ततो दिग्भ्यः समापेतुः सिंहव्याघ्रतरक्षवः ॥
अग्निजिह्वाश् च भुजगा विहगाश् चाप्य् अयोमुखाः ॥
स कीर्यमाणो निशितैः कर्णचापच्युतैः शरैः ॥
नगराद्रिवनप्रख्यस् तत्रैवान्तरधीयत ॥
राक्षसाश् च पिशाचाश् च यातुधानाः शलावृकाः ॥
ते कर्णं भक्षयिष्यन्तः सर्वतः समुपाद्रवन् ॥
अथैनं वाग्भिर् उग्राभिस् त्रासयां चक्रिरे तदा ॥
उद्यतैर् बहुभिर् घोरैर् आयुधैः शोणितोक्षितैः ॥
तेषाम् अनेकैर् एकैकं कर्णो विव्याध चाशुगैः ॥
tato digbhyaḥ samāpetuḥ siṃhavyāghratarakṣavaḥ ||
agnijihvāś ca bhujagā vihagāś cāpy ayomukhāḥ ||
sa kīryamāṇo niśitaiḥ karṇacāpacyutaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
nagarādrivanaprakhyas tatraivāntaradhīyata ||
rākṣasāś ca piśācāś ca yātudhānāḥ śalāvṛkāḥ ||
te karṇaṃ bhakṣayiṣyantaḥ sarvataḥ samupādravan ||
athainaṃ vāgbhir ugrābhis trāsayāṃ cakrire tadā ||
udyatair bahubhir ghorair āyudhaiḥ śoṇitokṣitaiḥ ||
teṣām anekair ekaikaṃ karṇo vivyādha cāśugaiḥ ||
...multiplied himself, terrifying the lords of men. Then from all directions came running lions, tigers, hyenas, fire-tongued serpents, and iron-beaked birds. He, showered with sharp arrows flying from Karna's bow, in the semblance of city, mountain, forest, vanished right there. Rakshasas and pishachas, yatudhanas, wolves — wishing to devour Karna, they swooped from all directions; then with fearsome words they set about terrifying him.
4c7b0bdeb2da · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:49:34 PM UTC
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Ghatotkacha unleashes beasts, serpents, and phantoms upon Karna, and terrifies him with fearsome words: sorcery employs both illusion and threat. It is significant that after weapons and spells comes speech itself — terror. The verse teaches that an enemy fights not only with the sword but with fear, conjuring horror through images and words; but just as spells did not overcome the steadfast, fearsome words too are powerless against the undisturbed — for only one ready to be frightened can be frightened.