भुजगा इव वेगेन वल्मीकं क्रोधमूर्छिताः ॥
ते शरा रुधिराभ्यक्ता भित्त्वा शारद्वतीसुतम् ॥
विविशुर् धरणीं शीघ्रा रुक्मपुङ्खाः शिलाशिताः ॥
अश्वत्थामा तु संक्रुद्धो लघुहस्तः प्रतापवान् ॥
घटोत्कचम् अभिक्रुद्धं बिभेद दशभिः शरैः ॥
घटोत्कचो ऽतिविद्धस् तु द्रोणपुत्रेण मर्मसु ॥
चक्रं शतसहस्रारम् अगृह्णाद् व्यथितो भृशम् ॥
क्षुरान्तं बालसूर्याभं मणिवज्रविभूषितम् ॥
अश्वत्थाम्नस् तु चिक्षेप भैमसेनिर् जिघांसया ॥
bhujagā iva vegena valmīkaṃ krodhamūrchitāḥ ||
te śarā rudhirābhyaktā bhittvā śāradvatīsutam ||
viviśur dharaṇīṃ śīghrā rukmapuṅkhāḥ śilāśitāḥ ||
aśvatthāmā tu saṃkruddho laghuhastaḥ pratāpavān ||
ghaṭotkacam abhikruddhaṃ bibheda daśabhiḥ śaraiḥ ||
ghaṭotkaco 'tividdhas tu droṇaputreṇa marmasu ||
cakraṃ śatasahasrāram agṛhṇād vyathito bhṛśam ||
kṣurāntaṃ bālasūryābhaṃ maṇivajravibhūṣitam ||
aśvatthāmnas tu cikṣepa bhaimasenir jighāṃsayā ||
Like serpents, swiftly, frenzied with rage, into an anthill, those arrows, drenched in blood, pierced and entered the body of Ashvatthaman. Ashvatthaman, for his part, enraged, quick of hand, valorous, pierced the enraged Ghatotkacha with ten arrows. Ghatotkacha, sorely pierced by the son of Drona in his vital spots, sorely shaken, seized a disc with a hundred thousand spokes, with a razor-sharp edge, like the young sun, adorned with jewels and diamonds — and hurled it at Ashvatthaman, the son of Bhimasena, longing to kill.
24d0a1418bb5 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:40:45 PM UTC
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The duel rises to unprecedented power — a chakra-disc of a hundred thousand spokes, like the young sun. It is telling that both the rakshasa's son fights with valor and the brahmin's son yields nothing: dignity is shown by both. The verse teaches that a meeting of equals in valor is great, whichever side they stand on; and a weapon blazing like the sun is only the visible measure of the fury that drives both fighters.