Shloka 79
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
अभाग्यस्येव संकल्पस्तन्मोघमपतद् भुवि । भीमसेनकुमारने अश्वत्थामाका वध करनेकी इच्छासे वह चक्र उसके ऊपर चला दिया, परंतु अश्वत्थामाने अपने बाणोंद्वारा बड़े वेगसे आते हुए उस चक्रको दूर फेंक दिया। वह भाग्यहीनके संकल्प (मनोरथ)-की भाँति व्यर्थ होकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा || ७८ $ || घटोत्कचस्ततस्तूर्ण दृष्टवा चक्रं निपातितम्
abhāgyasyeva saṅkalpas tan mogham apatat bhuvi | bhīmasenakumāreṇa aśvatthāmā-vadha-karaṇecchayā sa cakras tasyopari calitaḥ | aśvatthāmā tu svabāṇair mahāvegād āgacchantaṁ taṁ cakraṁ dūrataḥ kṣiptavān | sa abhāgyasaṅkalpavat vyarthaḥ pṛthivyāṁ nipapāta ||
Sañjaya said: Like the resolve of an unfortunate man, the attempt came to nothing and fell upon the earth. Desiring to slay Aśvatthāmā, Bhīmasena’s son hurled a discus at him; but Aśvatthāmā, with his arrows, struck away that swiftly advancing weapon and cast it far aside. Thus the discus, rendered futile, dropped to the ground—an image of intention without fortune or right occasion.
सयजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a moral image: mere intention (saṅkalpa) is not enough—without favorable conditions, skill, and the right moment, an effort becomes mogha (fruitless). In the ethical frame of the epic, it also hints that outcomes in war depend not only on desire to kill but on preparedness and the complex play of fate and merit.
Ghaṭotkaca, Bhīma’s son, tries to kill Aśvatthāmā by hurling a discus at him. Aśvatthāmā counters by shooting arrows that strike and drive the fast-coming discus away, so it falls uselessly to the ground.