Shloka 8
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ९६: सौभद्रस्य आक्रमणम्, अलम्बुसस्य प्रतिविधानम्
Abhimanyu’s assault; Alambusa’s counter-engagement
युध्यते राक्षसो नून॑ धार्तराष्ट्रमहारथै: । यथास्य श्रूयते शब्दो नदतो भैरवं स्वनम्,'राक्षस घटोत्कच कौरव महारथियोंसे निश्चय ही युद्ध कर रहा है। भैरवनाद करते हुए उस राक्षसका जैसा शब्द सुनायी देता है, उससे यही जान पड़ता है
yudhyate rākṣaso nūnaṃ dhārtarāṣṭra-mahārathaiḥ | yathāsya śrūyate śabdo nadato bhairavaṃ svanam ||
Sañjaya said: “Surely that Rākṣasa is fighting with the great chariot-warriors of the Dhārtarāṣṭras. From the terrifying roar that is heard as he bellows, it is evident that a fierce combat is underway.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the moral and psychological dimension of war is conveyed through sound and presence: a warrior’s terrifying roar can signal intensity, unsettle opponents, and shape the battlefield’s morale, reminding readers that conflict affects minds as much as bodies.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a rākṣasa warrior—understood in context as Ghaṭotkaca—is actively battling the Kauravas’ foremost chariot-fighters, and his dreadful bellowing is audibly dominating the scene.