घटोत्कचस्तत: कर्ण विद्ध्वा पञ्चभिराशुगै: । ननाद भैरवं नादं भीषयन् सर्वपार्थिवान्,तदनन्तर घटोत्कचने कर्णको पाँच बाणोंसे घायल करके समस्त राजाओंको भयभीत करते हुए वहाँ भयानक गर्जना की
ghaṭotkacas tataḥ karṇa viddhvā pañcabhir āśugaiḥ | nanāda bhairavaṃ nādaṃ bhīṣayan sarvapārthivān |
Sañjaya said: Then Ghaṭotkaca, having pierced Karṇa with five swift arrows, let out a dreadful roar, terrifying all the kings.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how, in war, psychological force—fear, shock, and intimidation—operates alongside physical skill. It implicitly contrasts the battlefield’s reliance on power and terror with the ethical ideal that true authority should rest on dharma rather than mere dominance.
Ghaṭotkaca wounds Karṇa with five swift arrows and then emits a terrifying roar that frightens the assembled kings, signaling his aggressive momentum and the heightened intensity of the combat.