Shloka 19
भीष्मरक्षण-उद्योगः, शिखण्डि-विवर्जनं, सर्वतोभद्र-व्यूहः
Protection of Bhīṣma, Exemption of Śikhaṇḍin, and the Sarvatobhadra Array
यथैष निनदो घोर: श्रूयते राक्षसेरित: । हैडिम्बो युध्यते नून॑ राज्ञा दुर्योधनेन ह,उस भयानक राक्षसकी वह घोर गर्जना सुनकर शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मने द्रोणाचार्यके पास जाकर इस प्रकार कहा--'आचार्य! यह राक्षसके मुखसे निकली हुई जैसी घोर गर्जना सुनायी दे रही है, उससे अनुमान होता है कि अवश्य ही हिडिम्बाका पुत्र घटोत्कच राजा दुर्योधनके साथ जूझ रहा है
sañjaya uvāca | yathaiṣa ninado ghoraḥ śrūyate rākṣaseritaḥ | haiḍimbo yudhyate nūnaṁ rājñā duryodhanena ha ||
Sañjaya said: “Just as this dreadful roar is being heard—uttered by a rākṣasa—it surely means that Haiḍimba’s son, Ghaṭotkaca, is now engaged in combat with King Duryodhana.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield discernment: from a single sensory sign (a fearsome roar), Sañjaya infers the presence and action of a powerful combatant. Ethically, it underscores how war is read through omens and sounds, and how leaders must interpret signals quickly amid chaos.
A terrifying roar, identified as rākṣasa-like, is heard on the battlefield. Sañjaya concludes that Ghaṭotkaca (Haiḍimba’s son) must be fighting King Duryodhana at that moment.