Shloka 18
अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa
with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma
त॑ प्रत्यविध्यद् दशभिर्थीमसेन: शिलीमुखै: । त्वरमाणो महेष्वास: सब्ये पाश्वे महाबल:,तब महाबली महाधनुर्धर भीमसेनने भी बड़ी उतावलीके साथ द्रोणाचार्यकी बायीं पसलीमें दस बाण मारकर उन्हें घायल कर दिया
taṁ pratyavidhyad daśabhir bhīmasenaḥ śilīmukhaiḥ | tvaramāṇo maheṣvāsaḥ savye pārśve mahābalaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then Bhīmasena, mighty and swift in action, a great archer of immense strength, struck him in return with ten sharp arrows, piercing him on the left side. In the grim ethics of battle, this is narrated as a forceful counterstroke—valor and urgency driving the warrior’s deed amid the relentless violence of Kurukṣetra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of immediate counteraction within kṣatriya-dharma: courage, speed, and martial skill are praised, while the narrative also implicitly underscores the tragic inevitability of harm once war is embraced.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma, acting quickly, shoots ten śilīmukha arrows at Droṇa, piercing him on the left side—an intense exchange in the Kurukṣetra combat sequence.