Shloka 16
कर्णभीमयुद्धम्
Karna–Bhīma Combat Report
भीमसेनं तदा क्रुद्धं भीमरूपो भयानक: । प्रत्यवारयदायान्तमार्ष्यशृड्धिर्महारथ:,भयंकर रूपधारी एवं भयानक महारथी ऋष्यशुंग-कुमार अलम्बुषने उस समय क्रोधमें भरकर आते हुए भीमसेनको रोका
bhīmasenaṃ tadā kruddhaṃ bhīmarūpo bhayānakaḥ | pratyavārayad āyāntam ārṣyaśṛṅgir mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Da, als Bhīmasena, von Zorn entflammt, nach vorn stürmte, stellte sich ihm der schreckliche, furchterregende Großwagenkämpfer Ārṣyaśṛṅgi (Alambuṣa, der Sohn des Ṛṣyaśṛṅga) entgegen, nahm eine entsetzliche Gestalt an und hielt ihn auf.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a recurring ethical tension in the Mahābhārata’s war narrative: uncontrolled anger (krodha) propels action, but the battlefield also demands restraint, strategy, and counter-measures. Even immense strength like Bhīma’s can be checked when an opponent applies timely resistance; thus, power without composure is not automatically decisive.
Bhīma, furious and advancing to attack, is intercepted and stopped by the great warrior Ārṣyaśṛṅgi—identified in many recensions/traditions with Alambuṣa, the son of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga—who takes on a terrifying form and blocks Bhīma’s onrush.