Shloka 44
धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः: कर्ण–घटोत्कचयोर्निशायुद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Description of the Night Engagement of Karṇa and Ghaṭotkaca
परिस्तोमै: कुथाभि श्न परिघैरड्कुशैस्तथा । शक्तिभिभिन्दिपालैश्न तृणै: शूलै: परश्वचै:
paristomaiḥ kuthābhiś ca parighair aṅkuśais tathā | śaktibhir bhindipālaiś ca tṛṇaiḥ śūlaiḥ paraśvadhaiḥ ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa bersabda: “Mereka menyerangnya dari segala sisi dengan aneka senjata—gada dan pentung, tongkat besi dan penggiring (aṅkuśa), tombak śakti dan bhindipāla, juga trisula dan kapak perang. Dalam kegilaan perang, kekuatan berlipat ganda dan kendali dilupakan—demikianlah wajah ngeri pertempuran.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how warfare breeds escalation: once dharma’s restraints weaken, combatants resort to every available means of harm. It implicitly contrasts disciplined kṣatriya conduct with the chaos that arises when anger and desperation dominate.
Kṛṣṇa describes an intense assault in which fighters strike with many kinds of weapons—clubs, axes, iron bars, goads, spears, darts, tridents, and battle-axes—emphasizing the ferocity and all-sided nature of the attack.