Shloka 46
भीष्मवधोपाय-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into the means to overcome Bhīṣma) | Chapter 103
एकैकं पञ्चभिर्बाणैराजघान स्मयतन्निव | अलनम्बुषो रथोपस्थे नृत्यन्निव महारथ:,इसके बाद रथकी बैठकमें नृत्य-सा करते हुए महारथी अलम्बुषने मुसकराते हुए उनमेंसे एक-एकको पाँच-पाँच बाणोंद्वारा घायल कर दिया
ekaikaṁ pañcabhir bāṇair ājaghāna smayatan niva | alanambuṣo rathopasthe nṛtyann iva mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Smiling as though in sport, the great chariot-warrior Alambuṣa struck them—each one—with five arrows. Standing on the chariot-platform, he moved as if dancing, displaying the confident, showy prowess that often marks the frenzy and pride of battle.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how battlefield skill can be accompanied by pride and theatrical display—smiling and ‘dancing’ on the chariot—reminding readers that war often amplifies ego and mockery alongside valor, and that martial excellence is ethically ambiguous when driven by vanity rather than restraint.
Sañjaya describes Alambusha, an elite warrior, wounding opponents by striking each of them with five arrows, and then moving on his chariot-platform as if dancing, smiling as though the act were sport.