Adhyaya 163

Verse 1

क्र एकषष्ट्याधिकशततमोड< ध्याय: भीमसेन और अर्जुनका आक्रमण और कौरव-सेनाका पलायन संयज उवाच ततो युधिष्ठिरश्नैव भीमसेनश्न पाण्डव: । द्रोणपुत्रं महाराज समन्तात्‌ पर्यवारयन्‌,संजय कहते हैं--महाराज! तदनन्तर पाण्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिर और भीमसेनने द्रोणपुत्र अश्वत्थामाको चारों ओरसे घेर लिया

Sañjaya said: Then, O King, Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīmasena—the sons of Pāṇḍu—surrounded Droṇa’s son, Aśvatthāmā, on every side. In the crush of battle, their coordinated encirclement showed both tactical resolve and a moral urgency to restrain a dangerous warrior, lest unchecked violence spread through the ranks.

Verse 2

ततो दुर्योधनो राजा भारद्वाजेन संवृतः । अभ्ययात्‌ पाण्डवान्‌ संख्ये ततो युद्धमवर्तत

Then King Duryodhana, accompanied and supported by Bhāradvāja (Droṇa), advanced against the Pāṇḍavas on the battlefield; and from that moment the fighting was set in motion. The verse shows how leadership allied with a powerful teacher-warrior escalates conflict, turning intent into open war.

Verse 3

अम्बष्ठान्‌ मालवान्‌ वज्जन्‌ शिबींस्त्रैगर्तकानपि

Sañjaya said: “(He) struck down the Ambaṣṭhas, the Mālavas, the Vajjans, the Śibis, and also the Traigartas.” The line is a swift catalogue of peoples drawn into the Kurukṣetra war, showing how the conflict consumes many communities beyond the Kuru and Pāṇḍava houses.

Verse 4

अभीषाहान्‌ शूरसेनान्‌ क्षत्रियान्‌ युद्धदुर्मदान्‌

Sañjaya said: “They were the Śūrasena Kṣatriyas—men hard to assail, proud of their heroism, and made reckless by the intoxication of war.”

Verse 5

निकृत्य पृथिवीं चक्रे भीम: शोणितकर्दमाम्‌ । अभीषाह तथा शूरसेन देशके रणदुर्मद क्षत्रियोंको भी काट-काटकर भीमसेनने वहाँकी भूमिको खूनसे कीचड़मयी बना दिया ।। ४ ई ।। यौधेयानद्रिजान्‌ राजन्‌ मद्रकान्मालवानपि

Sañjaya said: Having struck down the warriors, Bhīma turned the earth into a mire of blood. In that same way, he also hewed down the battle-maddened Kṣatriyas of the Śūrasena country; and there, Bhīmasena made the ground muddy with gore. O King, he likewise cut down the Yautheyas, the hill-men, the Madrakas, and the Mālavas as well.

Verse 6

प्रगाठमञ्जोगतिभिनारराचैरभिताडिता:

They were struck hard—repeatedly battered by Nārāca arrows whose flight was swift and forceful—so that the assault pressed in with relentless intensity amid the battle.

Verse 7

निकत्तै्हस्तिहस्तैश्व चेष्टमानैरितस्तत:

With the severed trunks of elephants and their lopped-off hands still twitching and writhing, the battlefield heaved in confusion—movement breaking out here and there amid the carnage, revealing the relentless, dehumanizing momentum of war.

Verse 8

क्षिप्तै: कनकचित्रैश्न नृपच्छत्रै: क्षितिर्बभी

Saṃjaya said: The earth appeared strewn and adorned with royal parasols—cast down in the tumult—many of them richly ornamented with gold. The image underscores the reversal of worldly sovereignty in war: emblems of kingship lie discarded, reminding that pride and power are fragile before the consequences of adharma and violence.

Verse 9

हत प्रहरताभीता विध्यत व्यवकृन्तत

“They were slain; yet, without fear, they kept striking. They pierced (the foe) and cut them down.” The line conveys the relentless momentum of battle—courage hardening into ferocity—where fearlessness becomes morally ambiguous when it fuels unceasing violence.

Verse 10

द्रोणस्तु परमक्रुद्धों वायव्यास्त्रेण संयुगे

Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, Droṇa—seized by extreme anger—resorted to the Vāyavya weapon. The line underscores how wrath can drive even a great teacher-warrior to escalate violence through formidable astras, raising ethical tension between martial duty and self-mastery.

Verse 11

व्यधमत्‌ तान्‌ महावायुर्मेघानिव दुरत्यय: । जैसे दुर्जय महावायु मेघोंको छिन्न-भिन्न कर देती है, उसी प्रकार अत्यन्त क्रोधमें भरे हुए द्रोणाचार्यने वायव्यास्त्रके द्वारा युद्धमें समस्त शत्रुओंको तहस-नहस कर डाला || १०३ || ते हन्यमाना द्रोणेन पञ्चाला: प्राद्रवन्‌ भयात्‌

A mighty, irresistible wind scattered them like clouds torn apart. So too, Droṇācārya, filled with fierce wrath, unleashed the Vāyavya astra in battle and laid waste to all his foes. The Pāñcālas, being slain by Droṇa, fled in fear.

Verse 12

पश्यतो भीमसेनस्य पार्थस्य च महात्मन: । द्रोणाचार्युकी मार खाकर भीमसेन और महात्मा अर्जुनके देखते-देखते पांचाल-सैनिक भयके मारे भागने लगे ।। ततः किरीटी भीमश्न सहसा संन्यवर्तताम्‌

Before the very eyes of Bhīmasena and the noble Pārtha (Arjuna), the Pāñcāla troops—having been struck down and routed by Droṇācārya—began to flee in terror. Then, Kiriṭin (Arjuna) and Bhīma suddenly turned back, checking their movement to respond to the crisis.

Verse 13

महता रथवंशेन परिगृहा बल॑ महत्‌ । तत्पश्चात्‌ अर्जुन और भीमसेन विशाल रथसमूहसे युक्त भारी सेना साथ लेकर सहसा द्रोणाचार्यकी ओर लौट पड़े ।। बीभत्सुर्दक्षिणं पार्श्वमुत्तरं तु वृकोदर:

Having secured a great force behind a massive screen of chariots, Arjuna and Bhīmasena then swiftly turned back toward Droṇācārya, bringing with them a heavy army reinforced by a vast formation of chariots. Bībhatsu (Arjuna) took the right flank, while Vṛkodara (Bhīma) held the northern side—an organized return to battle that underscores disciplined leadership amid the moral strain of war.

Verse 14

भारद्वाजं शरौघाभ्यां महद्भ्यामभ्यवर्षताम्‌ | तो तथा सूंजयाश्वैव पञ्चालाश्न महौजस:

Sañjaya said: They poured down upon Bhāradvāja’s son a mighty shower of arrows, great in force and number. In the same way, the high-souled Pāñcālas too pressed the attack, covering him with volleys—an image of war’s relentless momentum, where prowess is tested amid the moral weight of violence and duty.

Verse 15

अन्वगच्छन्‌ महाराज मत्स्यैश्न सह सोमकै: । अर्जुनने द्रोणाचार्यकी सेनापर दक्षिण पार्श्से और भीमसेनने बायें पार्श्बले अपने बाणसमूहोंकी भारी वर्षा प्रारम्भ कर दी। महाराज! उस समय महातेजस्वी पांचालों, सृंजयों, मत्स्यों तथा सोमकोंने भी उन्हीं दोनोंके मार्गकका अनुसरण किया ।। १३-१४ $ ।। तथैव तव पुत्रस्य रथोदारा: प्रहारिण:

O King, the Matsyas, together with the Somakas, followed in their wake. Likewise, the valiant and hard-striking chariot-warriors of your son pressed on—showing how, in the momentum of battle, whole divisions align behind leading fighters, and how collective resolve can magnify both courage and destruction when dharma is contested on the battlefield.

Verse 16

ततः सा भारती सेना हन्यमाना किरीटिना

Then that Bharata host, being struck down by the Diademed warrior, began to suffer heavy losses—an image of how, in war, even a mighty army can be undone when confronted by a single, resolute champion and the momentum of fate.

Verse 17

द्रोणेन वार्यमाणास्ते स्वयं तव सुतेन च

Though they were being restrained by Droṇa—and even by your own son himself—they persisted; the line underscores how the momentum of battle and personal resolve can press forward despite counsel and attempted restraint, raising questions of duty, obedience, and the limits of authority in war.

Verse 18

सा पाण्डुपुत्रस्य शरैर्दीयमाणा महाचमू:

That vast army, being struck and torn by the arrows of the son of Pāṇḍu, was driven into distress—its strength and order breaking under the relentless assault. The verse underscores how, in war, even a great host can be undone when confronted by focused prowess and unwavering resolve.

Verse 19

उत्सृज्य शतशो वाहांस्तत्र केचिन्नराधिपा: । प्राद्रवन्त महाराज भयाविष्टा: समन्ततः,महाराज! कुछ नरेश, जो सैकड़ोंकी संख्यामें थे, अपने वाहनोंको वहीं छोड़कर भयसे व्याकुल हो सब ओर भाग गये

Overwhelmed by fear, certain kings there—numbering in the hundreds—abandoned their mounts and vehicles on the spot and fled in all directions. The scene underscores how, in the press of war, courage and royal composure can collapse, and panic can drive even rulers to forsake their duty and dignity.

Verse 26

घोररूपं महाराज भीरूणां भयवर्धनम्‌ | यह देख द्रोणाचार्यकी सेनासे घिरे हुए राजा दुर्योधनने भी रणभूमिमें पाण्डवोंपर आक्रमण किया। महाराज! भी कायरोंका भय बढ़ानेवाला घोर युद्ध होने लगा

O great king, a dreadful battle—one that magnifies fear in the faint-hearted—arose. Seeing King Duryodhana hemmed in by the army of Droṇācārya, the Pāṇḍavas launched an assault upon him on the battlefield, and the conflict took on a terrifying form, testing courage and resolve amid the demands of kṣatriya-dharma.

Verse 36

प्राहिणोन्मृत्युलोकाय गणान्‌ क्रुद्धों वृकोदर: । क्रोधमें भरे हुए भीमसेनने अम्बष्ठ, मालव, वंग, शिबि तथा त्रिगर्तदेशके योद्धाओंको मृत्युके लोकमें भेज दिया

Sañjaya said: Enraged, Vṛkodara (Bhīma) dispatched whole bands of warriors to the realm of Death—cutting down the fighters of the Ambastha, Mālava, Vaṅga, Śibi, and Trigarta lands. The verse underscores the grim moral tension of war: wrath becomes a force that swiftly turns duty on the battlefield into mass destruction, where victory is purchased by lives sent to Yama’s domain.

Verse 53

प्राहिणोन्मृत्युलोकाय किरीटी निशितै: शरै: । राजन! इसी प्रकार किरीटधारी अर्जुनने अपने पैने बाणोंद्वारा यौधेय, पर्वतीय, मद्रक तथा मालव योद्धाओंको भी मृत्युके लोकका पथिक बना दिया

Sañjaya said: With his razor-sharp arrows, the diadem-crowned Arjuna dispatched them to the realm of Death. O King, in the same manner, Arjuna—wearing the diadem—also made the warriors of the Yaudheyas, the mountaineers, the Madrakas, and the Malavas travelers on the road to Yama’s world. The verse underscores the grim momentum of battle, where prowess becomes an instrument of inevitable mortality, even as the larger war is framed by contested duties and loyalties.

Verse 66

निपेतुर्द्धिरदा भूमौ द्विशृज्भा इव पर्वता: । अनायास ही दूरतक जानेवाले उनके नाराचोंकी गहरी चोट खाकर दो दाँतोंवाले हाथी दो शिखरोंवाले पर्वतोंके समान पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ते थे

Sañjaya said: Struck by the deep, piercing impact of those barbed arrows, the two-tusked elephants collapsed upon the earth, falling like twin-peaked mountains. The scene underscores the terrible efficiency of martial skill in war, where even the mightiest creatures are brought down, reminding the listener of the grave moral weight carried by violence on the battlefield.

Verse 73

रराज वसुधा55कीर्णा विसर्पद्धिरिवोरगै: । हाथियोंके शुण्डदण्ड कटकर इधर-उधर तड़पते हुए ऐसे प्रतीत हो रहे थे, मानो सर्प चल रहे हों। उनके द्वारा आच्छादित हुई वहाँकी भूमि अद्भुत शोभा पा रही थी

Sañjaya said: The earth shone wondrously, strewn all over with severed elephant-trunks. As they writhed and lay scattered in every direction, they looked like serpents crawling—an awe-inspiring yet dreadful spectacle that underscores the brutal cost of war and the moral weight borne by those who wage it.

Verse 86

द्यौरिवादित्यचन्द्राद्यैर्ग्रहै: कीर्णा युगक्षये । प्रलयकालमें सूर्य और चन्द्रमा आदि ग्रहोंसे व्याप्त हुए द्युलोककी जैसी शोभा होती है, उसी प्रकार इधर-उधर फेंके पड़े हुए राजाओंके सुवर्णचित्रित छत्रोंद्वारा उस रणभूमिकी भी शोभा हो रही थी

As the sky at the end of an age shines when it is strewn with the sun, the moon, and other heavenly bodies in the time of dissolution, so too that battlefield was made strangely resplendent by the kings’ gold-ornamented parasols lying scattered here and there. The image underscores the grim irony of war: emblems of sovereignty and honor become mere debris, while the scene’s beauty is inseparable from ruin.

Verse 93

इत्यासीत्‌ तुमुल: शब्द: शोणाश्चस्य रथं प्रति । लाल घोड़ोंवाले द्रोणाचार्यके रथके समीप मार डालो, निर्भय होकर प्रहार करो, बाणोंसे बींध डालो, टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर दो” इत्यादि भयंकर शब्द सुनायी पड़ता था

A tumultuous, terrifying roar was heard: cries urging the warriors to close in on his chariot—"Strike down the charioteer with the red horses near Droa
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01rya's car; attack without fear; pierce him with arrows; cut him to pieces!" Such brutal commands filled the battlefield, revealing how war inflames speech and intention, pushing men toward violence that tests the boundaries of dharma.

Verse 156

महत्या सेनया राजन्‌ जम्मुद्रोणरथं प्रति । राजन! इसी प्रकार प्रहार करनेमें कुशल आपके पुत्रके श्रेष्ठ रथी भी विशाल सेनाके साथ द्रोणाचार्यके रथके समीप जा पहुँचे

Sañjaya said: “O King, with a vast army they advanced toward Droṇa’s chariot. In this manner, your son’s foremost chariot-warriors—skilled in striking and counter-striking—also came close to Droṇācārya’s chariot with a great host.”

Verse 161

इति श्रीमहाभारते द्रोणपर्वणि घटोत्कचवधपर्वणि रात्रियुद्धे संकुलयुद्धे एकषष्ट्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:

Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Droṇa Parvan—specifically in the section on the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca—this concludes the one-hundred-and-sixty-first chapter, describing the night-battle and the confused, densely entangled fighting. The colophon frames the episode as a morally fraught escalation of warfare into darkness and disorder, marking a turning point where strategy, desperation, and the erosion of ordinary restraints become prominent.

Verse 163

तमसा निद्रया चैव पुनरेव व्यदीर्यत । उस समय किरीटवधारी अर्जुनके द्वारा मारी जाती हुई कौरवी-सेना अन्धकार और निद्रा दोनोंसे पीड़ित हो पुनः भागने लगी

Sañjaya said: Struck by darkness and overcome by sleep, the Kaurava host—being cut down by Arjuna, the bearer of the diadem—once again broke ranks and fled. The scene underscores how, in war, inner collapse (fear, confusion, fatigue) can undo even a vast army when confronted by resolute prowess.

Verse 176

नाशक्यन्त महाराज योधा वारयितुं तदा | महाराज! द्रोणाचार्यने तथा स्वयं आपके पुत्रने भी उन्हें बहुतेरा रोका, तथापि उस समय आपके सैनिक रोके न जा सके

Sañjaya said: “O King, at that time the warriors could not be restrained. Though Droṇācārya and even your own son tried repeatedly to hold them back, your forces still could not be checked.”

Verse 186

तमसा संवृते लोके व्यद्रवत्‌ सर्वतोमुखी । पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनके बाणोंसे विदीर्ण होती हुई वह विशाल सेना उस तिमिराच्छन्न जगत्‌में सब ओर भागने लगी

When the world was shrouded in darkness, that vast army—torn apart by the arrows of Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu—broke ranks and fled in every direction. In the gloom that hid all bearings, fear and confusion overwhelmed discipline, and the force scattered, showing how adharma-driven violence collapses into panic when confronted by resolute, righteous prowess.