Shloka 49
आर्ष्यशद्धिं महेष्वासं मायाविनमरिंदमम् | वैरिणं भीमसेनस्य पूर्व बकवधेन वै,उन सबको मार गिराया गया देख दुर्योधन भयभीत हो उठा और वह अत्यन्त क्रोधमें भरकर भयंकर दीखनेवाले राक्षस ऋष्यशंगपुत्र (अलम्बुष)-के पास दौड़ा गया। वह राक्षस शत्रुओंका दमन करनेमें समर्थ, मायावी और महान धनुर्धर था। पूर्वकालमें किये गये बकासुरवधके कारण वह भीमसेनका वैरी बन बैठा था
ārṣyaśṛṅgiṁ maheṣvāsaṁ māyāvinaṁ arindamam | vairiṇaṁ bhīmasenasya pūrvaṁ bakavadhenavai ||
Sañjaya said: Duryodhana, seeing them struck down, was seized by fear; then, burning with anger, he hurried to the fearsome rākṣasa Alambuṣa, the son of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga. That rākṣasa was a great archer, skilled in illusion and capable of crushing enemies. Because Bhīmasena had earlier slain Baka, Alambuṣa had become Bhīma’s sworn foe.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear can quickly turn into rage and drive one toward ethically fraught choices—here, seeking a māyā-skilled rākṣasa ally. It also underscores karmic continuity: earlier deeds (Bhīma’s slaying of Baka) generate enduring enmities that resurface in later conflicts.
After seeing his side being cut down, Duryodhana panics and then, in anger, rushes to enlist Alambuṣa—a powerful, illusion-wielding rākṣasa archer—who bears a personal grudge against Bhīma because of Bhīma’s earlier killing of Bakāsura.