Shloka 42
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
राक्षसं रौद्रकर्माणं क्रूरकर्मा घटोत्कच: । अलनम्बुषं प्रत्युदियाद् बल॑ं शक्र इवाहवे,जैसे इन्द्रने युद्धमें बल नामक दैत्यपर चढ़ाई की थी, उसी प्रकार क्रूरकर्मा घटोत्कचने भयंकर कर्म करनेवाले अलम्बुष नामक राक्षसपर आक्रमण किया
rākṣasaṁ raudrakarmāṇaṁ krūrakarmā ghaṭotkacaḥ | alanambuṣaṁ pratyudiyād balaṁ śakra ivāhave ||
Sebagaimana Indra dahulu mara dalam perang menentang asura Bala, demikianlah Ghaṭotkaca—yang terkenal dengan perbuatan ganas—menerjang terus ke arah rākṣasa Alanambuṣa, yang tindakannya kejam dan menggerunkan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war amplifies fierce impulses and destructive capability; even when a broader dharmic cause is invoked, the immediate scene is driven by raw force and terrifying action, reminding readers to distinguish the epic’s moral horizon from the brutality of its battlefield moments.
Sañjaya reports that Ghaṭotkaca rushes to attack the rākṣasa Alanambuṣa, and the poet intensifies the scene by comparing Ghaṭotkaca’s charge to Indra’s legendary advance against the demon Bala in battle.