Mahabharata 6.97.2 — Bhishma Parva, Adhyaya 97, Shloka 2
अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa
with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma
प्रगृह्य सुमहच्चापमिन्द्राशनिसमस्वनम् । महता शरवर्षेण पाण्डवं समवाकिरत्,उसने इन्द्रके वज़की भाँति भयानक टंकार करनेवाले विशाल धनुषको हाथमें लेकर पाण्डुनन्दन भीमसेनपर बाणोंकी भारी वर्षा आरम्भ की
sañjaya uvāca | pragṛhya sumahac cāpam indrāśani-samasvanam | mahatā śaravarṣeṇa pāṇḍavaṃ samavākirat ||
قال سنجيا: أمسك بقوس عظيم، كان طنينه كصوت صاعقة فَجْرَةِ إندرا، ثم أمطر الباندڤي—بهيماسينا—بوابلٍ شديد من السهام.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the battlefield ethic of kṣatriya life: courage and steadiness under overwhelming force. The thunderbolt-like imagery highlights how martial power can be awe-inspiring, yet it also frames war as a severe test of resolve and discipline.
Sañjaya describes a warrior taking up a massive bow that sounds like thunder and then unleashing a heavy volley of arrows upon the Pāṇḍava—identified in the received context as Bhīmasena—thereby escalating the immediate combat.
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