Shloka 366
भीष्मरक्षण-उद्योगः, शिखण्डि-विवर्जनं, सर्वतोभद्र-व्यूहः
Protection of Bhīṣma, Exemption of Śikhaṇḍin, and the Sarvatobhadra Array
भूरिश्रवसि संक़ुद्ध: प्राहिणोद् भरतर्षभ । इससे विकर्ण अपने रथके पिछले भागमें व्याकुल होकर बैठ गया, उसका सारा शरीर रक्तसे नहा उठा था। भरतश्रेष्ठ! तत्पश्चात् अमेय आत्मबलसे सम्पन्न घटोत्कचने क़ुद्ध होकर भूरिश्रवापर पंद्रह नाराच चलाये
sañjaya uvāca | bhūriśravasi saṅkruddhaḥ prāhiṇod bharatarṣabha | tato vikarnaḥ sva-rathasya paścima-bhāge vyākulaḥ upaviśat, tasya sarvaṃ śarīraṃ rudhireṇa snātaṃ babhūva | bharataśreṣṭha! tataḥ param ameya-ātma-balena sampanno ghaṭotkacaḥ kruddhaḥ san bhūriśravāya pañcadaśa nārācān prāhiṇot |
Sanjaya said: O bull among the Bharatas, enraged at Bhūrishravas, he discharged his weapon. Vikarna, distressed, sank down on the rear of his chariot; his whole body was drenched in blood. Then, O best of the Bharatas, Ghaṭotkaca—endowed with immeasurable strength of spirit—became wrathful and shot fifteen iron arrows at Bhūrishravas. The passage underscores how anger escalates violence on the battlefield, while the narrator’s address reminds the listener to judge such acts within the larger frame of kṣatriya-duty and the tragic momentum of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how krodha (anger) rapidly intensifies conflict: one warrior’s wrath prompts immediate retaliation, drawing more fighters into a cycle of violence. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical lens, even when actions align with battlefield duty, uncontrolled anger is shown as a force that multiplies suffering and accelerates catastrophe.
Sanjaya reports that Vikarna has been grievously wounded and collapses onto the rear of his chariot, covered in blood. Immediately afterward, Ghaṭotkaca, empowered by immense inner strength, becomes enraged and shoots fifteen nārāca arrows at Bhūrishravas, continuing the fierce exchange of missiles in the Kurukṣetra war.