Shloka 18
तस्याप्यक्षसमा बाणा रुक्मपुड्खा: शिलाशिता: । सो<पि वीरो महाबाहुर्यथैव स घटोत्कच:,उसके बाण भी शिलापर तेज किये हुए थे। वे भी धुरेके समान मोटे और सुवर्णमय पंखोंसे सुशोभित थे। अलायुध भी वैसा ही महाबाहु वीर था, जैसा कि घटोत्कच था
tasyāpy akṣasamā bāṇā rukmapuṅkhāḥ śilāśitāḥ | so 'pi vīro mahābāhur yathaiva sa ghaṭotkacaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: His arrows too were whetted upon stone, thick as an axle and adorned with golden fletching. That warrior Alāyudha, mighty-armed and valiant, was in prowess just like Ghaṭotkaca—an image of the escalating ferocity of battle where strength and weapon-craft are displayed without restraint, foreshadowing grave destruction rather than moral resolution.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war magnifies displays of power and craftsmanship—stone-whetted, axle-thick, gold-fletched arrows—yet such magnificence serves destruction. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: valor and skill can be admirable, but when yoked to adharma-driven conflict they become instruments of calamity.
Sañjaya describes Alāyudha’s weaponry and strength, emphasizing that his arrows are exceptionally heavy and sharp, and that he himself is a mighty warrior comparable to Ghaṭotkaca. The narration signals the arrival or presence of a formidable combatant in the Drona Parva battle sequence.