Shloka 36

Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall

Devanagari script

प्राग्ज्योतिषपुरके नरेशने कुपित हो उस राक्षसपर चौदह तोमर चलाये, परंतु उसने समरभूमिमें उन सबको काट दिया ।। स तांश्छित्त्वा महाबाहुस्तोमरान्‌ निशितै: शरै: । भगदत्तं च विव्याध सप्तत्या कड़्कपत्रिभि:,उन तोमरोंको तीखे बाणोंसे काटकर महाबाहु घटोत्कचने कंकपत्रयुक्त सत्तर बाणोंद्वारा भगदत्तको भी घायल कर दिया

Transliteration

sa tāṁś chittvā mahābāhus tomarān niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ | bhagadattaṁ ca vivyādha saptatyā kaṅkapatribhiḥ ||

Translation

Sanjaya said: Having cut down those javelins with his razor-sharp arrows, the mighty-armed Ghaṭotkaca then struck King Bhagadatta as well with seventy arrows feathered with heron-plumes. The scene underscores the relentless escalation of battle-skill and counter-skill, where prowess is measured not only by force but by swift discernment and control amid fury.

Word by Word

• {'saḥ': 'he', 'tān': 'those (objects previously mentioned)', 'chittvā': 'having cut down, having severed', 'mahābāhuḥ': 'mighty-armed

• epithet of a powerful warrior', 'tomarān': 'tomaras

• javelins/spears (thrown weapons)', 'niśitaiḥ': 'sharp, whetted', 'śaraiḥ': 'with arrows', 'bhagadattam': 'Bhagadatta (king of Prāgjyotiṣa)', 'ca': 'and', 'vivyādha': 'pierced, wounded, struck', 'saptatyā': 'with seventy', 'kaṅkapatribhiḥ': 'with (arrows) having kaṅka-feathers

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Ghaṭotkaca
• Bhagadatta
• Prāgjyotiṣapura
• tomara (javelin)
• śara (arrow)
• kaṅka-patra (heron-feather fletching)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined effectiveness in warfare: the ability to neutralize incoming harm (cutting the javelins) and then act decisively. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—martial excellence and duty-driven combat can coexist with intense anger, yet the warrior is judged by control, precision, and adherence to the battle-code rather than mere rage.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Bhīṣma Parva battle account, Ghaṭotkaca counters Bhagadatta’s attack: he slices apart the thrown tomaras with sharp arrows and then wounds Bhagadatta with seventy heron-fletched arrows, marking a forceful turn in their exchange.