Shloka 99
साश्वसूतध्वजं यान भस्म कृत्वा महाप्रभा । विवेश वसुधां भिन्त्वा सुरास्तत्र विसिस्मियु:,वह अतिशय प्रभापूर्ण अशनि घोड़े, सारथि और ध्वजसहित घटोत्कचके रथको भस्म करके धरती फाड़कर समा गयी। यह देख वहाँ खड़े हुए सब देवता आश्वर्यवकित हो उठे
saśvasūtadhvajaṃ yānaṃ bhasma kṛtvā mahāprabhā | viveśa vasudhāṃ bhittvā surās tatra visismiyuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The exceedingly radiant missile reduced Ghaṭotkaca’s chariot—together with its horses, charioteer, and banner—to ashes, and then, splitting the earth, it disappeared into the ground. Seeing this, the gods who were standing there were struck with astonishment. The scene underscores the terrifying, world-shaking power unleashed in war and the moral weight of weapons that annihilate without distinction.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the catastrophic potency of divinely empowered weapons and invites reflection on the ethical burden of escalating violence in war—power that can obliterate even heroic forces also deepens the tragedy and moral complexity of the conflict.
A brilliantly radiant missile incinerates Ghaṭotkaca’s chariot along with its horses, charioteer, and banner, then vanishes by cleaving and entering the earth; the gods witnessing the event are astonished at its extraordinary force.