Shloka 32
अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa
with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma
येन लोकत्रयं क्रोधात् त्रासितं स्वेन तेजसा । वह महाधनुर्धर वीर प्रतिदिन द्रोणपुत्र अश्वत्थामाके साथ स्पर्धा रखता था। महाराज! उसने अपने विशाल धनुषको खींचकर एक पंखयुक्त बाणसे अश्वत्थामाको उसी प्रकार घायल कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | yena lokatrayaṁ krodhāt trāsitaṁ svena tejasā | sa mahādhanurdharo vīraḥ pratidinaṁ droṇaputreṇa aśvatthāmnā sārdhaṁ spardhate sma | mahārāja! sa vipulaṁ dhanuḥ saṁyamya pakṣavatā śareṇa aśvatthāmānam evaṁ viddhavān, yathā pūrvakāle devārthe indreṇa bhayaṅkaraṁ vipracitti-nāma durdharṣaṁ dānavam viddham; sa dānavaḥ krodha-tejasā lokatrayaṁ trāsayām āsa | tathā nīlena nirbhinnaḥ sumuktena patattriṇā ||
Sañjaya said: The mighty archer—who once, in wrath and blazing energy, had terrified the three worlds—was met in daily rivalry by Drona’s son, Ashvatthama. O King, drawing his great bow to the full, he struck Ashvatthama with a winged arrow, just as Indra in ancient times, for the gods’ sake, wounded the dreadful and unconquerable Dānava named Vipracitti, who by his anger and splendor had cast the three worlds into fear. Thus Ashvatthama was pierced by that well-released, winged shaft.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how uncontrolled anger (krodha) magnifies destructive power (tejas) and spreads fear, using a mythic analogy to frame battlefield prowess within a moral warning: brilliance in war is formidable, but when fueled by wrath it becomes world-disturbing.
Sanjaya describes a daily contest of arms involving Ashvatthama; a mighty archer draws his great bow and strikes Ashvatthama with a feathered arrow, likening the wound to Indra’s ancient wounding of the Danava Vipracitti, famed for terrifying the three worlds.