Shloka 9

Devanagari script

घटोत्कचो यदि हन्याद्धि कर्ण परो लाभ: स भवेत्‌ पाण्डवानाम्‌ | वैकर्तनो वा यदि त॑ निहन्यात्‌ तथापि कृत्यं शक्तिनाशात्‌ कृतं स्यात्‌,घटोत्कच यदि कर्णको मार देगा तो पाण्डवोंको बहुत बड़ा लाभ होगा और यदि वैकर्तन कर्ण घटोत्कचको मार डालेगा तो भी इन्द्रकी दी हुई शक्तिका नाश हो जानेसे उनका ही प्रयोजन सिद्ध होगा

Transliteration

ghaṭotkaco yadi hanyāddhi karṇa paro lābhaḥ sa bhavet pāṇḍavānām | vaikartano vā yadi taṁ nihanyāt tathāpi kṛtyaṁ śaktināśāt kṛtaṁ syāt |

Translation

Vāyu said: “If Karṇa were to slay Ghaṭotkaca, that would bring the Pāṇḍavas a great advantage. And if Vaikartana (Karṇa) were instead to kill him, even then the purpose would be fulfilled—for the destruction of Indra’s gifted spear would itself accomplish what must be done.”

Word by Word

• {'ghaṭotkacaḥ': 'Ghaṭotkaca, the powerful Rākṣasa son of Bhīma', 'yadi': 'if', 'hanyāt': 'should kill / would slay (optative)', 'hi': 'indeed', 'karṇa': 'Karna', 'paraḥ': 'great, supreme', 'lābhaḥ': 'gain, advantage', 'saḥ': 'that', 'bhavet': 'would be / would become', 'pāṇḍavānām': 'of the Pāṇḍavas', 'vaikartanaḥ': 'Vaikartana, an epithet of Karṇa', 'vā': 'or', 'tam': 'him (Ghaṭotkaca)', 'nihanyāt': 'should kill / would slay', 'tathāpi': 'even so, nevertheless', 'kṛtyam': 'what must be done

• necessary task/purpose', 'śaktināśāt': 'from the destruction of the Śakti (spear/weapon)', 'kṛtam': 'done, accomplished', 'syāt': 'would be'}

Speaker

श्रीवायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu (Vāyudeva)
• Ghaṭotkaca
• Karṇa (Vaikartana)
• Pāṇḍavas
• Indra
• Śakti (Indra’s spear/weapon)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a wartime ethical-strategic calculus: even a painful loss can serve a higher protective purpose if it neutralizes a decisive threat (Indra’s Śakti). It highlights how dharma in war often involves choosing the least harmful path for the larger good, accepting sacrifice to avert greater catastrophe.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu explains that whichever way the encounter turns, the Pāṇḍavas benefit: if Ghaṭotkaca kills Karṇa, the Pāṇḍavas gain immensely; if Karṇa kills Ghaṭotkaca, Karṇa is forced to expend Indra’s one-time Śakti, removing a lethal weapon that could otherwise be used against Arjuna.