Shloka 18
दुःशासननिग्रहः—द्रोणधृष्टद्युम्नयुद्धप्रसङ्गः
Rebuke of Duḥśāsana; Context of the Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna Combat
अलम्बुषस्तु संक्रुद्ध: कुन्तिभोजशरार्दित: । अशोभत भृशं लक्ष्म्या पुष्पाढ्य इव किंशुक:,राजा कुन्तिभोजके बाणोंसे पीड़ित हो अत्यन्त क्रोधमें भरा हुआ राक्षस अलम्बुष फूलोंसे लदे हुए पलाश वृक्षके समान एक विशेष शोभासे सम्पन्न दिखायी देने लगा
sañjaya uvāca |
alambuṣas tu saṅkruddhaḥ kuntibhojaśarārditaḥ |
aśobhata bhṛśaṃ lakṣmyā puṣpāḍhya iva kiṃśukaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Alambuṣa, enraged and pierced by the arrows of Kuntibhoja, shone with a fierce, striking splendor—like a kiṃśuka (flame-of-the-forest) tree laden with blossoms.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger and pain can produce a deceptive brilliance: a warrior may look glorious in wrath, yet that splendor arises from destructive emotion, not from dharmic excellence.
During the battle, the rākṣasa Alambuṣa is struck by Kuntibhoja’s arrows; instead of collapsing, he becomes intensely enraged and appears dazzling—compared to a kiṃśuka tree covered in flowers.