A story · Mahabharata — Stories

Ghatotkacha and the Asani

Mahabharata, Drona Parva 173

The story · English

Dhritarashtra asked Sanjaya to describe the nocturnal battle between Karna and the Rakshasa Ghatotkacha. He wanted to know every detail of the Rakshasa's appearance, his chariot, his steeds, and his weapons. Sanjaya replied that Ghatotkacha was a giant with blood-red eyes and a copper-colored face. His head was green, his ears shaped like arrows, and his mouth stretched from ear to ear with four sharp, pointed teeth. His body was blue, his neck red, and he was as tall as a hill. He wore a gold diadem and a brass armor of great brilliance. His chariot was covered in bear-skins and adorned with a hundred tinkling bells and blood-red banners, while his steeds were like infuriated elephants with red eyes.

Ghatotkacha was driven by a Rakshasa of terrible eyes, fiery mouth and blazing ear-rings, who held reins as bright as the sun's rays. On the chariot's high standard sat a carnivorous, blood-red vulture. The Rakshasa drew a massive bow, twelve cubits long, with a string that sounded like the thunder of Indra. He rushed toward Karna in the destructive midnight darkness, filling the air with shafts. The sound of his bow terrified the Kaurava troops, who trembled like the waves of the ocean. However, Karna stood his ground with a smile. He advanced to meet the smiling Rakshasa, and the two collided like two great elephants or two leaders of bovine herds. The clash between Karna and Ghatotkacha was as terrible as the legendary battle between Indra and Samvara.

Both warriors used formidable bows to cover each other in powerful shafts, piercing through their brass armor. They mangled one another like two tigers or mighty elephants fighting with teeth or tusks, until both were bathed in blood and looked like hills of chalk with red rivulets running down their breasts. Despite the injuries, neither man trembled. For a long time, they fought a nocturnal combat where life itself was the stake. When Karna found he could not prevail, he invoked celestial weapons. In response, Ghatotkacha used his powers of illusion to create an army of terrible Rakshasas armed with lances, clubs, and massive rocks. The sight of this force, and the leonine roars of Ghatotkacha, caused the Kaurava elephants to pass urine in fear.

The Rakshasas rained iron wheels, darts, and axes upon the field, causing the kings and the sons of Dhritarashtra to flee in terror. Only Karna remained, unmoving in his pride. He used his shafts to destroy the illusion. Enraged, Ghatotkacha shot deadly arrows that pierced Karna's body and entered the earth like angry snakes. Karna responded with lightness of hand, piercing Ghatotkacha with ten shafts. Pierced in his vital parts and in great pain, the son of Bhimasena hurled a celestial wheel with a thousand radii and a razor-sharp edge. The wheel shone like the morning sun, but Karna cut it into pieces with his arrows, leaving it to fall like the broken hopes of an unfortunate man.

Filled with rage, Ghatotkacha covered Karna in showers of arrows like Rahu covering the sun. Karna, possessing the prowess of Rudra, shrouded the Rakshasa's car in winged arrows. Ghatotkacha then hurled a gold-decked mace, which Karna cut down. The giant Rakshasa soared into the sky, roaring like a cloud, and poured a shower of trees down upon the earth. Karna pierced him in the sky, as the sun pierces clouds with its rays. He then slew the steeds and smashed the chariot into a hundred pieces. Karna poured arrows upon Ghatotkacha until the Rakshasa looked like a porcupine with quills, his body completely shrouded in shafts so that his car and standard disappeared.

Ghatotkacha then used his illusions to fight from invisible sources in the sky. He assumed a fierce form to stupefy the Kauravas, growing many grim heads and devouring Karna's celestial weapons. At one point, he appeared to lie dead on the field, prompting the Kaurava bulls to shout with joy. But he suddenly reappeared in various forms, once as a giant with a hundred heads and stomachs like the Mainaka mountain, and then as small as a thumb, soaring like a wave. He tore through the earth, rose to the surface and dived into the waters, moving through the sky and earth before descending in a gold-decked car to confront Karna once more.

Ghatotkacha came near Karna's car and said, 'Wait a little, O son of the Suta. Today I shall quell your desire to fight.' He then soared into the sky, laughed aloud, and poured a torrent of arrows upon Karna, which the warrior destroyed from a distance. Ghatotkacha then made himself invisible and transformed into a high mountain with many summits and tall trees. From this mountain, streams of lances, spears, and swords poured forth. Karna remained unagitated and smiling, invoking a celestial weapon that cut the huge mountain to pieces. Ghatotkacha then became a blue cloud with a rainbow, raining stones upon Karna, but Karna destroyed the dart-cloud using a Vayavya weapon.

Ghatotkacha created another illusion, appearing surrounded by Rakshasas that resembled lions, tigers, and elephants. As they approached, Ghatotkacha pierced Karna with five shafts and uttered a roar that frightened the kings. He then used an Anjalika weapon to cut Karna's bow in half. Karna immediately took up another bow as strong as Indra's and shot golden-winged shafts, destroying the Rakshasa host and their steeds. Karna looked like the god Agni consuming all creatures during the universal dissolution. No king on the Pandava side could even look at Karna then, save Ghatotkacha, his eyes emitting flames like burning brands. The Rakshasa returned to a car yoked to asses with the faces of Pisachas and ordered his driver to take him toward Karna.

Ghatotkacha hurled an Asani of Rudra's workmanship, a terrible weapon with eight wheels. Karna jumped down from his car, seized the Asani, and hurled it back. Ghatotkacha leaped from his vehicle just in time. The weapon reduced the Rakshasa's car, steeds, and driver to ashes before disappearing into the earth, and the gods were filled with wonder. All creatures applauded Karna for this feat. As they continued, Ghatotkacha used his illusions to destroy Karna's celestial weapons. He divided himself into many parts and summoned lions, tigers, hyenas, and snakes with fiery tongues. Karna pierced these monsters with swift-winged shafts and used a celestial weapon to destroy the illusion.

Karna then struck the steeds of Ghatotkacha, maiming them until they fell. Seeing his illusion dispelled, the son of Hidimva vanished, vowing that he would presently compass Karna's destruction. During this struggle, the Rakshasa prince Alayudha arrived with a vast force to join Duryodhana. Alayudha sought revenge for the deaths of his kinsmen Vaka, Kirmira, and Hidimva, and for the deflowering of the virgin Hidimva by Bhima. He told Duryodhana he would devour the sons of Kunti, Vasudeva and their followers. Duryodhana gladly accepted him into the vanguard. Alayudha, riding a sun-bright car covered in bear-skins and yoked to a hundred elephant-shaped steeds, proceeded toward Bhima.

कथा · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: The Night Battle: Aswatthaman Against Ghatotkacha · Mahabharata, Drona Parva 153
• Next: Duhsasana's Blood · Mahabharata, Karna Parva 83
• All of Mahabharata — Stories · Ask Krishna about it

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