Shloka 373

Devanagari script

निचकर्त महाराज शत्रोरमितविक्रम: । महाराज! तब अमितपराक्रमी घटोत्कचने हि त दिखायी देनेवाली अपनी तलवार उठाकर समरांगणमें अत्यन्त भयंकर गर्जना करते और उछल-कूद मचाते हुए शत्रु अलम्बुषके भयंकर एवं विकराल मस्तकको उस भयानक राक्षसकी कायासे काटकर अलग कर दिया

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | nicakarta mahārāja śatror amitavikramaḥ | mahārāja! tadā amitaparākramaḥ ghaṭotkacaḥ samaraṅgaṇe dṛśyamānāṃ svāṃ asiṃ samutkṣipya paramaṃ bhairavaṃ nādaṃ kṛtvā plavanasampātaṃ ca kurvan śatror alambuṣasya bhīṣaṇaṃ vikarālaṃ mastakaṃ tasya bhayānakasya rākṣasasya kāyāt chittvā pṛthak cakāra ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: O King, then the mighty Ghaṭotkaca—of immeasurable prowess—lifted his sword high on the battlefield. Roaring with terrifying force and leaping about to confound his foe, he struck down the enemy Alambuṣa, severing that dreadful rākṣasa’s fierce and grotesque head from his body. In the brutal economy of war, this act displays the rākṣasa-warrior’s overwhelming martial power, where victory is secured not by persuasion but by decisive, fearsome force.

Word by Word

• निचकर्त: cut off / severed
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-कर्त्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), 3rd, singular, Parasmaipada

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• शत्रोः: of the enemy
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत्रु
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• अमितविक्रमः: of immeasurable prowess
• अमितविक्रमः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमितविक्रम
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Ghaṭotkaca
• Alambuṣa
• sword
• battlefield (samaraṅgaṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the harsh moral landscape of war: when conflict is chosen and escalated, outcomes are often decided by overwhelming force rather than dialogue. It also highlights how prowess and fear can function as tactical instruments, even when the act itself is grim.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Ghaṭotkaca, roaring and leaping in a terrifying display, raises his sword and decapitates the enemy rākṣasa Alambuṣa, cutting his head from his body on the battlefield.