Shloka 4

Devanagari script

पृष्टस्त्वमेतदाचक्ष्य कुशलो हासि संजय । उसके घोड़े कितने बड़े थे, रथकी ध्वजाकी ऊँचाई और धनुषकी लंबाई कितनी थी? उसके कवच और शिरस्त्राण कैसे थे, संजय! मेरे प्रश्नंके अनुसार ये सारी बातें बताओ; क्योंकि तुम इस कार्यमें कुशल हो ।। ३ $ ।। संजय उवाच लोहिताक्षो महाकायस्ताम्रास्थो निम्नितोदर:,संजयने कहा--राजन्‌! घटोत्कचका शरीर बहुत बड़ा था। उसकी आँँखें सुर्ख रंगकी थीं। मुँह ताँबेके रंगका और पेट धँसा हुआ था। उसके रोएँ ऊपरकी ओर उठे हुए थे, दाढ़ी- मूँछ काली थी, ठोड़ी बड़ी दिखायी देती थी। मुँह कानोंतक फटा हुआ था, दाढ़ें तीखी होनेके कारण वह विकराल जान पड़ता था

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | lohitākṣo mahākāyas tāmrāstho nimnitodaraḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O King, Ghaṭotkaca was of immense stature. His eyes were red; his face had a coppery hue; his belly was drawn in. His body-hair bristled upward; his beard and moustache were black; his chin appeared large. His mouth seemed split up to the ears, and with sharp fangs he looked terrifying.”

Word by Word

संजयO Sañjaya

उवाचsaid

लोहिताक्षःred-eyed

महाकायःhuge-bodied

ताम्रास्यःcopper-faced

निम्नितोदरःhaving a sunken belly

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'O King')

Ghaṭotkaca

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights how fearsome power and outward terror function in war: appearances can be deliberately intimidating, yet ethical judgment in the epic ultimately depends on conduct (dharma) rather than mere might or monstrous form.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, reporting the battlefield to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes the formidable and terrifying physical features of Ghaṭotkaca, emphasizing his rākṣasa-like appearance to convey the dread he inspires among opponents.