घटोत्कचस् तु तद् धत्वा रक्षो बलवतां वरम् ॥
मुमोच बलवन् नादं बलं हत्वेव वासवः ॥
स पूज्यमानः पितृभिः सबान्धवैर्; घटोत्कचः कर्मणि दुष्करे कृते ॥
रिपुं निहत्याभिननन्द वै तदा; अलम्बुसं पक्वम् अलम्बुसं यथा ॥
ततो निनादः सुमहान् समुत्थितः; सशङ्खनानाविधबाणघोषवान् ॥
निशम्य तं प्रत्यनदंस् तु कौरवास्; ततो ध्वनिर् भुवनम् अथास्पृशद् भृशम् ॥
ghaṭotkacas tu tad dhatvā rakṣo balavatāṃ varam ||
mumoca balavan nādaṃ balaṃ hatveva vāsavaḥ ||
sa pūjyamānaḥ pitṛbhiḥ sabāndhavair; ghaṭotkacaḥ karmaṇi duṣkare kṛte ||
ripuṃ nihatyābhinananda vai tadā; alambusaṃ pakvam alambusaṃ yathā ||
tato ninādaḥ sumahān samutthitaḥ; saśaṅkhanānāvidhabāṇaghoṣavān ||
niśamya taṃ pratyanadaṃs tu kauravās; tato dhvanir bhuvanam athāspṛśad bhṛśam ||
And Ghatotkacha, having slain that rakshasa, the best of the mighty, let out a mighty roar, like Vasava [Indra] after slaying Vala. Honored by his elders and kinsmen, Ghatotkacha, having accomplished the difficult deed, rejoiced at having slain the enemy. Then a tremendous din arose, mingled with conches and the whistling of arrows of every kind; hearing it, the Kauravas answered with their own roar — and the sound then struck the whole world with force.
4f6fa957d8a7 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:02:23 PM UTC
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Ghatotkacha, honored "pitṛbhiḥ sabāndhavaiḥ" by his elders and kin, exults "karmaṇi duṣkare kṛte" upon completing a difficult deed: merit is measured by the weight of what was overcome. It is significant that the son of a rakshasi receives honor equal to that of the greatest Pandavas, for service to dharma levels the differences of birth. The verse teaches that worth is won not by origin but by deed: one who accomplishes something hard in the name of truth is rightly honored by his own, and a feat performed for the good of the family binds it more tightly than the ties of blood.