Shloka 206

Devanagari script

समाचिनोदू राक्षसेन्द्रं घटोत्कचमरिंदमम्‌ । तत्पश्चात्‌ मर्मस्थलको विदीर्ण कर देनेवाले सैकड़ों पैने बाणोंद्वारा उसने शत्रुदमन राक्षसराज घटोत्कचको बींध दिया

Transliteration

samācinodū rākṣasendraṃ ghaṭotkacam ariṃdamam | tatpaścāt marmasthalako vidīrṇa-kara-dena-vale saikadoṃ paiṇe bāṇoṃdvārā usne śatrudamana rākṣasarāja ghaṭotkacako bīndh diyā |

Translation

Sañjaya said: He struck Ghaṭotkaca, the lord of the Rākṣasas and a formidable crusher of foes. Then, with hundreds of sharp arrows that tore into vital points and shattered the body, he pierced the enemy-subduing Rākṣasa-king Ghaṭotkaca—an image of war’s ruthless precision, where valor is measured by lethal skill rather than mercy.

Word by Word

• समाचिनोत्: he pierced / struck
• समाचिनोत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-चि (चिनोति)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• राक्षसेन्द्रम्: the lord of the Rakṣasas
• राक्षसेन्द्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षसेन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• घटोत्कचम्: Ghaṭotkaca
• घटोत्कचम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: घटोत्कच
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अरिंदमम्: crusher of foes
• अरिंदमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अरिंदम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• घटोत्कच (Ghaṭotkaca)
• राक्षसेन्द्र (lord of the Rākṣasas)
• राक्षसराज (Rākṣasa-king)
• बाण (arrows)
• मर्मस्थल (vital points)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the grim ethic of battlefield dharma: warriors employ precise, decisive force against formidable opponents. It implicitly raises the tension between duty-bound valor and the human cost of violence, showing how war reduces moral choice to survival and victory.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a combatant striking and then piercing Ghaṭotkaca, the Rākṣasa-king, with hundreds of sharp arrows aimed at vital points, emphasizing the intensity and lethality of the encounter.