Shloka 14
घटोत्कच-कर्णयुद्धम्
Ghaṭotkaca–Karna Combat and the Release of Śakti
(रक्षामि सैन्धवं युद्धे नैन॑ प्राप्स्पति फाल्गुन: । मम सैन्यविनाशाय रुद्धो विप्रेण सैन्धव: ।। “'मैं युद्धमें सिंधुराजकी रक्षा करूँगा; अर्जुन उसे नहीं पा सकेंगे”! ऐसा कहकर इस ब्राह्मणने मेरी सेनाका संहार करानेके लिये सिंधुराजको रोक लिया। तस्य मे मन्दभाग्यस्य यतमानस्य संयुगे । हतानि सर्वसैन्यानि हतो राजा जयद्रथ: ।। 'युद्धमें प्रयत्न करनेपर भी मुझ भाग्यहीनकी सारी सेनाएँ नष्ट हो गयीं और राजा जयद्रथ भी मार डाले गये। पश्य योधवरान् कर्ण शतशो5थ सहस्रश: । पार्थनामाड्कितैर्बाणै: सर्वे नीता यमक्षयम् ।। “कर्ण! इन सैकड़ों-हजारों श्रेष्ठ योद्धाओंको देखो, ये सब-के-सब अर्जुनके नामसे अंकित बाणोंद्वारा यमलोक पहुँचाये गये हैं । कथमेकरथेनाजौ बहूनां न: प्रपश्यताम् । विपन्न: सैन्धवो राजा योधाश्रैव सहस्रश: ।।) “हम बहुसंख्यक योद्धा देखते ही रह गये और युद्धस्थलमें एकमात्र रथकी सहायतासे अर्जुनने मेरे इन सहस्रों योद्धाओं तथा सिंधुराज जयद्रथको भी मार डाला। यह कैसे सम्भव हुआ। अद्य मे भ्रातर: क्षीण॒क्षित्रसेनादयो रणे । भीमसेनं समासाद्य पश्यतां नो दुरात्मनाम्
sañjaya uvāca |
rakṣāmi saindhavaṃ yuddhe nainaṃ prāpsyati phālgunaḥ |
mama sainya-vināśāya ruddho vipreṇa saindhavaḥ ||
tasya me manda-bhāgyasya yatamānasya saṃyuge |
hatāni sarva-sainyāni hato rājā jayadrathaḥ ||
paśya yodha-varān karṇa śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ |
pārtha-nāmāṅkitair bāṇaiḥ sarve nītā yama-kṣayam ||
katham eka-rathenājau bahūnāṃ naḥ prapaśyatām |
vipannaḥ saindhavo rājā yodhāś caiva sahasraśaḥ ||
adya me bhrātaraḥ kṣīṇā kṣitra-senādayo raṇe |
bhīmasenaṃ samāsādya paśyatāṃ no durātmanām ||
Sañjaya said: “I will protect the king of Sindhu in battle; Phālguna (Arjuna) will not reach him.” Saying this, that brāhmaṇa held back Jayadratha—bringing about the destruction of my army. Though I, ill-fated, strove in the fight, all my forces were slain, and King Jayadratha too was killed. Look, Karṇa—hundreds and thousands of foremost warriors have all been sent to Yama’s abode by arrows marked with Pārtha’s name. How, while we watched in great numbers, did the king of Sindhu perish in the battle by the power of a single chariot—and with him thousands of warriors? Today my brothers—Kṣitrasena and the rest—have been cut down in the field, as we wicked men looked on, after they confronted Bhīmasena.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how prideful assurances and tactical obstruction in war can rebound disastrously: despite claims of protection, the speaker witnesses overwhelming loss. It also frames ethical self-judgment—calling themselves durātmānaḥ—suggesting an awareness that adharma and hubris invite ruin, even amid battlefield skill and strategy.
Sañjaya reports that a brāhmaṇa declared he would protect Jayadratha from Arjuna and then restrained Jayadratha, which led to the Kaurava army’s devastation. Arjuna, from a single chariot, kills Jayadratha and many warriors with arrows marked in his name; Sañjaya then notes further losses, including his brothers such as Kṣitrasena, slain after engaging Bhīmasena.