Shloka 186
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
महेन्द्रप्रतिमं कार्ष्णि छादयामास पत्रिभि: । महाराज! तब अमर्षशील अलम्बुषने कुपित होकर देवराज इन्द्रके समान पराक्रमी अर्जुनकुमारको पंखवाले बाणोंसे आच्छादित कर दिया
mahendrapratimaṃ kārṣṇi chādayāmāsa patribhiḥ | mahārāja! tad amarṣaśīlaḥ alambuṣaṇaḥ kupitaḥ bhūtvā devarāja-indra-samāna-parākramaṃ arjuna-kumāraṃ pakṣavat-bāṇaiḥ ācchāditavān |
Sañjaya said: O King, then the hot-tempered Alambuṣa, enraged, covered Arjuna’s son—mighty as Indra, king of the gods—with winged arrows, as if to overwhelm him by sheer force amid the battle’s chaos.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (amarṣa, krodha) can drive a warrior to attempt domination through overwhelming force; ethically, it contrasts disciplined valor with rage-driven aggression, reminding that inner control is integral to righteous conduct even in war.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Alambuṣaṇa, provoked and furious, unleashes a dense volley of feathered arrows, effectively ‘covering’ Arjuna’s son on the battlefield—an image of intense pressure and escalating combat.