Shloka 20
Adhyāya 110: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament on Fate; Saṃjaya’s Reproof and the Princes’ Assault on Bhīma (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय ११०)
विकृष्य कार्मुकं घोरं भारसाधनमुत्तमम् । अलम्बुषं शरैस्ती&णैरदयामास सर्वतः,तदनन्तर पुन: होशमें आकर क्रोधसे व्याकुल हुए वायुपुत्र भीमने भार वहन करनेमें समर्थ, उत्तम तथा भयंकर धनुष तानकर पैने बाणोंद्वारा सब ओरसे अलम्बुषको पीड़ित कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca |
vikṛṣya kārmukaṃ ghoraṃ bhārasādhanam uttamam |
alambuṣaṃ śarais tīkṣṇair adayāmāsa sarvataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Regaining his composure and shaken with wrath, Bhīma—the son of the Wind—drew his formidable, excellent bow, capable of bearing great strain, and from every side tormented Alambuṣa with sharp arrows. The scene underscores the relentless momentum of battle, where anger and duty drive warriors to decisive, even merciless, action.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the battlefield context of kṣatriya-dharma, a warrior’s duty can manifest as swift and forceful action; anger intensifies the resolve, and the narrative implicitly raises the ethical tension between necessary martial severity and compassion.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma regaining control, drawing his powerful bow, and then striking Alambuṣa from all directions with sharp arrows, pressing him hard in the ongoing combat.