Shloka 27
Irāvān-nidhana-anantaraṃ Ghaṭotkaca-nādaḥ
After Irāvān’s fall: Ghaṭotkaca’s roar and the clash with Duryodhana
तामापतन्ती विमलामश्मगर्भा महागदाम् | शरैरनेकसाहसैर्वारयामास गौतम:,उस निर्मल एवं लोहेकी बनी हुई विशाल गदाको अपने ऊपर आती देख कृपाचार्यने अनेक सहस्र बाणोंद्वारा दूर गिरा दिया
tām āpatantīṃ vimalām aśmagarbhāṃ mahāgadām | śarair anekasāhasair vārayāmāsa gautamaḥ |
Sañjaya said: Seeing that great mace—bright and hard as stone—hurtling toward him, Gautama (Kṛpācārya) checked it and drove it back by releasing many thousands of arrows. The scene underscores the grim discipline of war: even a teacher-warrior must meet lethal force with measured skill, restraining danger without losing composure amid chaos.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the battlefield context, the verse highlights disciplined restraint and alertness: a warrior-teacher meets sudden lethal threat with controlled, proportionate skill, embodying steadiness under pressure rather than panic or cruelty.
A massive mace rushes toward Kṛpa (called Gautama). He counters it by shooting a very large volley of arrows, stopping or driving back the incoming weapon before it can strike him.