Shloka 336
Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot
घटोत्कचे व्यंसयत: कस्त्वत्त: पापकृत्तम: । 'पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनके वधके लिये माँगी हुई इन्द्रकी शक्तिको तुमने घटोत्कचपर छुड़वा दिया। तुमसे बढ़कर महापापी कौन हो सकता है?
ghaṭotkace vyaṃsayataḥ kas tvattaḥ pāpakṛttamaḥ | pāṇḍuputrārjunakasya vadhāya yācitām indraśaktiṃ tvaṃ ghaṭotkace pramocitavān | tvatto 'dhikaḥ mahāpāpī kaḥ syāt ||
Sanjaya disse: “Quando Ghaṭotkaca estava sendo destruído, quem poderia ser mais pecador do que tu? A arma divina—a Śakti de Indra—fora obtida para matar Arjuna, filho de Pāṇḍu; e, no entanto, fizeste com que fosse descarregada sobre Ghaṭotkaca. Quem poderia ser maior perpetrador de tão grave maldade do que tu?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral indictment: misdirecting a uniquely decisive weapon from its intended target (Arjuna) to another (Ghaṭotkaca) is portrayed as a grave ethical failure, highlighting how choices in war carry moral weight and long-term consequences.
Sanjaya reports a rebuke that the Indra-given Śakti—sought specifically to kill Arjuna—has instead been expended on Ghaṭotkaca. The speaker condemns this as a disastrous and sinful strategic misstep, since the weapon is now unavailable against Arjuna.