Shloka 74
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
भीष्म: शान्तनवो भूयो भारद्वाजमभाषत | घटोत्कचकी वह गर्जना सुनकर तथा जूझते हुए हाथियोंको देखकर शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मने पुनः द्रोणाचार्ससे कहा-- || ७३ ई ।। न रोचते मे संग्रामो हैडिम्बेन दुरात्मना
sañjaya uvāca | bhīṣmaḥ śāntanavo bhūyo bhāradvājam abhāṣata | ghaṭotkaca-kī vā garjanāṃ śrutvā tathā yujhyataḥ hastinaḥ ca dṛṣṭvā śāntanunandano bhīṣmaḥ punaḥ droṇācāryaṃ uvāca— || 73 || na rocate me saṅgrāmo haiḍimben durātmanā ||
Sañjaya dit : Entendant le rugissement tonnant de Ghaṭotkaca et voyant les éléphants engagés dans un combat farouche, Bhīṣma — fils de Śāntanu — s’adressa de nouveau à Droṇa. Il dit : « Cette bataille ne me plaît point lorsqu’elle est menée par le mauvais Haiḍimba (Ghaṭotkaca). »
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral unease about warfare when it is intensified by forces perceived as unrighteous or uncontrolled (here, the ‘durātman’ Haiḍimba/Ghaṭotkaca). It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern that not all victory-seeking methods are ethically equivalent, even within a battlefield governed by kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma, alarmed by Ghaṭotkaca’s terrifying roar and the sight of elephants battling, turns again to address Droṇa. Bhīṣma expresses that the battle is displeasing to him when dominated by the fearsome Haiḍimba warrior.