Shloka 75
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
नानावर्णेन रूपेण नानाकृतिमुखा हया: । रथचक्रध्वजं वीर॑ घटोत्कचमुदावहन्,अनेक प्रकारके रंग-रूपसे युक्त विभिन्न आकृति और मुखवाले घोड़े रथके पहियेके चिह्नसे युक्त ध्वजावाले वीर घटोत्कचको रणभूमिमें ले गये
sañjaya uvāca |
nānāvarṇena rūpeṇa nānākṛtimukhā hayāḥ |
rathacakradhvajaṃ vīraṃ ghaṭotkacam udāvahan |
Sañjaya said: Horses of many colors and forms, with faces of varied shapes, bore the heroic Ghaṭotkaca forward—his chariot marked by the emblem of a wheel upon its banner—carrying him into the thick of the battlefield. The scene underscores how martial splendor and force are marshalled in war, even as the moral weight of violence continues to press upon both sides.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the outward grandeur and mobilization of power in war—symbols, banners, and mighty warriors—while implicitly reminding the reader that such splendor serves a violent enterprise whose ethical burden remains central to the Mahābhārata’s vision of dharma under strain.
Sañjaya describes Ghaṭotkaca being carried into battle on a chariot drawn by striking, multi-colored horses of varied forms, with a banner bearing a wheel emblem—an image that signals his formidable presence as he enters the fray.