Shloka 12
ते कर्ण योधयामासु: पज्चाला द्रोणमेव तु । अलायुधस्तु संक्रुद्धो घटोत्कचमरिंदमम् । परिघेणातिकायेन ताडयामास मूर्थनि,वे तीनों योद्धा कर्णके साथ युद्ध करने लगे और पांचालदेशीय वीरोंने द्रोणाचार्यका सामना किया। उधर क्रोधमें भरे हुए अलायुधने एक विशाल परिषके द्वारा शत्रुदमन घटोत्कचके मस्तकपर आघात किया
te karṇa yodhayāmāsuḥ pāñcālā droṇam eva tu | alāyudhas tu saṅkruddho ghaṭotkacam ariṃdamam | parigheṇātikāyena tāḍayāmāsa mūrdhani ||
Sañjaya said: Then those warriors engaged Karṇa in battle, while the Pāñcāla heroes confronted Droṇa himself. Meanwhile, Alāyudha, inflamed with wrath, struck the enemy-subduing Ghaṭotkaca on the head with a massive iron club.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) intensifies violence in war: Alāyudha’s wrath leads to a brutal, targeted blow. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning that uncontrolled rage narrows judgment and accelerates destruction, even among mighty heroes.
Multiple fronts of fighting unfold at once: some warriors engage Karṇa; the Pāñcālas confront Droṇa directly; and Alāyudha, enraged, attacks Ghaṭotkaca by striking him on the head with a huge iron club (parigha).