Mahabharata · 7.22.59–60
॥
Devanāgarī
आटरूषकपुष्पाभा हयाः पाण्ड्यानुयायिनाम् ॥
अवहन् रथमुख्यानाम् अयुतानि चतुर्दश ॥
नानारूपेण वर्णेन नानाकृतिमुखा हयाः ॥
रथचक्रध्वजं वीरं घटोत्कचम् उदावहन् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
āṭarūṣakapuṣpābhā hayāḥ pāṇḍyānuyāyinām ||
avahan rathamukhyānām ayutāni caturdaśa ||
nānārūpeṇa varṇena nānākṛtimukhā hayāḥ ||
rathacakradhvajaṃ vīraṃ ghaṭotkacam udāvahan ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
आटरूषकपुष्पाभाःāṭarūṣakapuṣpābhāḥthe color of the atarushaka flower [adhatoda]; the color of the atarushaka flower
हयाःhayāḥhorses; horses
पाण्ड्यानुयायिनाम्pāṇḍyānuyāyināmof the followers of Pandya; [among] the followers of Pandya
अवहन्avahanbore [drove]; drove
रथमुख्यानाम्rathamukhyānāmof the foremost charioteers; of the foremost charioteers
अयुतानि चतुर्दशayutāni caturdaśafourteen myriads [one hundred forty thousand]; fourteen myriads
नानारूपेण वर्णेनnānārūpeṇa varṇenaof varied hue; of varied hue
नानाकृतिमुखाःnānākṛtimukhāḥwith muzzles of varied form; with muzzles of varied form
हयाःhayāḥhorses; horses
रथचक्रध्वजम्rathacakradhvajam[the warrior] with the wheel-banner; [the warrior] with the wheel-banner
वीरम्vīramhero [warrior]; warrior
घटोत्कचम्ghaṭotkacamGhatotkacha; Ghatotkacha
उदावहन्udāvahanbore [drove]; drove
Translation
Horses the color of the atarushaka flower bore the fourteen myriads of foremost charioteers among the followers of Pandya. And horses of varied hue, with muzzles of varied form, bore the warrior Ghatotkacha with his wheel-banner.
Version
b5999ce77e67 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:11:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
At the end appears Ghatotkacha, son of Bhima by the rakshasi Hidimba — his horses are "of varied hue and varied form," not uniform as with men, for he himself is of another lineage, half-rakshasa. In the very variegation and strangeness of his team his dual nature shows through. It is telling that he too, born outside the human race, stands faithfully for his father and for dharma. The verse teaches that in a righteous cause there is room even for those of another blood and nature, if their heart is true; that an unusual origin is no hindrance to loyalty and valor; and that Ghatotkacha, child of two worlds, shows through his devotion to the Pandavas that dharma does not ask about lineage but about faithfulness, and receives whoever stands for what is right.