Shloka 82
वृतं घटोत्कचं क्र्रैर्मरुद्धिरिव वासवम् । दृष्टवा कर्णो महेष्वासो योधयामास राक्षसम्,देवताओंसे घिरे हुए इन्द्रके समान क्रूर राक्षसोंस आवृत घटोत्कचको सामने देखकर महाधनुर्धर कर्णने उस निशाचरके साथ युद्ध आरम्भ किया
sañjaya uvāca | vṛtaṃ ghaṭotkacaṃ krūraiḥ marudbhir iva vāsavam | dṛṣṭvā karṇo maheṣvāso yodhayāmāsa rākṣasam ||
वृतं घटोत्कचं क्रूरैर्मरुद्भिरिव वासवम् । दृष्ट्वा कर्णो महेष्वासो योधयामास राक्षसम् ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the compulsion of kṣatriya-duty in wartime: when a formidable opponent appears, the warrior responds by meeting force with force. It also uses a divine simile (Indra with the Maruts) to underscore how human conflict in the epic is narrated with cosmic-scale imagery, intensifying the ethical weight of battle.
Ghaṭotkaca is seen surrounded by fierce fighters, and Karṇa—renowned as a great archer—initiates combat against him. The focus is on the moment of engagement, setting up a major confrontation within the Drona Parva war sequence.