Ghaṭotkaca

Quartigod son of Bhīma (Vāyu-paternal demigod) by the rākṣasī Hiḍimbā. Born already a young man via the accelerated-rākṣasa-pregnancy pattern. The canonical loyal-non-Aryan-allied-warrior of the Mahābhārata: a rākṣasa by maternal blood, but devoted to his Pāṇḍava paternal-kin from birth. The death by Karṇa's Vāsava-Śakti on the night of day 14 of Kurukshetra is one of the most-cited Krishna-strategic-instigations in the war-narrative — Krishna deliberately drove Ghaṭotkaca to attack so that Karṇa would expend the Indra-given spear that had been reserved for Arjuna, the trade made openly: Ghaṭotkaca's life for Arjuna's. The dying-fall of his giant-form crushing thousands of Kaurava soldiers makes his death even-in-defeat one of the highest tactical contributions of the war.

Parentage

• father: BhīmaMahābhārata Ādi Parva 152-158 (primary)

Children

• Añjanaparvan

Powers

• Flies and strikes from the air
• Swells to mountainous size
• Conjures rākṣasa illusions
• Grows mightier at night

Relations

• father: BhīmaMahābhārata Ādi Parva 152-158 (primary)
• mother: Hiḍimbā (rākṣasī, sister of Hiḍimba) · HinduMahābhārata Ādi Parva 152-158 (primary)
• half sibling: SutasomaHalf-brother through their shared father Bhīma; Sutasoma is Bhīma's son by Draupadī (Upapāṇḍava cluster).Mahābhārata Ādi Parva 95.75, 152-158 (primary)
• half sibling: SarvagaHalf-brother through their shared father Bhīma; Sarvaga is Bhīma's son by Bālandharā of Kāśī.Mahābhārata Ādi Parva 95.76; Anuśāsana Parva 4 (primary)
• father of: AñjanaparvanMahābhārata Droṇa Parva 156.20-25 (primary)
• killed by: Karṇa (using the Vāsava-Śakti reserved for Arjuna) · HinduMahābhārata Droṇa Parva 152-181 (primary)

Sources

• existence: Mahābhārata (BORI Critical Edition) — Ādi Parva 152-158, Vana Parva 153-156, Virāṭa Parva, Bhīṣma Parva, Droṇa Parva 152-181 (the death-narrative); Harivamśa 2.85-86 (primary)
• parentage: Mahābhārata Ādi Parva 152-158 (primary)