Sacred Concord

Mbh 7.175.2d

Mahabharata · translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli

Indeed, with his shafts he destroyed that illusion invoked into existence by Ghatotkacha. Beholding his illusion dispelled, Ghatotkacha, filled with rage began to shoot deadly shafts from desire of slaying the Suta’s son. Those shafts, bathed in blood, piercing through Karna’s body in that dreadful battle, entered the earth like angry snakes. Then the valiant son of the Suta, filled with rage and possessed of great lightness of hands, prevailing over Ghatotkacha, pierced the latter with ten shafts. Then Ghatotkacha, thus pierced by the Suta’s son in his vital parts and feeling great pain, took up a celestial wheel having a thousand radii. The edge of that wheel was sharp as a razor. Possessed of the splendour of the morning sun, and decked with jewels and gems, Bhimasena’s son hurled that wheel at the son of Adhiratha, desirous of making an end of the latter. That wheel, however, of great power and hurled also with great might, was cut off into pieces by Karna with his shafts, and fell down, baffled of its object, like the hopes and purposes of an unfortunate man. Filled with rage upon beholding his wheel baffled, Ghatotkacha covered Karna with showers of shafts, like Rahu covering the sun. The Suta’s son, however, endued with the prowess of Rudra or of Indra’s younger brother or of Indra, fearlessly shrouded Ghatotkacha’s car in a moment with winged arrows. Then Ghatotkacha, whirling a gold-decked mace, hurled it at Karna. Karna, however, with his shafts, cutting it off, caused it to fall down. Then soaring into the sky and roaring deep like a mass of clouds, the gigantic Rakshasa poured from the welkin a perfect shower of trees. Then Karna pierced with his shafts Bhima’s son in the sky, that Rakshasa acquainted with illusions, like the sun piercing with his rays a mass of clouds. Slaying then all the steeds of Ghatotkacha, and cutting also his car into a hundred pieces, Karna began to pour upon him his arrows like a cloud pouring torrents of rain.
Mbh 7.175.2d · Mahabharata · DRONA PARVA

Themes in this passage

NatureChildrenAngerStrengthCourageDesireFamilyHope

Nature in other traditions

The same theme, as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Taoism address it.

The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
Joel 2:10 · Bible · Joel
Hast thou not seen that unto Allah payeth adoration whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the hills, and the trees, and the beasts, and many of mankind, while there are many unto whom the doom is justly due. He whom Allah scorneth, there is none to give him honour. Lo! Allah doeth what He will.
Quran 22:18 · Quran · The Pilgrimage
Cut down the whole forest (of lust), not a tree only! Danger comes out of the forest (of lust). When you have cut down both the forest (of lust) and its undergrowth, then, Bhikshus, you will be rid of the forest and free!
Dhp 20.283 · Dhammapada · The Way
Abstaining from speech marks him who is obeying the spontaneity of his nature. A violent wind does not last for a whole morning; a sudden rain does not last for the whole day. To whom is it that these (two) things are owing? To Heaven and Earth. If Heaven and Earth cannot make such (spasmodic) actings last long, how much less can man!
Tao Te Ching 23.1 · Tao Te Ching

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