Shloka 18

Devanagari script

रथाक्षमात्रैरिषुभिर भ्यवर्षद्‌ घटोत्कच:

Transliteration

rathākṣamātrair iṣubhir abhyavarṣad ghaṭotkacaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Ghaṭotkaca showered arrows—each as thick as a chariot’s axle—upon the foe, intensifying the terror of battle and displaying the ruthless escalation that war provokes when restraint gives way to the demand for victory.

Word by Word

• रथाक्षमात्रैः: with (arrows) of the size of a chariot-axle
• रथाक्षमात्रैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथाक्षमात्र
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• इषुभिः: with arrows
• इषुभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: इषु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अभ्यवर्षत्: rained down upon / showered
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√वृष्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• घटोत्कचः: Ghaṭotkaca
• घटोत्कचः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: घटोत्कच
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Ghaṭotkaca
• chariot axle
• arrows

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how warfare tends to escalate: extraordinary force and fearsome weaponry arise when victory becomes paramount, raising ethical tension between martial effectiveness and the ideal of restraint (dharma) even amid conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Ghaṭotkaca attacks by raining down massive, axle-thick arrows, emphasizing his rākṣasa power and the intensifying ferocity of the battle.