Shloka 14
जैसे आँधी बादलोंको छित्न-भिन्न कर देती है, उसी प्रकार अकेले हिडिम्बाकुमार घटोत्कचने अलम्बुष, कर्ण तथा उस दुर्लड्घ्य कौरव-सेनाको भी मथ डाला ।। ततो मायाबल दृष्ट्वा रक्षस्तूर्णमलम्बुष: । घटोत्कचं शख्रातैर्नानालिज्जैः समार्पयत्,अभियाति द्रुतं कर्ण तद् वारय महारथम् । संजय कहते हैं--राजन! युद्धस्थलमें इस प्रकार कर्णका वध करनेकी इच्छासे उद्यत हुए घटोत्कचको सूतपुत्रके रथकी ओर आते देख आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनने दःशासनसे इस प्रकार कहा--'भाई! यह राक्षस रणभूमिमें कर्णका वेगपूर्वक पराक्रम देखकर तीव्र गतिसे उसपर आक्रमण कर रहा है; अतः उस महारथी घटोत्कचको रोको राक्षस अलम्बुषने घटोत्कचका मायाबल देखकर उसके ऊपर तुरंत ही नाना प्रकारके बाणसमूहोंकी वर्षा प्रारम्भ कर दी
tato māyābalaṃ dṛṣṭvā rakṣas tūrṇam alambuṣaḥ | ghaṭotkacaṃ śaravrātair nānāliṅgaiḥ samarpayat ||
Sañjaya said: Then, seeing the wondrous, illusory power of the rākṣasa Ghaṭotkaca, Alambuṣa quickly assailed him, showering him with dense volleys of arrows of many kinds. In the moral atmosphere of the war, this marks the clash between extraordinary, non-human force and the Kuru champions’ desperate countermeasures—where fear of a single warrior’s momentum drives immediate, forceful resistance rather than deliberation.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary power (māyā-bala) in war provokes immediate counter-force rather than restraint. Ethically, it underscores the tragic logic of escalation: when fear and strategic urgency dominate, combatants respond with overwhelming violence, and the battlefield becomes a contest of power more than a space for dharmic reflection.
Ghaṭotkaca’s supernatural prowess becomes evident on the battlefield. In response, the rākṣasa Alambuṣa rapidly attacks him, unleashing heavy volleys of varied arrows to check his advance and blunt his dominance.