Mahabharata 7.175.173 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 175, Shloka 173

Devanagari script

नृपश्रेष्ठ! संग्रामभूमिमें गर्जना करते हुए कर्ण और राक्षस दोनोंमें इन्द्र और प्रह्नलादके समान युद्ध होने लगा ।।

Transliteration

nṛpaśreṣṭha! saṅgrāmabhūmau garjanāṃ kurvatā karṇa-rākṣasayor ubhayor indra-prahlādayor iva yuddhaṃ pravavṛte.

Translation

ข้าแต่นฤปศฺเรษฐะ! ณ สมรภูมิ เมื่อกรณะและยักษ์ต่างกู่ก้อง ก็เกิดศึกขึ้นระหว่างทั้งสองดุจอินทร์กับปรหลาท. อิติ ศรีมหาภารตะ ทฺโรณปัรวะ ภาคฆโฏตฺกจวธปัรวะ ในศึกยามราตรี ตอนปลุกเร้าฆโฏตฺกจ บทที่ ๑๗๓ สิ้นสุด

Word by Word

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपश्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• संग्रामभूमौ: on the battlefield
• संग्रामभूमौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संग्रामभूमि
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• गर्जना: roaring
• गर्जना: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्जना
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• कुर्वन्: doing / making
• कुर्वन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कर्णः: Karna
• कर्णः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राक्षसः: the Rakshasa (Ghaṭotkaca)
• राक्षसः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• उभयोः: of both
• उभयोः: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun/Adjective
• Root: उभ
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Dual

• इन्द्रप्रह्लादयोः: of Indra and Prahlada
• इन्द्रप्रह्लादयोः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्रप्रह्लाद
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Dual

• इव: like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• युद्धम्: battle
• युद्धम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अभवत्: arose / happened
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• श्रीमहाभारते: in the Śrī Mahābhārata
• श्रीमहाभारते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमहाभारत
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• द्रोणपर्वणि: in the Droṇa-parvan
• द्रोणपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोणपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• घटोत्कचवधपर्वणि: in the section on the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca
• घटोत्कचवधपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: घटोत्कचवधपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• रात्रियुद्धे: in the night-battle
• रात्रियुद्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रियुद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• घटोत्कचप्रोत्साहने: in (the episode of) encouraging Ghaṭotkaca
• घटोत्कचप्रोत्साहने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: घटोत्कचप्रोत्साहन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• त्रिसप्तत्यधिकशततमः: the 173rd
• त्रिसप्तत्यधिकशततमः: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रिसप्तत्यधिकशततम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अध्यायः: chapter
• अध्यायः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Karna
• Ghaṭotkaca
• Indra
• Prahlāda
• Saṅgrāmabhūmi (battlefield)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how war magnifies pride, fear, and resolve: roaring and rivalry escalate into legendary-scale conflict. Ethically, it underscores the tragic momentum of adharma-driven war, where even great heroes are swept into ever-intensifying violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa and the rākṣasa Ghaṭotkaca, both roaring on the battlefield during the night-fight, engage in a tremendous duel likened to the famed clash of Indra and Prahlāda.