Shloka 2
Adhyāya 64 — Omens, Conch Signals, and Arjuna’s Assault on the Elephant Division
नारदजी कहते हैं--सूंजय! मैंने सुना है कि नाभागके पुत्र राजा अम्बरीष भी मृत्युको प्राप्त हुए थे, जिन्होंने अकेले ही दस लाख राजाओंसे युद्ध किया था ।। जिगीषमाणा: संग्रामे समन्ताद् वैरिणो<भ्ययु: । अस्त्रयुद्धविदो घोरा: सृजन्तश्चाशिवा गिर:,राजाके शत्रुओंने उन्हें युद्धमें जीतनेकी इच्छासे चारों ओरसे उनपर आक्रमण किया था। वे सब अस्त्रयुद्धकी कलामें निपुण और भयंकर थे तथा राजाके प्रति अभद्र वचनोंका प्रयोग कर रहे थे
nārada uvāca—
sañjaya! mayā śrutaṃ yathā nābhāgasya putro rājāmbharīṣo 'pi mṛtyuṃ prāptaḥ, ya ekākī daśa-lakṣa-rājabhiḥ saha yuddham akarot.
jigīṣamāṇāḥ saṅgrāme samantād vairiṇo 'bhyayūḥ;
astrayuddha-vido ghorāḥ sṛjantaś cāśivā giraḥ.
Nārada said: “Sanjaya, I have heard that King Ambarīṣa, the son of Nābhāga, also met his death—he who, all alone, fought against ten lakhs of kings. In that battle, his enemies, eager to conquer him, surged in from every side. Skilled in the science of weapons and terrifying in their assault, they hurled not only missiles but also harsh, ill-omened words at the king.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even extraordinary martial prowess and renown do not exempt one from mortality; alongside physical violence, unethical speech (aśivā giraḥ) is also portrayed as a weapon that degrades dharma in war.
Narada recounts to Sanjaya a tradition about King Ambarisha: despite fighting alone against an immense coalition of enemy kings, he ultimately died; the enemies attacked from all sides, skilled in weapons and verbally abusive toward him.