Shloka 42

Devanagari script

मायायां तु प्रहीणायाममर्षाच्च घटोत्कच:

Transliteration

māyāyāṃ tu prahīṇāyām amarṣāc ca ghaṭotkacaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: When his magical power had been cast off, and stung by intolerable rage, Ghaṭotkaca (rose to act).

Word by Word

• मायायाम्: in/when (his) illusion
• मायायाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• प्रहीणायाम्: having been abandoned/ceased
• प्रहीणायाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-हा (धातु: हा)
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle), Passive (PPP sense)

• अमर्षात्: from anger/indignation
• अमर्षात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमर्ष
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• घटोत्कचः: Ghaṭotkaca
• घटोत्कचः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: घटोत्कच
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Ghaṭotkaca
• māyā (magical illusion/power)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights how, once reliance on deceptive power (māyā) is set aside, raw emotion—especially indignant rage—can drive action. Ethically, it warns that anger born of wounded pride (amarṣa) can become a decisive force in war, often escalating violence beyond strategic necessity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a shift in Ghaṭotkaca’s conduct: his use of māyā is relinquished or neutralized, and he is provoked into fierce, intolerant anger. The verse sets up his next aggressive move in the battle sequence.