Shloka 101
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
इन्द्राशनिसमप्रख्यं दिव्यमस्त्राभिमन्त्रितम् । सर्वभारसहं शश्चद् गन्धमाल्यार्चितं महत्
indrāśani-samaprakhyaṃ divyam astrābhimantritam | sarva-bhāra-sahaṃ śaśvad gandha-mālyārcitaṃ mahat
Sañjaya said: “It was radiant like Indra’s thunderbolt—an immense, divine weapon, consecrated with mantras; ever capable of bearing every burden, and continually honored with perfumes and garlands.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how power in the epic is not merely physical: a weapon’s effectiveness is tied to mantra-consecration and sustained reverence. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s ethic that force, when treated as sacred and disciplined, becomes a grave responsibility rather than mere violence.
Sañjaya is describing a formidable, divinely empowered weapon—likened to Indra’s thunderbolt—emphasizing its immense strength, its capacity to bear great weight, and the continual honors (perfumes and garlands) offered to it, underscoring its revered status in the war setting.