Virūpāksha the Charioteer

Virūpāksha was the charioteer of Ghaṭotkaca during the Kurukshetra war. Ghaṭotkaca was the great rākshasa son of Bhīmasena. Virūpāksha is named in Chapter 175 of the Droṇa Parva, in connection with Ghaṭotkaca’s fighting before the night battle of the fourteenth day. In that battle Ghaṭotkaca gave his life.

Charioteer of Ghaṭotkaca

Virūpāksha served as Ghaṭotkaca’s charioteer in the battles of the Droṇa Parva. Ghaṭotkaca could grow to a huge size, use māyā weapons (weapons of illusion), and fight in the dark with powers that human warriors did not have.

The Droṇa Parva names Virūpāksha in the account of Ghaṭotkaca’s fighting on the fourteenth day. This was before the decisive night battle, in which Karṇa used the divine Vaijayantī Śakti to kill Ghaṭotkaca.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Droṇa Parva, Chapter 175