Shloka 39
घटोत्कचस्तु राधेयं प्रत्युद्यातु महाबल:,अतः मेरी रायमें इस समय महाबली घटोत्कच ही राधापुत्र कर्णका सामना करनेके लिये जाय; क्योंकि वह बलवान् भीमसेनका बेटा है, देवताओंके समान पराक्रमी है तथा उसके पास राक्षससम्बन्धी एवं असुरसम्बन्धी सभी प्रकारके दिव्य अस्त्र-शस्त्र हैं
śrīvāyudeva uvāca | ghaṭotkacaḥ tu rādheyaṃ pratyudyātu mahābalaḥ | ataḥ me rāye ’smin samaye mahābalī ghaṭotkaca eva rādheya-putraṃ karṇaṃ samāgantum arhati | sa hi balavato bhīmasenasya putraḥ, devatā-samo parākramī, tasya ca rākṣasa-sambandhīni āsura-sambandhīni ca sarva-prakārāṇi divyāni astrāṇi śastrāṇi santi ||
Vāyu said: “Let the mighty Ghaṭotkaca go forth to meet Rādheya (Karna). Therefore, in my judgment, at this moment it is Ghaṭotkaca alone who should confront Karna, the son of Rādhā—because he is the son of the powerful Bhīmasena, heroic like the gods, and he possesses every kind of divine weapon connected with the Rākṣasas and the Asuras.”
श्रीवायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield discernment: match an opponent with an appropriate counter-force. Vāyu’s counsel stresses choosing the warrior whose innate strengths and specialized resources (Ghaṭotkaca’s rākṣasa/asura-linked divine weapons and godlike prowess) best fit the immediate ethical and strategic need of restraining a formidable adversary (Karna).
In the Drona Parva’s intense fighting, Vāyudeva recommends that Ghaṭotkaca should be sent to confront Karna (Rādheya). The reasoning given is Ghaṭotkaca’s lineage (son of Bhīma), extraordinary valor, and possession of many supernatural weapons associated with rākṣasa and asura powers—making him the most suitable challenger at that moment.