Shloka 138
घटोत्कचस्य तामाज्ञां प्रतिगृह्माथ राक्षसा: | देष्टोज्ज्वला महावकत्रा घोररूपा भयानका:,हन्तुमभ्यद्रवन् द्रौणिं नानाप्रहरणायुधा: । घटोत्कचकी उस आज्ञाको शिरोधार्य करके दाढ़ोंसे प्रकाशित, विशाल मुखवाले, घोर रूपधारी, फै ले मुँह और डरावनी जीभवाले भयानक राक्षस क्रोधसे लाल आँखें किये महान् सिंहनादसे पृथ्वीको प्रतिध्वनित करते हुए हाथोंमें भाँति-भाँतिके अस्त्र-शस्त्र ले अश्वत्थामाको मार डालनेके लिये उसपर टूट पड़े
sañjaya uvāca |
ghaṭotkacasya tām ājñāṃ pratigṛhya atha rākṣasāḥ |
daṃṣṭrojjvalā mahāvaktrā ghorarūpā bhayānakāḥ |
hantum abhyadravan drauṇiṃ nānā-praharaṇāyudhāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Having accepted Ghaṭotkaca’s command, the rākṣasas—terrifying in form, with huge gaping mouths and fangs that gleamed—rushed at Droṇa’s son, Aśvatthāman, intent on killing him, each bearing weapons and missiles of many kinds. The scene underscores how, in the frenzy of war, obedience to a leader’s order can drive beings toward extreme violence, even as the moral weight of such intent remains grave.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how wartime obedience to a commander’s order can unleash terrifying, near-unchecked violence. It invites reflection on ethical responsibility: even when acting under command, the intention to kill and the means employed carry moral weight.
Sañjaya describes Ghaṭotkaca’s rākṣasa forces accepting his order and charging toward Aśvatthāman (Droṇa’s son), armed with many kinds of weapons, with the explicit aim of killing him.