Shloka 8
अलंबलवधः (Alaṃbala-vadhaḥ) / The Slaying of Alaṃbala and the Advance toward Karṇa
ते चापि भृशमभ्यघ्नन् विशिखा: पार्थचोदिता: । बहुत्वात् तु परामार्ति शराणां तावगच्छताम्,अर्जुनके चलाये हुए उन बाणोंकी संख्या अधिक होनेके कारण उनके द्वारा उन दोनोंको भारी चोट पहुँची। वे बड़ी वेदनाका अनुभव करने लगे
te cāpi bhṛśam abhyaghnan viśikhāḥ pārthacoditāḥ | bahutvāt tu parāmārtiṃ śarāṇāṃ tāv agacchatām ||
Sañjaya said: Those arrows, loosed at Arjuna’s urging, struck them again and again with great force. And because the shafts came in overwhelming numbers, the two were grievously wounded and fell into intense pain.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a war-ethic reality: when violence escalates in quantity and intensity, it produces overwhelming suffering. It implicitly cautions that martial success (a rain of arrows) is inseparable from the moral and human cost borne by bodies on the field.
Sañjaya reports that arrows released under Arjuna’s direction strike the two opponents repeatedly. Because the arrows are so numerous, the pair sustain severe wounds and experience great pain.