Shloka 21
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
अलनम्बुषं विनिर्भिद्य प्राविशन्त धरातलम् | उसी प्रकार अभिमन्युके छोड़े हुए सुवर्णभूषित बाण भी अलम्बुषको विदीर्ण करके पृथ्वीमें समा गये ।। सौभद्रस्तु रणे रक्ष: शरै: संनतपर्वभि:
sañjaya uvāca | alanambuṣaṃ vinirbhidya prāviśan dharātalam | usī prakāra abhimanyuke choṛe hue suvarṇabhūṣita bāṇa bhī alambuṣako vidīrṇa karke pṛthvīmeṃ samā gaye || saubhadras tu raṇe rakṣaḥ śaraiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ |
Sañjaya said: Having pierced Alambusha through, the arrows plunged into the earth. In the same way, the gold-adorned shafts released by Abhimanyu tore through Alambusha and then disappeared into the ground. Thus, in the thick of battle, the son of Subhadra struck the rākṣasa with well-jointed, firmly fitted arrows—an image of disciplined martial skill directed toward the immediate protection of dharma on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined force used in a dharmic context: Abhimanyu’s controlled, effective archery is portrayed not as cruelty but as rightful martial action within the duties of war, where protection of one’s side and resistance to adharma are paramount.
Sanjaya describes Abhimanyu’s arrows striking Alambusha so powerfully that they pierce him and continue into the earth. The imagery emphasizes the intensity of the encounter and Abhimanyu’s prowess against the rākṣasa opponent.