स हन्यमानो नाराचैर् धाराभिर् इव पर्वतः ॥
गन्धर्वनगराकारः पुनर् अन्तरधीयत ॥
एवं स वै महामायो मायया लाघवेन च ॥
अस्त्राणि तानि दिव्यानि जघान रिपुसूदनः ॥
निहन्यमानेष्व् अस्त्रेषु मायया तेन रक्षसा ॥
असंभ्रान्तस् ततः कर्णस् तद् रक्षः प्रत्ययुध्यत ॥
ततः क्रुद्धो महाराज भैमसेनिर् महाबलः ॥
चकार बहुधात्मानं भीषयाणो नराधिपान् ॥
sa hanyamāno nārācair dhārābhir iva parvataḥ ||
gandharvanagarākāraḥ punar antaradhīyata ||
evaṃ sa vai mahāmāyo māyayā lāghavena ca ||
astrāṇi tāni divyāni jaghāna ripusūdanaḥ ||
nihanyamāneṣv astreṣu māyayā tena rakṣasā ||
asaṃbhrāntas tataḥ karṇas tad rakṣaḥ pratyayudhyata ||
tataḥ kruddho mahārāja bhaimasenir mahābalaḥ ||
cakāra bahudhātmānaṃ bhīṣayāṇo narādhipān ||
...what Karna did then in the battle, terrible to behold. He [Ghatotkacha], battered by iron arrows like a mountain by streams [of rain], in the semblance of a gandharva city, vanished again. Thus he, the great sorcerer, by magic and swiftness struck down that divine weaponry, the slayer of foes. When the weaponry was being destroyed by the magic of that rakshasa, undisturbed, Karna then fought back against that rakshasa. Then, enraged, O great king, the son of Bhimasena, mighty...
b7097969c21a · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:49:34 PM UTC
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Ghatotkacha vanishes, "like a gandharva city" — a phantom mirage melting into air. It is significant that both Karna and the rakshasa are tireless: one nullifies weapons by magic, the other fights on undisturbed. The verse teaches that a contest of equals knows no quick end: each answer breeds a new answer; and while neither spirit nor skill runs dry, the struggle continues like the turning of tides — a lesson that a true rival cannot be beaten by a single rush.