rākṣasas and the army of Duryodhana.” The line underscores how, in the chaos of war, even allied forces can be driven into violent conflict, revealing the moral disarray that accompanies adharma-led ambition.

Verse 136

अभ्यधावन्त संक्रुद्धा राक्षसा: शस्त्रपाणय: । घिरी हुई मेघोंकी घटाके समान हाथियोंकी सेनाको देखकर क्रोधमें भरे हुए राक्षस हाथमें अस्त्र-शस्त्र लिये उसकी ओर दौड़े

Sañjaya said: Enraged, the Rākṣasas—bearing weapons in their hands—rushed forward. Seeing the elephant-host massed like a bank of cloud-wrapped mountains, they surged toward it in wrath, driven by the violent impulse of war rather than restraint.

Verse 156

पर्वताग्रैश्व वृक्षेश्न निजघ्नुस्ते महागजान्‌ । वे भाँति-भाँतिकी गर्जना करते हुए बिजलीसहित मेघोंके समान शोभा पाते थे। बाण

Sañjaya said: Striking with mountain-peaks and with trees, they felled the mighty elephants. In the tumult of battle, the warriors—roaring in many ways like thunderclouds charged with lightning—began to slaughter the elephant-riders and the huge elephants by blows from arrows and spears, lances and iron darts, bhindipālas and tridents, clubs and axes, as well as by hurling rocks and uprooted trees.

Verse 206

शरैश्नतुर्भिश्चतुरो निजघान महाबल: । भरतश्रेष्ठ! क्रोधमें भरे हुए आपके महाबली पुत्र दुर्योधनने वेगवान्‌, महारीौद्र, विद्युज्जिह्न और प्रमाथी--इन चार राक्षसोंको चार बाणोंसे मार डाला

Sañjaya said: With four arrows the mighty warrior struck down four foes. O best of the Bharatas, your powerful son Duryodhana—his mind filled with wrath—swiftly slew the four rākṣasas: Vegavān, Mahāraudra, Vidyujjihna, and Pramāthī.

Verse 216

मुमोच भरतश्रेष्ठो निशाचरबलं प्रति । तत्पश्चात्‌ अमेय आत्मबलसे सम्पन्न भरतश्रेष्ठ दुर्योधनने उस निशाचरसेनाके ऊपर दुर्धर्ष बाणोंकी वर्षा आरम्भ की

Sañjaya said: Then Duryodhana, the foremost of the Bharatas—endowed with immeasurable strength of spirit—released his missiles against the host of night-roving warriors. After that, he began an irresistible shower of arrows upon that rākṣasa army.

Verse 246

न विव्यथे महाराज पुत्रो दुर्योधनस्तव । महाराज! कालप्रेरित मृत्युके समान उस घटोत्कचको आते देख आपका पुत्र दुर्योधन तनिक भी व्यथित नहीं हुआ

Sañjaya said: O King, your son Duryodhana did not waver in the least. Though Ghaṭotkaca advanced like death itself—driven by the force of Time—Duryodhana remained unshaken.

Verse 296

अन्तमद्य गमिष्यामि यदि नोत्सूजसे रणम्‌ | तदनन्तर क्रूर घटोत्कच क्रोधसे लाल आँखें करके दुर्योधनसे बोला--'ओ दुष्ट! आज मैं अपने उन पितरों और माताके ऋणसे उऋण हो जाऊँगा

Sañjaya said: “Today I shall bring you to your end, if you do not abandon the battle.” Thereafter, the fierce Ghaṭotkaca—his eyes reddened with wrath—addressed Duryodhana: “Wretch! Today I will repay the debt I owe to my ancestors and to my mother, whom you forced to endure long years of exile. You are cruel and perverse in judgment. You deceitfully defeated the Pāṇḍavas in the dice-game; you dragged Kṛṣṇā, the daughter of Drupada, clad in a single garment and in her season, into the royal assembly and subjected her to manifold humiliations; and the wicked king of Sindhu, eager to please you, insulted my forebears by abducting Draupadī from her hermitage. O disgrace to your line—if you do not flee the field, today I shall exact vengeance for these outrages and for all your other oppressions as well.”

Verse 326

अन्तरिक्षं दिशश्वैव सर्वाश्च प्रदिशस्तथा । नरेश्वर! उस राक्षसकी गर्जनासे समुद्र, आकाश, पर्वत और वनोंसहित यह सारी पृथ्वी जोर-जोरसे हिलने लगी। अन्तरिक्ष, दिशाएँ तथा समस्त कोणोंके प्रदेश भी काँपने लगे

Sañjaya said: “O King, at the roar of that rākṣasa, the whole earth—together with the ocean, the sky, the mountains, and the forests—began to shake violently. The mid-air, the directions, and even all the intermediate quarters trembled as well.”