Shloka 18
वासवाशनिनिर्घोषं दृढज्यमतिविक्षिपन्,तस्यां वीरापहारिण्यां निशायां कर्णम भ्ययात् । वीरोंका संहार करनेवाली उस रात्रिमें इन्द्रके वज़्की भाँति भयानक टंकार करनेवाले और सुदृढ़ प्रत्यंचावाले एक हाथ चौड़े एवं बारह अरत्नि लंबे धनुषको खींचता और रथके धुरेके समान मोटे बाणोंसे सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंको आच्छादित करता हुआ घटोत्कच ([पूर्वोक्त रथपर आरूढ़ हो) कर्णकी ओर चला
sañjaya uvāca | vāsavāśani-nirghoṣaṁ dṛḍha-jyam ati-vikṣipan, tasyāṁ vīrāpahāriṇyāṁ niśāyāṁ karṇam abhyayāt |
Sañjaya said: In that night which was a snatcher-away of heroes, Ghaṭotkaca advanced toward Karṇa, drawing and powerfully hurling with a firmly strung bow whose roar was like Indra’s thunderbolt—filling the directions with thick, axle-like arrows. The scene intensifies the moral darkness of nocturnal warfare: valor is displayed, yet the night itself is portrayed as consuming warriors, underscoring the tragic, dehumanizing momentum of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the battle’s escalation as morally and emotionally dark: the night is described as ‘hero-snatching,’ suggesting that even great valor becomes vulnerable to the consuming force of war. It highlights the tragic inevitability and ethical strain of combat, where prowess and destruction advance together.
Sañjaya narrates that Ghaṭotkaca moves to confront Karṇa during a deadly night. He draws a tightly strung bow that roars like Indra’s thunderbolt and shoots powerfully, covering the directions with heavy arrows as he advances toward Karṇa.