Shloka 18
तस्याप्यक्षसमा बाणा रुक्मपुड्खा: शिलाशिता: । सो<पि वीरो महाबाहुर्यथैव स घटोत्कच:,उसके बाण भी शिलापर तेज किये हुए थे। वे भी धुरेके समान मोटे और सुवर्णमय पंखोंसे सुशोभित थे। अलायुध भी वैसा ही महाबाहु वीर था, जैसा कि घटोत्कच था
tasyāpy akṣasamā bāṇā rukmapuṅkhāḥ śilāśitāḥ | so 'pi vīro mahābāhur yathaiva sa ghaṭotkacaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ses flèches aussi étaient aiguisées sur la pierre, épaisses comme un essieu et ornées d’un empennage d’or. Ce guerrier, Alāyudha, aux bras puissants et vaillant, égalait Ghaṭotkaca en prouesse.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war magnifies displays of power and craftsmanship—stone-whetted, axle-thick, gold-fletched arrows—yet such magnificence serves destruction. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: valor and skill can be admirable, but when yoked to adharma-driven conflict they become instruments of calamity.
Sañjaya describes Alāyudha’s weaponry and strength, emphasizing that his arrows are exceptionally heavy and sharp, and that he himself is a mighty warrior comparable to Ghaṭotkaca. The narration signals the arrival or presence of a formidable combatant in the Drona Parva battle sequence.