Shloka 233
प्रेषयामासुरुद्धिग्ना हैडिम्बश्न घटोत्कच: । राजन्! तदनन्तर पाण्डव तथा हिडिम्बाकुमार घटोत्कच--सबने उद्विग्न होकर सब ओरसे अलम्बुषपर पैने बाणोंकी वर्षा प्रारम्भ कर दी
sañjaya uvāca | preṣayāmāsur uddvignā haiḍimbaś ca ghaṭotkacaḥ | rājan tad-anantaraṃ pāṇḍavāḥ tathā hiḍimbākumāraḥ ghaṭotkacaḥ sarve udvignāḥ sarvato 'lambuṣe 'tiśitair bāṇair varṣaṃ prārabdhavantaḥ |
Sanjaya said: Disturbed and alarmed, the Haiḍimba (Ghaṭotkaca) launched his attack. Then, O King, immediately afterward the Pāṇḍavas—together with Hiḍimbā’s son Ghaṭotkaca—became intensely roused and began on all sides a sharp, relentless shower of arrows against Alambuṣa. In the moral atmosphere of the war, this moment shows how fear and urgency on the battlefield quickly harden into decisive, collective action aimed at stopping a dangerous foe.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the ethics of the Mahābhārata battlefield, danger demands swift, coordinated resolve: when a destructive opponent threatens the balance of the fight, allies act together with focused intent. The passage highlights disciplined response under fear—turning agitation into purposeful action rather than panic.
Sanjaya reports that Ghaṭotkaca (called Haiḍimba) and the Pāṇḍava side, stirred and alarmed, begin a concentrated attack on Alambuṣa, surrounding him with a sharp rain of arrows from all directions.