Shloka 36
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
गृध्रोदग्रमहाग्राहां शिवाविरुतभैरवाम् । नृत्यत्प्रेतपिशाचाद्यैर्भूताकीर्णा सहस्रश:
gṛdhrodagramahāgrāhāṃ śivāvirutabhairavām | nṛtyatpreta-piśācādyair bhūtākīrṇā sahasraśaḥ ||
Tempat itu dipenuhi burung nasar dan pemangsa yang ganas; menjadi makin mengerikan oleh lolongan jakal. Ribuan preta, piśāca, dan makhluk halus lain seakan menari-nari memenuhi medan itu.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral and existential cost of war: when violence dominates, the battlefield becomes a haunt of death and inauspicious forces, reminding listeners of impermanence and the ethical degradation that accompanies slaughter.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield atmosphere as terrifying—swarming with vultures and predators, echoing with jackal howls, and imagined as crowded with ghosts and goblins—an ominous portrayal of the carnage surrounding the ongoing combat.