Ghatotkach ka Balidaan

Ghatotkach Bheem aur rakshasi Hidimba ke putr the, Paandavon ke praarambhik vanvaas ke dauraan van mein janme. Apni rakshas maata se unhe vishaalkaay roop, maayaavi shaktiyaan aur apne pita tatha chaachaon ke prati poorn samarpit hriday mila tha. Haalaanki Paandavon ko manushyon ki duniya mein lautte samay unhe peechhe chhodna pada tha, Ghatotkach unhe kabhi nahin bhoole. Unhone Bheem se kaha tha ki jab bhi unhe aavashyakta hogi vah aayenge, apni maaya se kisi bhi doori ko pal bhar mein paar karke. Unhone shapath li ki jab unka parivaar pukaarega to dharti ki koi shakti unhe door nahin rakh sakti. Phir vah apni maata ke logon ke saath vanon mein veeleen ho gaye, rakshason ke paraakrami yoddha sardaar bane. Varsh beete, aur Kurukshetra ka mahaan yuddh aaya. Yuddh ke chaudahven din ladaayi sooryaast ke baad raat mein bhi jaari rahi, ek bhayankar aur apraakritik baat, kyonki yuddhon ko sandhya samay rukna chaahiye tha. Andhere mein rakshas yoddhaon ko badhat thi, aur Bheem dwara bulaaye gaye Ghatotkach toofaan ki tarah maidaan mein garajte hue aaye. Paandav apne paraakrami bandhu ko dekhkar harshit hue, aur Bheem ka hriday garv se phool gaya jab unka putr unke liye maidaan mein utra. Vah vishaalkaay aakaar ke badh gaye, unki aankhen mashaals ki tarah dahak rahi thin, aur Kaurav panktiyon mein haahaakaar macha diya. Unhone dahakte malbe ke parvat phenke, sinhon aur rakshason ki maaya rachi, aur rathon ko apne pairon tale kuchal diya. Kaurav sena unke saamne tootkar bhaagi, aur Duryodhan ne bhay se dekha jab uske sainik maare ja rahe the. Hataasha mein Duryodhan Karna ki or mude aur unse rakshas rajkumar ko rokne ki vinati ki. Karna ne saadhaaran baanon se prayaas kiya, lekin Ghatotkach ki maaya ne unhe mod diya, aur rakshas aur adhik krodhit hua. Ant mein Duryodhan Karna ke charnon mein gir pade aur unse vah astra prayog karne ki vinati ki jise vah bachaakar rakhe the. Karna ke paas Vaasavi Shakti thi, vah achook bhaala jo Indra ne unke divya kavach aur kundalon ke badle diya tha. Vah kisi bhi ek shatru ka vadh kar sakta tha, chaahe kitna bhi paraakrami ho, lekin uska prayog keval ek baar kiya ja sakta tha. Karna ne use varshon tak bachaakar rakha tha, keval ek uddeshya ke liye, apne niyat pratidvandvi Arjun ko maarne ke liye. Ab Duryodhan ne unse vinati ki ki vah use Ghatotkach par kharch karein, kyonki yadi rakshas raat bhar jeevit raha, to samast Kaurav sena nasht ho jaayegi. Karna duvidha mein the. Unka samast jeevan Arjun ke saath dvandva par lakshit tha, aur bhaala unki vijay ka nishchit maarg tha. Lekin Duryodhan ke prati unki nishtha, jisne unhe rajya diya tha jab sansaar ne unka uphaas kiya tha, poorn thi. Bhaari hriday se Karna ne dahakti Vaasavi Shakti uthaayi aur vishaal rakshas par phenk di. Ghatotkach ne bhaala aate dekha, doosre Soorya ki tarah dahakta hua, aur jaan gaye ki vah isse bach nahin sakte. Apne antim kshan mein rakshas rajkumar ne apni sabse badi maaya ka pradarshan kiya. Unhone apne shareer ko sachmuch vishaalkaay aakaar mein phailaaya, parvat shrinkhala jaisa vishaal, taaki jab vah giren, to unka vishaal shav apne neeche Kaurav sena ke bade bhaag ko kuchal de. Bhaale ne unka hriday bedha, aur yuddhbhoomi ko hila dene wali garjana ke saath Ghatotkach aakaash se gire. Unka parvatiya shareer Kaurav panktiyon par gira, jahaan gira wahaan hazaaron maare gaye. Vah vaise hi mare jaise jiye the, apne pita ke liye ladte hue. Jab samachar Paandav shivir pahuncha, to dukh aur aanand ka vichitra mishran tha. Bheem apne putr ke liye roye, lekin Krishna muskuraaye, aur Paandavon ne aashcharya se unki or dekha. Keval Krishna gehri yojana samajhte the, kyonki unhone aarambh se dekha tha ki vah ek bhaala Arjun ke liye kaisa khatra tha. Krishna ne rahasya samjhaaya. Yadi Karna ne Vaasavi Shakti bachaakar rakhi hoti, to Arjun nishchay hi usse marte, kyonki koi raksha us bhaale ko rok nahin sakti thi. Apna balidaan dekar Ghatotkach ne Karna ko unke ghaataktam astra se nirastra kar diya tha aur Arjun ke praan bachaye the. Rakshas rajkumar ki mrityu paraajay nahin balki vijay thi, yuddh ka sabse moolyavaan balidaan. Bheem ke aansu garv mein badal gaye, aur Paandavon ne Ghatotkach ki smriti ka us naayak ke roop mein sammaan kiya jisne apna jeevan diya taaki anya jee saken. Chaudahven din ki raat ko taaron ne us yuddhbhoomi ko dekha jahaan pita ke putr ne siddh kiya tha ki prem mrityu se adhik shaktishaali hai.