Shloka 193
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
tasyāṃ vīrāpahāriṇyāṃ niśāyāṃ karṇam abhyayāt | indrasya vajravat bhayānaka-ṭaṅkāra-kṛt sudṛḍha-pratyañcāvataṃ eka-hasta-pramāṇaṃ dvādaśa-aratni-dīrghaṃ dhanuḥ ākarṣayan ratha-dhura-sama-sthūlaiḥ bāṇaiḥ sarvā diśaḥ ācchādayan ghaṭotkacaḥ (pūrvokta-ratha-parārūḍhaḥ) karṇasya samīpam jagāma ||
Sañjaya said: In that night which was a snatcher away of heroes, Ghaṭotkaca advanced against Karṇa. Drawing a bow a hand’s breadth wide and twelve cubits long, with a dreadful twang like Indra’s thunderbolt and a taut, unyielding bowstring, he covered all directions with arrows as thick as a chariot’s axle, and—mounted on the chariot described earlier—moved toward Karṇa. The scene underscores the terror and moral weight of nocturnal warfare, where prowess becomes a force that indiscriminately consumes the brave.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war—especially at night—becomes a consuming force that ‘steals’ even the brave; extraordinary power and fearsome display do not automatically imply righteousness, and the narrative invites reflection on the moral cost of battle conducted under conditions that magnify terror and confusion.
Sañjaya describes Ghaṭotkaca, mounted on his chariot, advancing toward Karṇa in a deadly night. He draws a massive bow with a thunderbolt-like twang and showers thick arrows in all directions, signaling the escalation of the nocturnal combat and the imminent clash with Karṇa.